Alyssa Rose interviewed by Juliette Nash, the Community Training Coordinator at the San Diego Humane Society.
The Science of Behavior
Alyssa Rose is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. She has a degree in psychology, with a concentration on the science of learning, behavior and motivation. She used this degree in the human mental health field as a counselor. First, with children diagnosed with oppositional defiance, bi-polar disorder and autism. Later, with adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, generalized anxiety and major depression.
Animal Behavior
In 2008, Alyssa and her dog, Kodi, took a six month hiatus to Alaska. During this time she lived on a boat with Kodi, and worked as a guide in an animal sanctuary. She and Kodi thrived going on daily hikes and frequent camping trips. The natural environment helped to center her, and find a new path forward. She felt that she was meant to continue teaching others about animal behavior.
The mutually beneficial relationship between dogs and people also became more apparent. She found that her new routine improved her connection with her dog. As a result, he was healthier and happier than he had ever been, and so was she. She wondered if it was possible to replicate this with other dogs, even without a cross country move to Alaska. She felt that good training could act as this bridge. One that could improve our dog's behavioral and emotional well-being, as well as, our own.
Certification with World Renowned Trainers
In 2009 Alyssa enrolled in an academy for professional dog trainers, and headed to Texas to study under two internationally renowned trainers. During this time she learned about beginner and advanced obedience training, behavior modification, and sport work. The sport work included agility, search and rescue, scent detection, tracking and protection training. A comprehensive understanding of training has enabled her to create and implement behavior modification plans that help bring out the best in every dog.
Behavior Modification
After receiving certification as a professional dog trainer, Alyssa began working at a prominent dog care facility in New York City. She was the head trainer and behavior consultant in the upper west side of Manhattan. Conducting behavior assessments, private sessions and group classes – she knew she was headed in the right direction.
In 2011 she branched off to create her own business and focus more intently on behavior modification for difficult dogs. This is when Legends Dog Training was born. Since this time she has invested herself in creating a specialized approach to behavior modification. A system, with lasting results, that helps dogs work through behavior challenges including anxiety, reactivity, hyperactivity and aggression.
Alyssa's Family
Alyssa currently resides in San Diego, California with her husband, Brian, a videographer that helps to produce Legends' Youtube videos and training tutorials. Alyssa and Brian have three kids and two terriers – who frequently show up as assistants in Alyssa's training videos. When she's not training she is typically hiking, camping with her two and four legged family members or spending time in the garden.
A Positive Wave of Change
In 2011, Alyssa started creating educational training videos. She is passionate about teaching the general population about behavior modification. As a result, she hopes to improve the welfare of dogs around the world.
Alyssa advocates for behavioral training that focuses on building foundation skills. With the right know how, foundation skills like Mat Work, Heel Work, Recall and Sendaway can be used to condition calm behavior with triggers.
If you are looking for structured training, that gets to the root cause of behavior problems – sign up for one of Alyssa's classes today.
“I've tried other dog trainers…”
Alyssa has truly helped me better understand how to communicate with my dogs and is an amazing dog trainer. She has been training my two dogs Tin Tin and Sandi for about 3 months. Tin Tin is a Belgian Malinois and I had a hard time taking him on walks because he tends to lash out at dogs, people, leaf blowers, and almost any sound he hears. After these 3 months of training, I am able to control him and calm him down so that walking has now become fun and a pleasure. Alyssa is also kind and patient. She takes the time to answer any and all of my questions. I cannot say enough. She is absolutely great.
Sherry Z
“Alyssa is a mix of a therapist, and a dog trainer.”
Alyssa is just incredible! She is very knowledgeable, and an excellent clear communicator. She doesn't waste your time, and always has helpful visual aids to enhance training. I started 'zoom' training with her last year to work on my dogs' separation anxiety. I tried so many short-cuts before — nothing worked, until Alyssa. She breaks every session down into concise manageable steps. Slowly over time I started to see real long-lasting change in my dogs' behavior. Trust the process! Trust Alyssa! Your dogs will thank you!
Sarah S
“Alyssa has changed our relationship with our dog for the better.”
We cannot recommend Alyssa enough. As first time dog owners, our adopted 7 month husky-lab mix was a huge challenge. We found Alyssa through San Diego Humane Society's dog training classes. Through the online classes, we saw even more improvements in our dog's behavior throughout our 12 weeks together. Our dog started out as the dog who couldn't sit still for class — by the end she became so calm she could sleep through the entire class. We are thankful and grateful to have found a positive reinforcement trainer like Alyssa.
