Janet Canino, ph.D.

Born and raised in a dog-loving family, Janet knew early on that animals and their welfare were her life's passion. Growing up in Wisconsin, she had the chance to spend her days amongst the Jersey cattle on the farm, her Holland Lop rabbits, and the family's canine members which included Moses and Fred Boy (German Shepherds), Mandy (Border Collie), and Holly, Penny, and Sadie (Miniature Schnauzers).

Recognizing, though, that effective people skills are often essential in working with animals, Janet opted to refine her interpersonal skills, as well. At Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI) she received a Bachelor's in Psychology and in Criminology and Law Studies. She then pursued both a masters and a doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) in order to improve her communication abilities even more.

During her time at Purdue she took full advantage of having the chance to learn from some of best and brightest in the behavior field through Purdue's Animal Behavior Clinic and the Center for the Human-Animal Bond. Moreover, she was involved with the Purdue DOGS! Course: Principles and Techniques of Behavior Modification for several years. Her affinity for clicker training developed as a result of the DOGS! Course and after seeing its immediate success with her only available student at the time, Abner, the Guinea Pig. In 2006, Janet became an instructor at the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club. She had the distinct pleasure of teaching the Puppy Kindergarten class based upon clicker training methods.

The loves of her life include (but are not limited to) her husband, Jamie, (an aerospace engineer who, thankfully, is an agility enthusiast), and two beautiful Golden Retrievers, Lexus and Allie. Lexie currently teams up with Jamie for agility and with Janet for Rally. Lexus achieved her APDT Rally Level 1 title in 2007, as well as 2 legs towards her AKC Rally Novice title. Additionally, at the tender age of 8 months she passed her Canine Good Citizen test. Allie recently graduated at the head of her puppy kindergarten class and is currently learning some Rally moves along with more “sophisticated” behaviors like “Bang—you've been shot.”