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About Us
Welcome to Best Paw Forward Inc.
Best Paw Forward Inc. president and lead trainer P.J. Lacette has been training dogs in Central Florida for 42 years. She and Sandy Guy started Best Paw Forward after heading into classes with their first Irish setters. Sandy has now retired, but is always a phone call away as a sounding board as we develop new programs and techniques. P.J. also provides occasional cat counseling and has done some work with horses as well. She has titled dogs in obedience, rally, agility, conformation, field, trick dog and more, with multiple nationally-ranked dogs to her credit.
P.J. is charter member 15 of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, an organization founded by Dr. Ian Dunbar, a world-renown animal behaviorist and dog trainer and veterinarian with degrees from London University Royal Veterinary College and the University of California Berkeley, where he researched the development of social hierarchies and aggression in domestic dogs.
Science-based methods espoused by Dunbar have spread throughout the world, and we are proud to have the longest-running Dunbar-inspired dog training program in Florida.
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Association of Professional Dog Trainers, Clicker Trainers, Wide Range of Dog Training Skills
Our Central Florida operation is also largely based on educational programs from APDT; clicker trainers including Sue Sternberg, Karen Pryor, Gary Wilkes, Terry Ryan and Emma Parsons; and an endless inspiring list of other great behavior, obedience, agility, dog breed, rescue groups, trainers, behaviorists; and genetic, medical & dog structure experts from around the globe.
P.J. was honored to be on the first faculty team when the Clicker Academy was established by Pryor, and we have the longest-running group clicker classes in at least the southeast United States.
We offer the Best dog training for your pet, your needs
P.J. has the help of dog-savvy trainers/instructors Kelly A. Davis & Laurie Wright in our extensive Saturday programs. Both have worked with us for years and have put multiple titles & wins on multiple dogs.
We are dedicated to bringing you affordable, gentle, effective training based on trust and respect. Our move to Osteen in Volusia County in 2008 made it possible to offer more varied programs than ever in our family-friendly setting.
The beautiful rural setting provides a friendly, fun foundation for beginners, obedience competition and rally, agility, retriever field work, conformation/show dog training, therapy & service dogs, and for our Detouring Doggie Delinquents private and group programs for nervous, shy, bossy or aggressive dogs.
The temperature in Osteen is balmy compared to in-town numbers. We are usually 5-10 degrees cooler out here, with an almost-constant breeze.