Meet Our Team
The trainers at Courteous Canine LLC are supervised by Karen McCarthy, CDBC, CPDT-KA. Many of our trainers are members of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. All of our trainers who are employed by Courteous Canine are working towards the Certification of Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA) a comprehensive psychometrically sound (independent of any training school) exam evaluating the trainer knowledge of learning theory, husbandry, canine ethology, classroom management and human teaching techniques. Eligibility for this test requires a minimum of 300 hours as a lead trainer and references from a veterinarian, colleague and a client.
Karen McCarthy, founder
Karen holds a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Simmons College and completed her mentor hours at Boston MSPCA’s Behavior Department. Karen is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) , a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), a Pet Partner Evaluator, an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen and STAR Puppy Evaluator , a professional member of the Association for Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) , and an Authorized Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also has a Citation in Animal Cognition from Harvard University Extension School, and regularly attends seminars with the best instructors and theorists in the dog training field, including Dr. Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell, Susan Garrett, Kathy Sdao, and John Rogerson. Originally a high school special education teacher working with behaviorally disordered adolescents, Karen switched to professional dog training in 2006. She trained extensively under Jim Barry of Reston Dog Training, better known as the RI Dog Guy. Originally a veterinarian assistant, Karen switched to dog training a decade ago. Between her and her staff of six, Courteous Canine, LLC provides private and group training to Rhode Island, and southeastern Connecticut.
Her credentials specifically related to dog training are:
Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC)
Authorized Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College
Pet Partner Evaluator
American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen and STAR Puppy Evaluator
Professional member of the Association for Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
Articles written for APDT:
Samantha “Sam” Satchwill
Sam joined us in 2017, as the manager of our Unleashed! Day Camp and as a group class trainer. Sam has wanted to work with dogs all her life and finally got the chance when she was in high school as a kennel attendant at Kingston Kennels at the Washington County Veterinary Hospital. Sam was a manager at Metropet for four and a half years and brings her experience in facility management and off leash dog play. Sam has recently completed the program at Animal Behavior College and the Professional Pet Assisted Therapy Program thru the Community College of Rhode Island. In her free time she enjoys sewing, hiking with my dogs, and playing video games.
David Bailey
People are a mystery to me, but animals I understand. I have been working in animal care for about five years, now; continuing to build on what I've learned. I always knew that I wanted to work with animals, and eventually, dog training presented itself as a possibility; I found my start at Petco, where I went through the dog training program. I then ended up at an animal shelter, where I learned how to conduct behavior evaluations on new dogs for potential adoption, and administer medication. The next step on my journey was in doggy daycare, where I was able to put my knowledge of canine behavior and body language to practical use. But I missed dog training, and now I am working towards my Certified Professional Dog Trainer certification.
After my last dog passed, I decided to see what life was like with a cat. It became more interesting when that cat was diagnosed with diabetes (which is how I learned to give insulin shots). I was lucky to have him with me for a long time after that, until the age of 13, when it was time to say goodbye. Three years later I was ready for a new friend. My new feline roommate is around 8 or 9 years old, and FIV+. He lives a very normal life, as most FIV cats do. And like most cats, he's the boss, as was his predecessor.
I have enjoyed working with the campers during their daily Unleashed! Day Camp training sessions and I am excited to spear head Courteous Canine's Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Program specializing in handling reactive dogs and supporting their training plans. Our pets make our lives better. Let's see what we can do in return.