Science of Animal Behavior Conference

Theresa DePorter is board certified diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Behavior (ACVB) and the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM). She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Purdue University and her Bachelor Science in Biology in 1992.

Dr. DePorter has been seeing behavior consultations at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan since 2004. Dr. DePorter’s research and publication interests include: reducing stress during veterinary visits, cognitive dysfunction, canine anxiety, feline aggression, nutritional supplements and pheromones.

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Kristen graduated from Macomb Community College with an associate’s degree in veterinary technology in 2006. After graduation while working at a small animal practice she adopted a Jack Russell Terrier named Daphne who suffered from anxiety, sparking her passion for behavioral medicine. Kristen completed the Karen Pryor Academy Professional Dog Training program in April 2015 and joined the behavior team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in November 2015 where she furthered her knowledge of animal behavior and achieved her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Behavior in 2020. Kristen recently made the switch back to general practice where she is looking forward to spreading more behavior knowledge by educating pet parents on proper puppy/kitten socialization and development, improving low stress handling techniques for veterinary staff and teaching cooperative care techniques for veterinary procedures. Kristen is Fear Free Elite Certified, Low Stress Handling Sliver Certified and Human Animal Bond Certified. In her free time Kristen enjoys spending time with her Corgi, Mac and cat, Sawyer.

Jill Sackman is a Diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She is a graduate of Michigan State University. She completed her internship at the University of Pennsylvania, her surgery residency at the University of Tennessee, and her behavior residency at Blue Pearl in Michigan. She is the owner of Animal Behavior Consultants of Michigan, a referral veterinary behavior practice with offices in metro-Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Grayling Michigan. Dr. Sackman sees cats, dogs and horses. Horses have always been a large part of her life. She has raised, trained and shown carriage and dressage horses. Dr. Sackman is also a certified professional trainer through the Karen Pryor Academy, earning her KPA-CTP with her French Bulldog, Rose.

Kate has a Bachelors of Science from Michigan State University with a focus in Applied Animal Behavior and Neurobiology. She trains both dogs and exotic animals and holds her certifications as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer as well as a Certified Behavior Consultant (CBCC-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Kate has had a lifelong passion of observing and studying animal behavior. Along with her role as Director of Training at K9 Turbo Training, Kate is also the lead trainer at the Creature Conservancy in Ann Arbor. There, Kate trains and works with various exotic animals, including: cougars, coyotes, alligators, sloths, warthogs, kangaroos, and porcupines. With a strong focus on improving the lives of the animals in her care, she works tirelessly to provide constant enrichment, allow the animals ample opportunities to practice natural behaviors, and provide them with training to allow for low-stress vetting and handling experiences.​

Previously, Kate worked as an educator in math and zoology, and has traveled around the world observing animals in their natural environments. Now, with K9 Turbo, she helps ensure that every trainer on the team is educated to the highest level, is up-to-date on current research, and is following our company’s strict code of ethics. Kate also runs and presents for our community education lectures and seminars.

Lisa Gunter, PhD, MA, CBCC-KA is the Maddie's Fund Research Fellow at Arizona State University in the Department of Psychology and conducts her research in the Canine Science Collaboratory. Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked for nearly a decade with dogs in animal shelters and with dogs and their owners. The goal of Lisa's research is to better the lives of dogs. To this aim, she has investigated the breed labeling of shelter dogs, their breed heritage, post-adoption interventions focused on owner retention, temporary fostering, and behavioral indicators of welfare for kenneled dogs. Prior to her graduate school, she worked as a behavior consultant and trainer in San Francisco where she taught group classes and consulted with owners experiencing issues of fear, anxiety, and aggression with their dogs. Her interest in canine behavior began in 2002 as an animal shelter volunteer, training dogs in basic skills and assisting in shelter dog playgroups. That interest grew into a career where she managed the behavior programs of several shelters throughout the West. These experiences led Lisa to co-found Wagfield Academy, an online dog training and behavior resource for owners, and the Institute for Shelter Dogs with Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, where they combine the latest in shelter research with the current best practices in workshops for staff and volunteers.

Angela and Lowell both have Master’s degrees in social work from the University of Michigan, and are certified dog trainers and behavior consultants. Prior to dedicating themselves full-time to animal welfare, they worked for many years doing interpersonal counseling, crisis intervention, non-profit management, community education, and mental health services research.

They now run Harmony Dog Training, LLC, where they provide individual and group dog training and behavior consultation services. Both have over ten years of experience in the shelter world, and Angela currently is the Behavior Specialist for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. Both are committed to promoting compassionate, kind, and effective behavior change, with two- and four-legged animals alike.

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Abby Knue arrived to K9 Turbo Training with an eclectic bag of experience. Abby was a Kindergarten teacher in a Montessori setting for 18 years before becoming the Education Director at The Creature Conservancy in Ann Arbor. It was there that she was introduced to positive-reinforcement training and was hooked! If you can train a warthog to calmly rest its chin in your hand while its tusks are dremeled, the possibilities are endless! It is now a passion of hers to pursue and explore the newest science-based information in animal behavior and to be able to promote a force-free philosophy through education.

Abby has always had a love for animals having grown up with dogs and horses. As a teacher her greatest joy was being able to help a struggling student by observing their strengths and weaknesses and preparing their learning environment to meet their needs and set them up for success. She has found this same joy in helping dogs and their people build relationships based in trust and respect and to help domestic and captive animals have their best life possible.

Currently Abby helps runs K9 Turbo Training’s low-stress boarding farm, helps and trains in boarding, reactive dog classes, and provides in-home behavior consultations.

Taking her certification exam through the Association of Certified Professional Dog Trainers in March of 2019, Abby loves being a part of a science-based training community. Abby is also working toward certification in Equine and Suidae behavior and training.

In her continual search for better ways to help people and animals learn, Laura has received her animal science degree from the University of Illinois and a master of science in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where she was a member of the animal behavior lab, Organization of Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA), and co-chaired the Art and Science of Animal Training Conference.

Before relocating to Michigan, Laura lived in Oregon, where in addition to running her own training business, she worked as the staff behaviorist for Clackamas County Dog Services in Clackamas, Oregon.

Laura has experience applying the principles of learning across multiple species. She worked as an intern at the Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, New York and volunteered at the Herd Museum in McKinney, Texas.

Laura is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Fear Free Certified, and an evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen certification.

Laura owns Laura Perkins Animal Behavior in Chelsea, MI where she offers one on one training and behavior consulting for pet owners.

Dr. Erica Hawker, DVM, has spent the last 18 years practicing in a small animal hospital, as well as working in a variety of rescues, shelters, and animal control facilities to assist organizations with the dogs and cats in the rescue system.

With advanced training in behavior medicine, Dr. Hawker spends much of her time advising clients, other veterinarians, rescues, shelters, and owners how to best set dogs and cats up for success from a behavioral and medical perspective.

Special interests include: Behavioral pharmacology; teaching owners how to better understand their pet's behavior, improve their relationship, and reduce their pet's anxiety.

Dr. Hawker is based in southeastern Michigan.

Jenn is the founder and head trainer at A Pleasant Dog in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she specializes in working with anxious and aggressive dogs and their people. Jenn has been training for over twenty years, but for the past ten, her practice has focused on tough behavior cases. She is passionate about an integrative approach to behavior modification and works closely with veterinarians throughout the state. Prior to becoming a certified trainer, Jenn worked for eighteen years as a paralegal. In her free time, Jenn enjoys hiking and camping with her family, including three adventurous dogs.