Christopher Duonola
Founder and owner of Duonola Dog Training LLC, Chris Duonola has always had a profound interest in working with animals. From the walking of dogs in his neighborhood when he was a young boy, to studying and doing research projects on dogs in college, Chris has always been eager to further his knowledge.
Chris graduated from Berkeley College with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. In pursuit of this degree, Chris's main concentration was in Psychology. Through this focus, Chris has been able to combine his ability to understand and work with people, with his ability to understand and adapt to various owner and dog personalities. This has enabled him to not only teach the dogs, but to most importantly teach their owners as well.
Chris is a Certified "Foundation Style Dog Trainer". This is the most prestigious of training styles there is. The standards for this training style exceed and excel above all others. Respect to our canines ALWAYS comes first and foremost! Chris also teaches new and upcoming trainers at a school for Foundation Style Dog Training. Chris is focused on helping to spread the "Foundation Style" of dog training in hopes that other trainers will raise the bar and higher their standards.
He currently also works with a number of trainers supporting and assisting in teaching puppy classes, obedience classes, aggression classes and protection classes. Chris volunteers some of his time to help dogs that need it the most. He wants to help ensure that every dog gets a fair chance to find a home. He wants to ensure he is doing whatever he can to help dogs stay out of the shelter system.
Chris is also an approved AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator.
Another change is that dog trainer Christopher Duonola visits the shelter on a more regular basis and conducts thorough evaluations.
“He comes here every Sunday and Wednesday for two hours at a time,” Rice said, adding that now every dog gets an evaluation and a protocol for training that is shared with all staff.
“We try to coordinate our intake with the times when Christopher is coming,” Rice said. Duonola runs a gamut of tests to determine temperament, and any possible aggressive tendencies. Rice said that the trainer’s evaluations are so helpful because the majority of the calls the shelter receives are for dogs that are good with kids and cats.
“It’s great to keep the training consistent with all staff,” Rice said. “Every interaction is toward the goal of training the dog to become a family member.” To that end, Rice said that while dogs are in Adopt-a-Dog’s care, they are safe and secure, but not spoiled.
“They are not our dogs while they are here,” Rice said. “If a family adopts a dog and lets him on the sofa or bed, that’s their decision. We want to instill the best behaviors in them possible.”
