Got Pet Behavior Problems?
See a board-certified dog & cat behaviorist for expert help, relief and solutions. For serious behavior problems plus basic to advanced obedience training.
Where Education + Experience = Expertise for You & Your Pets
Dog and cat training at Way To Behave! applies the scientific principles of learning to change your pet’s behavior — for the benefit of both you and your pet. We help you regain the fun and friendship you hoped for when you first got your pet. Replace aggravation with relief. Restore sanity and peace.
Our Services
An experienced, degreed, board-certified behaviorist & trainer.
Serving SW Washington pet owners. Affordable. Flexible evening & weekend hours.
Need to teach practical obedience skills at home and in public? Want to stop serious, scary or aggravating behavior problems?
We embrace evidence-based, fear-free, pet-friendly methods that create real improvement, happy learners and reliable obedience skills.
Dog Behavior Therapy
Support & solutions for emotion-based problems, including all forms of aggression, fears & phobias, reactivity, separation & generalized anxiety, compulsive disorders, geriatric and breed specific concerns.
Private Dog Training
From comprehensive basics to advanced obedience, we cover the skills your dog needs and nuisance behaviors you want gone — all in the privacy of your home. For young adults to seniors, all sizes, breed and mixes.
Cat Behavior & Training
Support & solutions for common cat problems—house soiling, conflicts between pets, aggression to people, scratching, excessive meowing or nocturnal activity. Training for the crate, car, grooming & vet care.
Puppy Kindergarten
Learn the best techniques for raising a friendly, well-behaved puppy who makes you proud at home and in public. Our proactive approach prevents common behavior problems and avoids punishment tactics that backfire.
Day Training
For busy people who want faster results or just don’t have the time for basic training. Let the expert train all the skills in your home that you want your dog to know, while you’re at work or otherwise occupied.
Online Training
Enjoy private, one-on-one lessons in the convenience of your home, remotely online via Zoom with our training expert. Lessons can cover everything from behavior problems to all levels of obedience training.
Meet the Behaviorist
Carmen brings 2 master’s degrees in animal behavior plus 25 years of experience to her work helping dog and cat owners. She’s a board-certified behaviorist and valedictorian graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers.
She got her start training Bear, her “foster failure” Newfoundland mix. After the Academy and graduate school, she taught staff and volunteers and managed training departments in three humane societies (West Coast and Midwest) and in a luxury pet lodge in Hood River, Oregon.
Over her decades of teaching and consulting, she’s also produced a library of expert handouts and videos to help her clients succeed.
Areas We Serve
We serve clients both in person and online, locally and nationally, including SW Washington, Clark and Cowlitz Counties. Our service areas include Vancouver, Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Brush Prairie, Camas, Washougal, Woodland, La Center, and Longview.
What Clients Say About Way To Behave!
“Working with Carmen shortly after adopting our Mini Aussie, Griffey, saved our sanity! She taught us how to effectively communicate with Griffey. Each training session she would ask what we wanted to work on, what puppy behavior was making life difficult — and then would devise a clear and concise approach to handle each issue. She is extremely knowledgeable and thoughtful and always advocates on behalf of the animal.”
“Amazing… wonderful… kind… knowledgeable… one of my dog’s favorite people. I can’t say enough good things about Carmen. She tailored the training to our specific needs. She walked through exercises each week and provided us with videos and handouts to help reinforce techniques. I would highly recommend Carmen to anyone who has a puppy… whether it be simply for basic training or help with specific issues.”
“In our journey to further train our dog Cooper, we discovered that not all dog trainers are equally credentialed. We had taken Cooper through basic training at two different places in Vancouver. We learned some basic training, but we were at a point where we needed more expert guidance to get Cooper’s behavior where we wanted it to be. We found that Carmen’s understanding of dog behavior completely exceeded our expectations, and her ability to help us understand how to train Cooper was remarkable and successful. Carmen is a real real pro!”
“We worked with Carmen for our issues with 2 of our dogs not getting along. Not only did Carmen give us the skills for our issue but also gave us lifelong training techniques that we will keep with us moving forward. She is a joy to be around and our dogs get so excited to see her too.”
“My wife and I had a gorgeous yet headstrong Golden retriever. With Carmen’s help and undying patience she helped us tremendously to train him with great results. We highly recommend her. Her compassion and knowledge of canine behavior is beyond compare.”