Observe. Understand. Communicate

Why Attend?

 Learning to watch and describe what you see—without guessing what it means—helps you:
  • Notice early signs of stress or excitement
  • Intervene before barking, lunging, or snapping happens
  • Improve your training timing
  • Strengthen your bond through empathy and clarity

You'll Learn

  • To spot subtle sign of fear, anxiety and stress
  • Exercises to practice and improve your observation skills
  • What dog important dog signals you my be missing.
  • How to apply what you learn to daily life
Sorry to your pup: This is a humans only event.

Event Details

​When: October 9, 2025
What time: 5:30 to 6:45pm
Where: Aloha Training Academy, Hilo
830 Kilauea Ave.
Hilo
Cost:
In person: $35 includes handouts and video replay
Video replay available: $25
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If you can not attend in person please register for the video recording of the event.
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Presenter: Debbie Lewis, MS, Certified IAABC 
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As a professional animal behavior consultant, I work with humans and their canine companions to change unwanted behavior (in both species). Each day brings a new challenge.  Whether it be figuring out why a dog  growls, snarls and lunges when they see another dog, or how to train another to relax in the company of strangers.

I have worked over the last 15 years to expand my knowledge and skills with the goal to teach others what they need to know to work with their pets using positive, science-based training techniques.

My focus on science began with my love of Ethology. Ethologists observe animals and conduct experiments to understand how they interact with each other, other living beings, and their environment. I pursued this field of study in grad school.  I became especially interested in social animals and wanted  to understand more about animal behavior and animal learning. The culmination was  master's research on  collective movement in Tibetan Macaques in China.

Canines entered the picture prior to and during  grad school. I became fascinated with canine behavior during my undergrad research on wolves' social behavior at that time I also began my journey into understanding behavior issues in dogs.   I take on a variety of behavior issues in dogs  with my specialty in working with fear, anxiety and aggressive behavior.
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