Cave Dog Tamer 

Hi, it's nice to meet you. I’m Joy, a California-born dog trainer now bringing structure, sanity, and strong leash skills to the desert dogs of Albuquerque.​

After years of working pups on sun-soaked sidewalks and café patios—where “off-leash” means freedom and puppuccinos are a food group—I packed my gear, my dog, and my slip leash, and headed for the high desert. Why? Because training near pre-historic petroglyphs reminds me: dogs don’t need words. They need calm, clear leadership they can trust.

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Dogs have been my obsession, my teachers, and my best friends since the dawn of my own time.

I’ve spent decades volunteering in shelters, learning everything I could from heaven-sent mentors, obsessive self-study, and of course — the dogs themselves. For 15 years, I ran a thriving dog training business, working with everything from terrified rescue pups and wild teenage goofballs to seriously stressed-out owners and dogs with big behavior challenges.

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There are no bad dogs.

Dogs labeled as bad are really just misunderstood and we should never inhibit their communication. Instead listen closely. Within their barking, jumping, pulling, shenanigans, even silence, we hear their clear uninhibited honesty - and this is where our conversations begin. “I’m excited,” “I’m scared,” "I’m bored,” and so on. In every moment, dogs show us how to adjust our training, or when to show them a better way. We then respond with our communication and intention, and if effective, we change, avert, redirect their behaviors, and strengthen our bond, because now there is understanding. Like us, our dogs want peace, not conflict. These are the moment-to-moment conversations we have with our dogs - often without words. These are the conversations I love.