05/09/2023
Congratulations Jen Havens!!! We love you!
Jen has ALWAYS been there for any of our animals in need. Helping us and even fostering a time or two! You rock! Please see the links at the end of the article if you need an awesome trainer. While she is now living in New Mexico her Zoom training and classes are spot on! Lance and I are in her puppy class now!
The Best New Mexico Dog Trainers in 2022
Jen Havens
For 40+ years, I lived in Monrovia CA where I founded and operated Two Dogs Pet Services, a professional pet care & dog walking company. We added puppy socialization, basic manners, and therapy dog training in 2017.
I've worked as a barista, a nanny to three children, youth group director, customer service in retail stores and restaurants, and Out Patient Nurse Coordinator at Dr. Domotor's Animal House Veterinary Hospital.
I have traveled through 35 states with one or two whippets and an old tortoise in search of massive amounts of dog fun!
In June of 2022, my three wonderful whippets (Beans, Ryder, and Vinney) and I moved to Taos, New Mexico so I could be closer to my senior mom. We are looking forward to exploring more and experiencing all the land of enchantment and four seasons has to offer.
All three whippets have multiple trick dog titles and have earned their CGCA (Canine Good Citizen Advanced, now Community Canine). Vinney received his first trick title at 17 weeks. Beans and Ryder earned their AKC Obedience Beginner Novice titles. Beans has her Rally Advanced title, Ryder has his Rally Intermediate. Both have earned Fast CAT and CAT titles and Ryder is an AKC Field Champion and has a Dock Novice title. Beans recently retired from therapy dog work and is semi-retired as my service dog. Vinney is in training to take over for Beans as my service dog and we will be starting public access training soon!
Services include:
In home training
Deaf dog training
Reactive dog training
Puppy training
More info about service provided: I'm available for one on one in-person in or near Taos, NM or virtual consults and training sessions. Personal, small group online classes include Puppy Squad, Trick Squad, and Teamwork Sessions. Puppy Squad is geared toward pups up to 6 months. Trick Squad is for anyone who wants to learn how to use fun tricks to get desirable behaviors and/or earn Trick titles through AKC. Teamwork Sessions are for dog guardians facing more challenging behaviors, it's a deep dive into the whys.
In-person classes include CGC/Tricks and Fit Dog Level 1+2 small groups, as well as 1:1 consults and sessions in the client's home.
Behavioral issue focus: Fearful and under socialized pups are the calls I receive most often with new rescues and new puppies as close seconds.
Training methods: I focus on the welfare of each dog, person, and household I work with and I'm proud to use effective, positive reinforcement using rewards, fear free, and humane methods of care and training.
I teach how to recognize a dog's body language cues so clients are able to gain further understanding about what their dogs need and how they're asking us to meet those needs.
My favorite ways to meet a dog's needs include enrichment, games, fitness, tricks, and creative use of the environment/nature. I love teaching clients how to get alternative behaviors to those frustrating, undesirable behaviors.
Each household is different and each client gets to create their own training plan with my guidance on what we want to work on and in what order. Training must be doable for the entire household so I strive to give the client full control over their plan.
Why I became a dog trainer:
At first, to work with my own dogs in a way I felt good about after growing up learning that training and 'control' were one and the same. Now, it's to help people understand their dogs, avoid frustration, and get the desirable behaviors while having a lot of fun!
My deaf dog, 11 yrs now, needed positive reinforcement and I didn't know how to do that so I took a couple puppy classes with Paul Owens and decided I needed to learn and do more.
Then I met Kat Camplin and heard about the science behind dog training and wanted more of that, too.
Both were helping so many people and dogs and I wanted to learn how to do that in the same ethical and practical ways.
Since meeting them both, I've brought home two more whippets and they have both made me a better trainer and continue to make me a better person.
My favorite part of being a dog trainer:
One of the things that excites me most about working with dogs and their people is watching them have fun with while learning how to effectively meet their household's and dog's needs. Seeing the 'Ohhh! I get it now!' happen thrills me!
I also love meeting people and their pups where they are and teaching them how to teach their pups what they want them to do. And helping them achieve their desired relationship with their dog.
My #1 dog training tip: Slow down. I find that when we back the bus up, take a few deep breaths, observe before acting, and try to wait a moment, our dogs figure things out a lot sooner. Giving them time and distance is all part of the slowing down, too.
Service areas: Taos, Taos County, El Prado, Talpa, Arroyo Seco
Website:
WORLDWIDE VIRTUAL 1:1 OR SMALL GROUP COACHING IN-PERSON, PRIVATE TRAINING SESSIONS AND CONSULTS IN AND AROUND TAOS NM
