About the Instructor

Diane with her dogs (from left: Skye, Hershey & Eagle)

Diane Blackman Lavigne, CPDT has been training dogs for more than ten years. She has trained her own dogs to compete in obedience, agility, conformation as well as training them for therapy dog work. Before moving to upstate New York in August 2006, she was an instructor at the Bon-Clyde Learning Center in Sanford, North Carolina for seven years. She received her Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) certification in November 2005.  Diane is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP). She is also certified to test dogs for AKC's Canine Good Citizen tests as well as Therapy Dog International Inc. certification tests. She is also currently serving as the President of Northeastern New York Golden Retriever Club and is a member of the Golden Retriever Club of America.

Diane's training philosophy is simple: Train good habits, reinforce the behaviors you want and build a beautiful relationship with your canine companion. While I have many tools in my training toolbox, I train primarily with positive reinforcement.