We recently connected with Britta Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Britta, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

After spending over 13 years working at the San Diego Safari Park, the San Diego Zoo and The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park, I transitioned into the rescue and sanctuary world. My journey included roles such as Adoption Counselor at San Diego Humane Society, Barn Keeper at Helen Woodward Animal Center, Captive Wildlife Specialist for PETA, and Elephant Caregiver at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

As I drove home from Tennessee, reflecting on the end of my job at the sanctuary, I realized I didn’t have a clear plan for what came next. While making the cross-country journey, I began thinking deeply about my future and how I wanted to continue working with animals. That’s when the idea for my own business, Britta’s Animal Training and Pet Services, came to life.

I wanted to offer a range of services, including pet sitting, dog walking, animal training, and behavior consulting, applying my expertise to help pet parents in San Diego County. When choosing my logo, I incorporated a horse, dog, and cat because I didn’t want to limit myself to just one species. With my experience in the rescue, sanctuary and zoo field, I’ve worked with a diverse range of animals, and as a clicker trainer, I can teach any species—whether it’s a dog, cat, mouse, or even a hippopotamus! That’s the beauty of clicker training.

Now, as June 2025 approaches, I’m celebrating 13 successful years in business. Initially, I was doing a lot of dog walks and pet sitting as I grew my training and behavior consulting business. For many years I primarily worked with dogs. In recent years, I’ve expanded into cat behavior consulting, offering in-person sessions in San Diego County and virtual consultations worldwide via Zoom, as well as working with horses, which I absolutely love. These new areas have become incredibly fulfilling, allowing me to deepen my impact and help more pet owners understand their animals.

Britta, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My professional journey began in the mid 1980s, where I volunteered for The Orangutan Foundation in Los Angeles, California, and worked as a veterinary assistant at Sun Surf Animal Hospital in Sunset Beach, California.

In 1993, I graduated from California State University, Long Beach, and secured a keeper position at the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park. There, I cared for a diverse array of animals, including mountain lions, colobus monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, white-handed gibbons, and farm animals.

Subsequently, in 1995, I joined the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Education Department as an educator/guide at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. My multifaceted role involved leading behind-the-scenes tours, educating guests about wildlife and the environment, presenting animals to visitors, serving as a backup lead trainer for Wildlife Education, driving photo caravan trucks, and acting as a media spokesperson for local news.

In 2001, I realized my dream by becoming an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Within the Animal Behavior Management Department’s Husbandry and Enrichment division, I collaborated with keepers to enhance training for husbandry and medical procedures. Additionally, I provided enrichment activities for a wide range of zoo inhabitants, including elephants, hippopotamuses, bears, gorillas, orangutans, tigers, lions, and giraffes.

In 2003, I transitioned to the shows division and became part of the Hunte Amphitheater of Animal Behavior. There, I cared for, handled, and trained over twenty-five exotic animals, performing in shows attended by thousands of guests annually. Among the remarkable creatures I worked with were a South African cheetah, a North American arctic wolf, North American red-tailed hawks, Southeast Asian binturongs, an African red river hog, Southeast Asian clouded leopards, an Australian emu, African servals, an Australian kookaburra, South American pacaranas, a North American reindeer, a North American badger, and golden retrievers.

My journey extended beyond zoos into the realm of animal welfare and rescue. In 2008, I transitioned to this field, serving as an adoption counselor for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. Additionally, I worked as a captive wildlife specialist for PETA, advocating for the welfare of elephants in zoos and circuses and as an elephant caregiver at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee—one of the United States’ three reputable elephant sanctuaries.

In June 2012, I founded Britta’s Animal Training and Pet Services, bringing my extensive twenty-five-plus years of experience in the animal field to pet parents in San Diego. During this time, I’ve trained volunteers for the County of San Diego’s Department of Animal Services, instructed at Rancho Coastal Humane Society, and developed the “Junior Animal Trainer” program at Mira Costa College’s “College for Kids.” This program focused on teaching children clicker training techniques, the benefits of enrichment for dogs, and potential careers in the animal field.

I hold multiple credentials related to my work:

Bachelor of Arts-Psychology, Minor-Biology, Emphasis-Animal Behavior-California State University, Long Beach

Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed-Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA)

Certified Training Partner-​Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA CTP)

​Graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right for Instructor’s Course

Supporting Member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)

CATCH (Canine Mentors Academy) Official Mentor Trainer

Have you ever had to pivot?

I am not sure if I had to pivot but I wanted to pivot from working primarily with dogs to working with cats and horses. I still work with dogs, but my primary focus has been working with cats and horses.

Interestingly, this has happened rather organically. Over the past 13 years of having my business my presence on Google and Yelp has really grown and when people search for a “cat trainer in San Diego” I come up on the first page on Google and I am the number one ranked cat trainer in San Diego. This was a result of lots of 5 star reviews. I need to build my horse training and consulting business the same way I have for cat training and behavior consulting… getting consistent 5 star reviews on Google and Yelp really helps.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am active on social media, and I always follow up with new clients to make sure they are doing well.

I try and send a newsletter to my client base at least once a year on my anniversary thanking my clients for their business and referrals and letting them know about any new services I am offering and giving them glimpses into fun things I am working on with animals.

I also thank anyone who recommends me to a client. I think showing gratitude is so important! I am very old school in that way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brittasanimaltraining.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittasanimaltraining/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/britta.wilson.167
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brittas-animal-training-encinitas?osq=cat+training&override_cta=Request+information