With incomparable experiences in the exotic, domestic, and marine mammal training industries, our team has gained a unique understanding of how behavior works and how to modify it effectively.
Mary Tully
Owner & Founder
With a decade of experience training a variety of exotic animals, owner and head trainer Mary Tully brings a fresh take and effective technique to behavior modification.
Originally from Alabama, Mary Tully has had the unique privilege of training a plethora of animal species in her career in various facilities across the country. From chickens to dolphins, she has applied the same general behavioral principles to every animal she has worked with.
After training exotic animals professionally over the past decade in facilities including SeaWorld San Diego, Discovery Cove in Orlando, Sea Life Park Hawaii, Busch Gardens Tampa, and the Animal Actors Show at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Mary has settled in Southern California to work with the animal species that started her training obsession: dogs!
Sara Du Bouchet, CPDT-KA
Owner & Senior Manager
Sara's done it all: pet sitting, dog walking, dog training, you name it! She started her animal care and training career as a volunteer at The Glendale Humane Society where she was later hired as a full-time trainer. Sara not only provided in-home training to adopters but her experience and instincts proved an invaluable asset to the development of behavioral adjustment programs.
“Tully's Training was great! I loved that they used positive reinforcement and Sara was great to work with. My big puppy can be quite a handful but she was also prompt, knowledgeable and patient with us! As a first-time puppy raiser, this was the excellent training that I was looking for.“
Meghan McLeod
Meghan has worked with and mentored under some of the world’s most recognized and highly regarded behaviorists of our time, including Karen Pryer, Kim Rapport (assistant to the late great Dr. Sophia Yin), and Dr. Ian Dunbar. So it’s no surprise that Meghan herself has become one of the most respected and sought-after dog trainers in the Los Angeles area, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have her as part of the Tully’s Training team.
For Meghan, it all started while growing up on a horse ranch where she was introduced to many different types of animal training at an early age. She went on to volunteer at the Humane Society, train and perform at the San Diego Zoo animal shows, teach literally hundreds of group dog training classes, become Head Trainer at Zoom Room for four years, and that’s not even half of it…
Meghan is also a certified CGC evaluator, has been featured in The New York Times for her amazing agility training classes, was selected three years in a row to teach at-risk kids how to be dog trainers, once played a dog trainer in a movie (oh, Los Angeles!), worked as an animal handler for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and is currently the Advisor on Dog Training for a new exhibit at the California Science Center called Dogs! A Science Tail coming in Spring 2019.
Meghan lives in West Los Angeles and provides training in the areas of Venice and Santa Monica.
“Our experience with Tully's Training was amazing! They helped us develop key habits and positive reinforcement techniques for training our new puppy. Meghan was professional and encouraging throughout all of our sessions. We learned about how to educate others to interact with our dog and how leverage our training techniques in all kinds of scenarios. We're on our way to being prepared for the CGC test and hopefully the Therapy Dog test after that! We highly recommend Tully's Training!“
Claire Anderson, CSAP-BC, CPDT-KA, FDM
As a seasoned behavior professional, Claire dedicates her skills, experience, and vigor to helping her clients understand their dogs better to create a better connection. Above all else, Claire cares about the emotional, mental, and physical welfare of dogs and their humans and addresses each case holistically. In addition to her CDPT-KA certification, Claire is also very proud to be a Family Dog Mediator, Separation Anxiety Pro Behavior Consultant, and a certified Trauma-informed Professional. Claire currently shares her life with her dogs, Austen (rottweiler), London (wild boy), and Story (dachshund). Together, they are building a beautiful life together in Stone Lake, Wisconsin. Claire is devoted to helping humans improve their dogs’ lives, and in turn, their own. She is available for virtual consulting and separation anxiety cases all over the world!
“We worked with Claire and she is amazing! Super knowledgeable and makes training interesting, engaging and fun. Frankie (our dog) has learned a lot and so have we! Cannot recommend enough, a wonderful experience.“
Samantha Merritt, CPDT-KA, ABCDT
Sam’s love for dogs fueled her passion to become a Certified Dog Trainer. She considers her dogs to be valuable family members and it is her heart to see dogs find their forever home. It was during her years volunteering at the Burbank Animal Shelter that she realized dog training was her calling. Sam was accepted into the Animal Behavior College where she learned proper training techniques and how to read behavior. Sam is a proud graduate of Animal Behavior College where she earned her Certification in Dog Training.
