Our Trainers
Pack of Paws’ trainers have over 100 years of professional dog training experience, combined. Many of our instructors actively compete in performance dog sports and understand not only the importance of training the skills needed to participate in these intense activities, but also how to manage the stress, arousal and distraction issues that may develop in these highly stimulating environments.
Not only are our trainers experienced, each is proficient in many different areas of canine behavior. Our trainers offer a wealth of knowledge and are always available to brainstorm ideas and recommend solutions, no matter what class you’re currently taking.
Donna D. Savoie
Donna has an unmatchable passion for reliable family dog manners and the understanding that a dog and the family’s life can be rich, enriched, and fulfilling with just a few amazingly reliable skills. Leash walks, hikes, visits to dog-friendly restaurants, parks, and breweries, and more make the dog a participating family member, and a well-behaved dog is an enjoyable companion! Donna is skilled at developing and implementing doable training programs that are easily incorporated into every dog owner’s life.
Donna truly enjoys working with both ends of the leash and approaches each lesson as a collaboration with the dog owner, the dog, and herself. She’s a talented coach for both ends of the leash.
Donna has a fantastic talent for rehabilitating fearful and aggressive dogs and helping families through the training process with compassion and empathy for both ends of the leash. Having owned her own fearful and aggressive dogs, her personal experiences make her the perfect trainer, coach, and behavior consultant to understand and empathize compassionately and construct an achievable and effective treatment plan for problems stemming from the simply over-exuberant menacing adolescent, to the most vehement resource guarder, to the most fearful or most aggressive dog.
In 2005 Donna and her husband adopted Gretchen, a six month old German Shepherd who presented only days after adoption with fearful behaviors. As time passed, Donna knew she needed help with her; however, in seeking help from local trainers, the training plans were not enjoyable to implement or even ethical, in her opinion. So she started her quest for knowledge in helping dogs and their families with fearful and aggressive dogs.
Donna attended many seminars, traveled thousands of miles, and found plans and protocols that she could shape to help her own dog. Gretchen became an enjoyable member of the family, enjoyed group walks, and even grew to enjoy company in the home. It was Gretchen, who started Donna’s passion and career into the Working with Aggressive Dogs aspect of training. Gretchen has helped thousands of dogs exponentially over the past 18 years (as of this writing in 2023). Gretchen passed over the bridge at the age of 13.
Donna has also coached many professional trainers wanting to learn to work with fearful and aggressive dogs. Working professional trainers seek her out for coaching to learn how to coach people, train dogs and work with aggression effectively.
Donna’s commitment to her own education in training and animal behavior is second to none. From general and advanced seminars to coaches for her own interests in Performance Obedience, Agility, and Canine Freestyle, Donna brings a variety of personal experiences as well as her vast education to every lesson.
Donna and her husband adopted then 2-year-old German Shepherd, who they named Moxie in 2008, from serious neglect. For the first two years of her life, Moxie had been crated for days at a time without even being allowed out to eliminate. Moxie enjoyed training and rehabilitation with Donna and became a friendly, sweet dog who enjoyed Nose Work for fun, swimming, Barn Hunt for fun, and ball chasing (and a little Canine Freestyle too)! Moxie passed at 14 years old, and Donna’s experience with her has carried over into client cases even today.
Donna currently lives with her German Shepherd, Vader, who titled in the sport of Barn Hunt and Lure Coursing and is an honorary big brother to his sister, German Shepherd Rikkochez, who is training for Competitive Obedience, Canine Freestyle and has achieved Advanced Master Title in Dock Diving, Novice Barn Hunt Title and trains for Agility for fun AND teaches obedience, sports and confidence with Donna. She also has a Belgian Malinois named Lazer who trains for Competitive Obedience, titled to Master Level in Dock Diving, titled in Lure Coursing, and has titled at first place levels in Agility. And a German Shepherd named Buzzynga Smashes It (Buzzy) who trains for Obedience and Agility!
Donna enjoys multiple sports as an opportunity and goal toward continued learning as well as enrichment for her shepherds, not to mention the all-out fun of dog sports and activities!
