We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Lunsford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

While growing up, I was a feisty foster child who moved around often because I kept getting into fights with the other kids. After aging out of the system, I ended up in a domestic violent relationship and it resulted in having my jaw broken when I was three months pregnant. For two years, I stayed in that violent relationship, but I eventually broke free, and I left with nothing. While I started my life over again, I fell in love with a man who I thought to be my soul mate. Within the first year, we were engaged, and I felt like I was finally safe. Then in January 2015, I found him in our bedroom, and he had passed away. After losing my fiancé, I fought to have a successful life because there had to be a reason I have survived. Since then, I have gotten married, and I am grateful my daughter does not remember most of our life in Minnesota. At the end of 2016 my family moved to Florida. Currently, I am a multi-credentialed canine behavior consultant and dog trainer who works with dogs who display aggressive behaviors. In order to give the world my best, I have dedicated my education to learning about human and canine behaviors. Throughout my life, I have gained unique skills, and I can understand both animals at the end of the leash. Today, I can help humans and dogs feel understood, heard, and safe.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2019, I opened my dog training business in Jacksonville, FL. Currently, I am a multi-credentialed canine behavior consultant. I exclusively work with families and their pet dogs who display fearful and aggressive behaviors. I work differently than most dog trainers or behavior consultants, because I focus on the human concerns first and I feel like a translator for the dog. During our daily lives, we encounter multiple different stressors, and sometimes it becomes too much to handle in a soft, polite manner. When stress happens in the body, it signals the brain that there is a potential danger, and it prepares the body for safety. With being a social mammal, dogs will not trust a human if the human ignores their subtle signs of stress. Before any trust can develop between humans and dogs, they both need to feel safe and understood. The way to build a trusting relationship with any animal is being fair and hearing out the other animal when they are feeling uncomfortable. With most families, they often get stuck in preventing situations and interrupting when something bad happens, but we do not move onto teaching. My job as a canine behavior consultant is to move past the interruption phase and teach the families how to help their dog make a better choice. By having the humans understand their dog is a social mammal, they can build a better relationship with their dog and learn about the individual dog. By having both dogs and humans understood and feeling safe it makes me feel so good about the lives I get to help every day.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Since I started my business, I have valued quality over quantity, because everyone deserves to feel important. By living with curious intentions, I can speak with an honest and kind heart. Within the pet professional industry, we focus on the dog and we can forget to think about how the humans are affected by the dog’s behavior. When developing a plan together, it is important that the families feel it is realistic for them to practice and it is something they would enjoy. Life is too short to not enjoy it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

During my journey, I have learned to appreciate that behavior modification is an art, and everyone has their own style. Before growing into my style and learning my rhythm, I used to compare myself to others often because it was the right way to do things. After I realized we all have unique skills, I focused on the skills I have and the things I enjoyed most. During our lifetime, we spend too much time being stressed, and it is important to do things that bring joy to our lives. Therefore, I try to do things that bring me joy and learn how to be creative with skills I have learned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rufftoreadydogtraining.com/
• Instagram: @ruff.to.readydt
• Facebook: @ruff.to.readydt