About
Jenn Merritt of Blue Dog Creature Coaching
Jenn Merritt is the owner of Blue Dog Creature Coaching in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Blue Dog offers dog training help, new puppy training, and Tellington TTouch in group classes and private training sessions. Classes are offered in North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Durham, Burlington, and surrounding areas.
Jenn’s career in dog training began when she attended reward based obedience classes at the Animal Protection Society in Mebane, NC, in 1998 with her behaviorally challenged dog Elvis. Seeing the connection between positive reinforcement dog training and better behavior first hand, Jenn became a volunteer, a dog training instructor, and eventually manager of the APS Dog Training Program (now Paws 4 Ever) for four years.
After an accident left her dog Big Sandy an amputee, Jenn discovered Tellington TTouch. Using TTouch to assist in her dog’s recovery, Jenn found that the gentle bodywork and non-habitual movement exercises of TTouch combined seemlessly with reward based training producing not only vibrant health, but better behavior.
In 2003, she left the APS to create Blue Dog Creature Coaching, integrating her dog training experience with the methods of TTouch. Through Blue Dog, Jenn offers family dog classes at three area facilities, along with educational public workshops on TTouch, the benefits of animal assisted therapy, dog park safety, and canine body language.
Jenn joins national certified dog trainers through accreditation by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is also a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, a certified Tellington TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner, and is active in animal assisted therapy with her Shepherd mix Bernie and her Australian Shepherd Royal. In her spare time, Jenn produced a DVD on dog park safety/play behaviors and a set of DVDs for TTouch, documenting the 30th anniversary “Cellebration” with Linda Tellington-Jones. The TTouch DVDs are available at www.ttouch.com
Currently, Jenn is working towards her certification as a TTouch Equine Practitioner and hopes to work extensively with geriatric horses. She is blogging about using all her knowledge in behavior, training, and TTouch on The Life of Royal, as she and her husband raise their puppy Royal.
Jenn Merritt, CPDT
Certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
Certified Tellington TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner
Professional Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
Workshops and Non-Degree Programs
• 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009 Association of Pet Dog Trainer Conferences
• John Rogerson-6 day instructor training and teaching workshop 4/02
• Patricia McConnell, PhD-”The Other End of the Leash” Two day workshop 11/02
• Christine Zink, DVM, PhD-”Obedience, Agility, and Freestyle Seminar” Two day workshop 2/03
• Pamela Reid, PhD-”Train on the Cutting Edge: Adv. Training Theory” Two day workshop 4/03
• Leslie Nelson-”Positive Possibilities” Two day workshop 8/03
• Myrna Milani, DVM-”Taking the Bite Out of Canine Aggression” Two day workshop 11/03
• Trish King-”From Pups to Problems” Two day workshop 2/04
• Sue Sternberg Intership/Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption, Five days, 5/04
• Terry Ryan-”Coaching People to Train Their Dogs” Two day workshop 10/04
• Suzanne Clothier-”The Integrated Approach” and “If Dogs Could Speak” Two day workshop 3/05
• Dawn Allen “Introduction to Animal Communication” Two day workshop 7/05
• Emma Parsons “Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog” Two day workshop 12/05
• Suzanne Clothier “Relationship Based Training” Two day workshop 3/06
• PK Shader “SATZ-Safe Alternative Teaching Zone”, Two day workshop 6/07
• Dr. Doug Knueven “Canine Holistic Health Weekend”, Two day workshop 3/08
Tellington TTouch and TTEAM Workshops
• Companion Animal 5 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 6/03
• Companion Animal 7 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 10/03
• Companion Animal 7 day Training with Debby Potts 10/04
• Companion Animal 7 day Training with Robyn Hood 2/05
• Companion Animal 5 day Training with Debby Potts 3/06
• Companion Animal 5 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 7/06 (Graduated Practitioner Training Program)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Debby Potts 10/06
• 4 day Practitioner Advanced Training 11/06
• 3 day Cellebration Conference 11/06
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Kathy Cascade 3/07 (Assisted/Organized)
• TTEAM Equine 5 day Training with Linda Tellington Jones 4/07
• TTEAM Equine 5 day Training with Linda Tellington Jones 6/07
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 7/07 (Assisted/Organized)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Kathy Cascade 11/07 (Assisted/Organized)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Linda Tellington Jones 3/08 (Assisted/Organized)
• TTEAM Equine 5 day Training with Linda Tellington Jones 5/08
• Companion Animal 5 day Training with Kathy Cascade 11/08 (Organized)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 4/09 (Assisted/Organized)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Edie Jane Eaton 10/09 (Assisted/Organized)
• Companion Animal 6 day Training with Linda Tellington Jones 4/10 (Assisted/Organized)
• Companion Animal 3 day Advanced Training with Linda Tellington Jones 4/10 (Assisted/Organized)