Meet your Dog Trainer

A little more about me

Petrina aka The Pet Coach CSAT, CAPBT, APDT, CAB

Hi there! I'm Petrina Firth, also known as The Pet Coach. As a fully qualified and certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, I've had the privilege of training with Malena De Martini, the renowned author of “Separation Anxiety in Dogs” (CSAT).

Additionally, I'm a COAPE Behaviorist and proud member of the COAPE Association of Applied Pet Behaviorists. Being a board member and fully assessed member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (no 01238) further solidifies my commitment to excellence in the field.

If you’re looking for help with fixing your dog’s separation anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. With over a decade of dog training and behavior experience, I focus on providing my clients with advice that is practical, humane, and scientifically validated.

I understand the struggle that comes with canine separation anxiety, the worry that you’ll never be able to leave your dog alone, the sometimes claustrophobic feeling of ALWAYS having to be with your dog, and I’ll work with you to help your dog overcome this challenging behavior.

As a separation anxiety specialist, you’ll find a lot of this site is centered around dog separation anxiety also known as isolation distress. Separation anxiety does not exist in a vacuum, so you’ll also find information on pet nutrition (because I’m a dog food nerd) and animal emotions which are at the core of my work as a behaviorist. And yes, don’t we all love puppies? So you’ll see training and behaviour information about them too.

My Credentials and Memberships

Because knowledge and experience matters!

  • Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) having mentored under Malena DeMartini, the world’s leading expert in dog separation anxiety.
  • Certified Animal Behaviorist qualifying with COAPE and sit on the board of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
  • Full member of CAPBT
  • Full member of APDT (MAPDT 01238)

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