“Sam is a fantastic trainer and human. We were grateful to hire such a great company. We were basically being trained by Sam to learn the tools needed to train our pups in a positive way and to use the same basic skills on tiered exercises to teach them new tricks down the road. Thank you all. We will be continuing with ongoing classes with our pups because it's just darn fun.“
Iris Ulbrich
Iris began dog training by volunteering in European shelters, focusing on dogs that were finding it particularly difficult to be adopted out. The experiences with highly reactive, guarding and severely shy dogs formed the foundation of Iris’ mission to reduce the number of dogs returned to shelters one by one.
Over the years Iris has worked with a variety of breeds, utilizing different training styles. Her training includes studying under head trainers of the FHC Police Force, putting special focus on 'Faehrte', 'Unterordnung' and 'Schutzdienst'.
She is also heavily involved in Charity work, raising funds for European street dogs.
“As a first time dog owner, its a no brainer decision to have Tullys work with you and your new pet. My trainer Iris is a beast! Best damn dog trainer on the planet. She trained me and Seven, my puppy pitty. Her availability, knowledge, attention, thoroughness and care made for a truly great experience. Thank you Tully's team.“
Harmony Leiker, CPDT-KA
Growing up surrounded by entirely too many animals, pursuing a career working with them seemed the only logical choice for our sweet Harmony. She has had the pleasure of working in a variety of areas in the pet care field, from grooming to dog walking to becoming a Certified Small Animal Massage Therapist (true story!). Harmony knew eventually her path would lead her to dog training. She believes everyone can have an amazing relationship with their dog with enough love, compassion, and hard work.
She is thrilled to be a part of the Tully's team!
“Harmony was an incredible trainer: patient, thoughtful, and she approached our trainings with good humor and understanding. We appreciated working with her so much -- and our dog loved her! We've already seen remarkable improvements in how we're able to communicate with our dog, and she seems happier. Thank you very much!“
Trudy Blair, CPDT-KA, FFCP
A lifelong dog lover, Trudy has formed amazing bonds with dogs her whole life. She believes that dogs are family members and deserve a great education. She is proud to be part of Tully’s Training and shares their commitment to the value of positive reinforcement strategies. Trudy was a volunteer at Glendale Humane Society where she met Paul Owens, an early pioneer of positive reinforcement training, and graduated with certification from his Raise With Praise teacher training program. She was an assistant teacher with the Hollywood Dog Obedience Club the year they won best Puppy Class from LA Magazine. She trained professionally with Glendale Humane and taught clients of her own.
Trudy loves working with and training dogs, but the really gratifying part of her job is teaching people how to establish communication with their own four-legged family members and encouraging interactive human-dog relationships.
“I worked directly with Trudy as part of the in-person private training program and I have nothing but the highest of praises for her and this program. Working with her has been nothing short of phenomenal as she has taken my scrappy golden retriever puppy and put her on the path to being the most well behaved, houstrained pup out there.“
Carol Ann Heinis, CPDT-KA
Carol Ann’s love of animals began with growing up on a dairy farm in Minnesota. Fast forward to college where she obtained a life science degree centering on animal science and adult education from the University of Minnesota. During college, she discovered her love of dog training by volunteering with a service dog organization raising and training dogs destined to help people with physical disabilities. During this time she also started attending every dog training seminar she could (and still does) and began teaching classes at the Animal Humane Society. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she continued her career in dog training as the Behavior Supervisor at the Pasadena Humane Society and later as the Canine Development Lead at Guide Dogs of America. Carol Ann feels that each new experience in training is not only an opportunity to help a dog+human team grow and succeed but also a chance for her to learn and grow as well.
“Carol Ann was absolutely amazing! Our pup Martin loves her, and she really helped us work through all of our questions as new dog parents. She was instrumental in helping Martin transition from nervous street dog to happy and well adjusted in his new home.“
Elizabeth Tuttle
Elizabeth's childhood love of animals led her to become a pet-sitter and volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific as a young adult. While earning her B.A. in Psychology at CSULB, classes like Animal Cognition and Psychology of Learning piqued her interest in the science of animal training.