Eva T
“We saw a difference after one session.”
We saw a noticeable difference in our dog's behavior after just one session. Strongly recommend! We have a 10 month old 70 pound blue nose Pit Bull who really needed a strong trainer. Alyssa is incredibly personable and understanding. She listened to our concerns and really worked with us to reinforce what our dog was learning during training. We were even able to watch some of the training sessions on YouTube. The bottom line is that you pay for results.
Brian P
“Alyssa has been amazing to work with.”
We came to her with an issue of reactivity on the leash and a situation that required a flexible trainer — Alyssa fit the bill. Even though I only worked with Alyssa a few times there was a noticeable difference in Saria, our German Shepherd, from the first session. She was always calm and patient while training, and used positive reinforcement. We were in a situation that forced us to re-home our dog, and Alyssa made it an easy process to transfer the training to the new owner.
M.P.
“Alyssa is the most competent dog person I have ever met!”
As my husband succinctly said after our puppies' first session with Alyssa, 'She is the most competent dog person I have ever met!' What makes Alyssa superior to other dog trainers we have used is her ability to EXPLAIN the rationale behind her behavior modification techniques. She suggested that we tell our young children to stand still ('like a tree') when the puppies jump on them. Sure enough, after several days the puppies stopped jumping on them. Incredible. We highly recommend Alyssa!!
Stella S
“Alyssa helped our pup get re-socialized with other dogs.”
Our male Maltese mix (Wally) was bitten by another dog when he was less than 1 year old. Ever since, he was extremely fearful of other dogs. Alyssa helped Wally get re-socialized. She worked with him every week for several months and he slowly began to tolerate being around other dogs. We can now take Wally for walks where he is exposed to other dogs and he's slowly getting back to normal. Alyssa is an excellent dog trainer and her videos really highlight her skills.
John S
“Incredibly structured training.”
I've been working with Alyssa on separation anxiety for a few months now. I'm so impressed by Alyssa's professionalism, insane knowledge, incredible structured weekly plans, and her ability to customize a work plan just for my dog, Kevin. I've worked with MANY trainers, but she is far superior to anybody I've ever met or worked with. Her approach to behavior change is methodical, and has the dog's best interests in mind. She's legit — everybody needs to work with her.
Jackie R
“Alyssa was so amazing, friendly, and easy to work with.”
I was seeking training services to develop a better relationship with my hyper canines (a 2 yo blue heeler and a 4 yo German Shepherd) as they're reactive to dogs while on leashes. Alyssa's foundational training has worked wonders in changing or implementing new behaviors. I highly recommend Alyssa and will continue using her in the future when in need of assistance! Thanks Alyssa!
Andrew B
“I feel so much more productive when training with my dog!”
She took the time to learn all about my rescue and then we worked together on a solid training plan. My girl Moana had received training in the past but I strongly suspect it was with harsh methods. Alyssa's knowledge and patience in retraining Mo in a healthy manner built a strong bond between us. If you are looking for a patient, knowledgeable, kind, loving, effective and practical trainer, connect with Alyssa. You and your doggie will be so happy you did!
Nora C
“Working with Alyssa fundamentally changed our relationship with our dog.”
We came to Alyssa when we struggled with our dog Kayla showing aggressive behaviours towards our cats, and came away not just with a wealth of training methods and results, but also with a much richer understanding of what she was going through. What was especially valuable was how she taught us to simply gather information without labelling any behaviour as 'good' or 'bad'. We are grateful beyond words for what Alyssa has taught us. Thank you!
Carmen J
“Without Alyssa, I would have given up on my rescue dog.”
Having the right trainer is so critical to your dog family's success and she is the one! Most trainers wanted to use shock collars and negative training techniques — not what I wanted to give to a rescue dog. We are working on teaching him basic social skills, as well as having her help us integrate him with our other 2 at home and so far, so good! If you are having problems with your pup, don't give up, just give her a call ASAP, she will help!
Amanda S
“We trained on Skype. Incredible!”
After researching trainers we decided on Legends Dog Training specifically because of their philosophy. We are located in Charlotte NC and trained our pit-mix family member via online sessions with Alyssa. Maxx has made tremendous progress. Alyssa is very diligent, highly competent, and comprehensive/holistic in her approach. She understands how to achieve desired results via positive training rather than consequence or negative reinforcement. The change in Maxx is astonishing.
Ken A
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