Today we’d like to introduce you to Helen St. Pierre.
Helen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started training dogs in high school. Believe it or not, I didn’t grow up with dogs, we had one dog for a couple of years as a kid but that was it. In high school for extra cash, I would paint pet portraits and have the dogs sit and stay so I could photograph or sketch them. Then, in college, I went to school for fine arts but paid my way through by working at a local doggie daycare and petsitting the faculties dogs. I also began studying behavior and researching working with animals. I also got my first dog, Merlin, at that time and began training him.
After college, I moved to Colorado and began working at an animal shelter helping the homeless dogs. I learned ways to train them to make them more adaptable and then as I continued to grow in my skills, a very talented trainer asked me to apprentice with her. After a few years, I moved back to the northeast and began training locally. I opened my facility seven years ago!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working with animals is never a smooth road. We get very emotionally involved with our animals and their behavior can bring us joy, frustration, and sadness. On top of that, working with the people on the other end of the leashes can be sometimes even more of a challenge than the dogs themselves. Being in an era of instant gratification, and high expectations, dogs are suffering and my job is to help build bridges between human and canine so there are mutual understanding and respect.
No Monkey Business Dog Training – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Helen is the owner and operator of No Monkey Business Dog Training. Based in Concord New Hampshire, she is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and an Operation Socialization Certified Trainer (OSCT). Helen has been training dogs for over 15 years. She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, a member of the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals and is a certified member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a member of the Pet Professional Guild. Helen is also a licensed Dogs and Storks presenter, a licensed Dogs and Toddlers presenter, and a certified AKC evaluator.
Helen’s skills range from basic obedience to behavior modification of serious problems including aggression as well as service dog training. Helen is always doing one on one behavior consultations, and Helen teaches classes locally in the Concord, New Hampshire area and offers workshops and seminars on a variety of subjects all around New England. Helen is constantly going to continuing education seminars to learn more about the fascinating world of dog behavior, and she has been featured on the radio, in print, and on T.V. for her work! She volunteers countless hours at the local SPCA and works with homeless dogs to help them learn skills to find a home faster.
She has worked as a trainer for the humane society rehabilitating aggressive dogs, and helping homeless dogs find the right home. She also was the volunteer 4-H dog club leader and taught basic obedience at a prestigious training academy in Durango, Colorado. She is educated in canine behavior and has a strong foundation of knowledge on the psychological principles and applications of dog training. Helen has both the academic and hands-on skills that make for a great trainer and behavior consultant.
Helen has four dogs of her own, a Collie named Paddington and Mallory a Papillon! Messner is a rescue papillon who is a new addition and Rupert another Collie. She lost her beloved dogs, Sweet Pea, also a papillon, in January 2013 and Atlas in 2016. Merlin, the dog who started it all, passed in October 2017. Helen also has a horse Noah, a cat, three parrots, and two daughters, Grace and Evelyn. She takes great pride in her work and treats every animal she trains as if it were her own, making your training experience motivating and enjoyable! When not training dogs, she is working with her own animals or spending time with her husband and daughters.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Winning best dog trainer in Concord for the last eight years was pretty huge. But also, having my two daughters come into my facility and watch me teach and show them that if they work really hard they can achieve anything.
Contact Info:
- Address: 141 old turnpike road,
Concord, NH 03301 - Website: nomonkeybusinessdogtraining.com
- Phone: 6038567509
- Email: helen@nomonkeybusinessdogtraining.com
Image Credit:
kimberly sarah photography
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