The next step in her journey was Moorpark College, where she graduated with an A.S. in Animal Science and certification in Exotic Animal Training & Management. In that process, she not only received education in modern animal welfare enhancement and positive reinforcement training techniques, but also got to employ those skills at America's Teaching Zoo by caring for and training a variety of animals, from a spider monkey to an opossum to a coyote.
Now she's excited to return to her roots in Los Angeles County and use her skills to better the lives of dogs and strengthen their relationships and communication with their human companions!
“I'm currently two training sessions in couldn't be happier with the progress that my dog and I am making. Elizabeth Tuttle is a great trainer and really cares about the progress of her clients and their pets. As a former exotic animal psychologist and trainer she explains in detail why dogs behave the way they do and how I need to change my behavior to complement my dog.“
Cynthia Rodriguez
Originally, from Los Angeles, Cynthia has the opportunity to service a diverse dog community for the past six years. Los Angeles is one of the meccas for owning a dog, and she has done it all, from behavior modification training to your basic dog walk, to pack hikes and everything in between. Having grown up with dogs, cats, hamsters, bunnies, and birds, it’s safe to say that she is an innate animal lover—but it’s dogs who take the cake! Cynthia has practiced and applied different forms of training varying from your basic obedience and puppy prep, to mild reactivity, to enrichment training in nose work, agility, urban herding and therapy work.
Sharon Nasse
A professional dog trainer for over 15 years, Sharon’s dedication to dogs and the people who love them is multi-faceted. She’s volunteered with Los Angeles Animal Services for over a decade, helping to enhance the adoptability of dogs in shelters and sharing her extensive understanding of canine behavior and learning with the front-line workers: shelter volunteers. As head trainer for K9 Connection, an innovative program pairing shelter dogs with underserved youth, Sharon helped empower teens by teaching them to use force-free, rewards-based methods to train shelter dogs and equip them for their forever families. A dedicated volunteer with Search Dog Foundation, Sharon routinely helps identify and test shelter dogs to refer them to embark on a meaningful new life in search and rescue work.
Sharon and her dogs are accomplished in multiple dog sports, including agility, rally, nose work, and trick training. Her passion for dog training was inspired by a sweet rescue dog named Stella, adopted from the San Pedro Animal Shelter in the summer of 2008. "I could see that little Stella had so much potential. Little did I know she would bring out the potential in me!" Sharon currently has two Belgian shepherds with whom she competes and demos. Sharon is driven by the belief that dog training should be fun and engaging. Her goal with her clients is to facilitate clear communication and a close, loving relationship between dogs and their people.
Amber Kothe, ABCDT
Amber has over 12 years of professional training experience. Inspired by her first dog from college, MattieLove, Amber studied the science of dog behavior and how to help humans connect and grow with their pets. Certified by the Animal Behavior College and employing positive reinforcement techniques, Amber will help you and your dog thrive in your environment. She's thrilled to work with you and your dog to achieve peace in your bond and household!
“Tully’s was an amazing experience! Our incredible trainer Amber helped us work through some behavioral hiccups with our pup. Ficha is no longer afraid of kids, able to cruise through social situations, and has greatly decreased her barking. Amber is incredibly patient, kind, caring, and enthusiastic. Would HIGHLY recommend this service - it’s a worthy investment.“
Chris Kelly CPDT-KA
Chris’s lifelong love for animals has led him to become a certified professional dog trainer with over half a decade of experience. With an innate connection and understanding of dogs, Chris knows they are truly exceptional beings capable of profound communication. Their ability to teach invaluable lessons in loyalty, empathy, and connection has shaped his approach as a trainer. He’s passionate about helping others and simply wants to enrich the lives of dogs and their humans through understanding, communication, and mutual respect. Chris truly loves what he does and thinks he has the best co-workers in the world (they just happen to have four legs!)
Shakinah Brzezinski
Originally from Montana, Shakinah began her animal training career working with horses. Through this experience, she quickly learned the nuances of body language and unspoken communication from these dynamic creatures.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Shakinah transitioned into the world of positive reinforcement dog training, where she cultivated her passion for connecting with both animals and humans.
Most recently, Shakinah served as a Level 2 trainer at Zoom Room teaching advanced dog obedience classes and working with dog sports such as Agility and Rally Obedience. She is currently working towards becoming an ABD Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). She is dedicated to helping owners bond with their pets and understand their behaviors and needs.