Association of Pet Dog Trainers - Dog Training Resources

Members

Cathy Bruce, CPDT-KA

Education Committee Co-Chair
Veterinary Outreach Task Force Advisor

Cathy Bruce, CPDT-KA

Cathy Bruce is a positive reinforcement based dog trainer in metro Atlanta, GA.

After completing a successful career as a singer/actress on Broadway ten years ago, she decided to pursue fulltime her love of dogs and fascination with their behavior so she first launched a successful in-home dog boarding business where dogs of many different breeds inhabited her house at any given time.

Following an apprenticeship and stint as a Staff Instructor at People Training for Dogs in New York, where she taught classes in Puppy Obedience, AKC Canine Good Citizen Prep, and Competitive Rally Obedience, she then took over long time friend and Animal Planet's Victoria Stilwell’s company Dog Trainers of New Jersey. There she taught in home private lessons for dogs and owners dealing with obedience and behavioral issues. Her facility, Canine Country Academy LLC was built two years ago after moving to Atlanta and is located on the outskirts of the city in Dacula, GA.

Cathy currently teaches in-home private lessons and group classes for dog owners ranging the gamut from puppy training needs, such as housebreaking, socialization and dealing with destructive behaviors to more serious issues like dog to dog aggression, fear based aggression towards humans and separation anxiety. Her background and specialties include conformation show handling, Puppy Obedience, Advanced Obedience and competitive Rally Obedience training. She has also spent a good amount of time this year working with reactive dogs and their owners since launching her Reactive Dog Class.

Cathy is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, a member of the Member Relations Committee of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), a former Chair of the Ethics Committee of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), certified as an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, and a member of both the American Shih Tzu Club and Metropolitan Atlanta Shih Tzu Club. Two years ago, she founded the Georgia Dog Trainer Forum, an educational and networking organization that includes professional dog trainers and behaviorists from all over the Atlanta area. She has been featured on Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog as a guest trainer, sat on dog behavior panels, written articles for The APDT Chronicle of the Dog and provides consulting for numerous dog rescue groups in metro Atlanta.