Certifications & Memberships Past and Present:
- Certified Dog Trainer
- Certified by the Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) [former]
- Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI)
- Certified TAGteach International Level 2
- Animal Behavior College, Honor Graduate
- Certified Behavior Consultant
- Certified Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (ACDBC) [former]
- AKC CGC Evaluator #34524
- APDT, Professional Member (Association of Professional Dog Trainers) [former]
- International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
- Fmr Board Member
- Boston Trainer’s Network, Member [former]
- Mentor Trainer – Pack of Paws Dog Training Professional Trainer’s program
- Living & Loving Animals ABA Course with Susan Friedman; Graduate with Excellence
*[Former] Some of the memberships have lapsed due to significant costs but the vigorous testing required which were passed with excellence to be accepted into those organizations stand.
Deborah Taylor, CPDT-KA
Deborah is a skilled and creative trainer with over a decade of experience. Deborah is an expert in working with high drive working lines dogs to develop impulse control and flawless obedience. She focuses on high quality training, teaching solid foundational skills and maximizing each dog’s performance.
Deborah continually attends advanced training classes and seminars and is passionate about learning, as well as working with all dogs and their people!
She has been actively competing in Flyball for 10 years and has traveled all over the country learning the newest techniques in Flyball training. Deborah has been sought after by Flyball teams in England, where she spent a week teaching seminars.
Deborah is the Captain of the highly successful Flyball team Mass Chaos and actively participates in agility, competition obedience, K9 Nose Work and disc.
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
Joyce Gauthier
Joyce has been training and competing in agility for 20+ years with her three German shepherds. She has competed in NADAC, AKC, CPE and now primarily competes in USDAA. Her current dogs are Kaia, a 10 yr old German shepherd and Halliah, a 5 year old German shepherd.
Before her retirement, Kaia was competing at the Masters level in AKC and USDAA, earning two Championships in USDAA, a Lifetime Achievement-Bronze award and a team placement of 8th out of 132 teams at Cynosports (USDAA Nationals) in 2015.
Halliah is competing in the Masters level of USDAA and in 2018 earned her second Championship titles as well as her first Lifetime Achievement Award (150 total qualifying scores). We have recently started competing in AKC agility and have worked our way to the Excellent Level in just a handful of trials. Halliah is the cover dog for Amanda Shyne’s “Weaves that Wow” book. Her team placed 4th in New England Regionals in 2016, she had an amazing performance at Cynosports (USDAA Nationals) in 2017 and won the Bronze Medal in Grand Prix at the 2018 New England Regionals. We are looking forward to 2019 USDAA Nationals!
Kaia also loves Nosework and Halliah loves dock diving, although they do not actively compete in either of those sports, and their favorite activity is hiking.
Joyce absolutely loves watching each team grow!
Dianne Barrett
Dianne lives with 3 Australian Shepherds; Hedy, Journey, and Bert. Hedy is retired from Obedience, Rally, and Agility, having earned titles in the upper agility classes and notably won her excellent standard class at the Australian Shepherd National Specialty last spring. Journey is training for Obedience at the Utility Level, and Bert is just starting his career in Obedience, Rally, Agility, and Dock Diving.
Dianne has been involved in Rally for over a decade, starting around 2008, and has been active in Competition Obedience for 20 years. She is a member of the Australian Shepherd Club of America and an active member of the Australian Shepherd Club of New England. Both Hedy and Journey have earned their Rally Trial Championships in ASCA. Additionally, all of Dianne’s dogs, except for the young Bert, have achieved their CDX in AKC or ASCA, or both.
Her love of dogs began in childhood with a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and she has had a dog ever since. Her passion for performance sports started with her first Australian Shepherd and an Obedience class for fun. Dianne has been a student at Pack of Paws for over 10 years and cherishes the philosophy, fun, crew, and classmates she has met over the years. She is eager to contribute her experiences and knowledge to the Pack of Paws roster and hopes to become a Rally judge for the Australian Shepherd Club of America.
Julie Blanding, TWC Certified
Julie is a Master at building motivation and engagement, especially through play.
Julie is a TWC (Training Without Conflict) Certificant and was one of the very first to certify in this program.
Julie has been captivated with animals since childhood and began training in dog sport in 2001. She enjoys teaching high levels of play and engagement, as well as building strong behavioral foundations in dogs of all ages. She also recognizes that not all dogs have the same level of motivation, so every dog/handler team deserves an individual training program.
Julie has titled dogs in Schutzhund, IPO, Mondioring, and French Ring. She successfully cross-trained her German Shepherd Fred to earn both Schutzhund 3 and Mondioring 1 titles. She also shares her home with her amazing little helper, Belgian Malinois Puppy Dim Sum.
