Our Team
Jen Shearer, cpdt-ka
Trainer/Site Manager (Georgetown, DE)
(she/her)
Service Area: Rehoboth/Georgetown, DE area
jen@blackdogbt.com
Jen was a devoted cat person until she rescued her first dog, Della Rae. The two quickly became inseparable, and as a first-time dog owner, Jen failed to recognize that Della’s reactivity, fear of novel experiences, and hypervigilance foretold a lengthy training journey ahead.
Together, they plunged into the confusing and unregulated dog training industry and experienced both highs and lows. Della stumped many trainers, yet undeterred, Jen discovered her calling in mastering advanced behavior concepts and supporting behaviorally complex dogs.
Jen specializes in delivering a smooth and enjoyable learning experience for stressed-out guardians of dogs with "big feelings." Committed to empowering pet parents and demystifying the dog training industry, Jen draws on over 15 years of experience teaching dance to students of all ages to foster a holistic approach to family training and growth.
Jen currently has availability for all puppies, basics, and behavior modfication cases, Thursday - Saturday.
Etsuko cooley
Assistant Trainer
(she/her)
Service Area: New Castle County, DE
etsuko@blackdogbt.com
Ets has been interested in joining the animal behavior field for years, and after receiving her degrees in Health Sciences and Psychology, she finally decided to take the leap! As a former client of BlackDog, Ets has personal experience working with fearful, reactive, and high drive dogs. Her journey with her shepherd mix Zazu inspired her to learn more, introduced her to the world of positive reinforcement training, and inspired her to pursue her passion for canine behavior. She has completed the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations course, and is now pursuing her certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
Ets currently has availability for puppies, post-adoption support, and basics (all ages) Tuesday - Saturday.
ZACK DELFABBRO, CPDT-KA, ffct
Trainer/Site Manager (Wilmington, DE)
(he/him)
Service Area: New Castle County, DE
zack@blackdogbt.com
Zack has been working in the animal welfare field for ten years, with a diverse skillset in private training, shelter/rescue work, and animal law enforcement. His breadth of knowledge, compassion, and commitment to his community are the driving forces of his work. Zack welcomes all ages and behavior needs, and is especially adept at multi-animal management, reactivity, and post-adoption support. He also brings a specialized skillset in advanced basic obedience and dog sports through his work with his own personal dog, Phantom.
When not working with clients or at one of BlackDog’s shelter/rescue partners, Zack enjoys spending time with his family, and hiking with his dogs Phantom, Matcha, Zuko, Patches, and Taz.
Zack has availability for all puppies, basics, and behavior modfication cases, Tuesdays - Fridays.
claire f. cario, ma, CPDT-KA, ffct
Trainer
(she/her)
Service Area: New Castle County, DE
claire@blackdogbt.com
Claire F. Cario is a Delaware native who moved to NYC in 1996. She has been working within the animal welfare and veterinary medicine fields since 2001. She received her MA in the Advanced Psychology of Animal Behavior and Conservation in 2008. The most rewarding aspect of her work is strengthening the human-animal bond and seeing her clients achieve a deeper understanding of their dog’s communication, motivations and behaviors.
Claire started her own business in 2009 and since then, has supervised, managed, and trained animal behavior staff across all sectors of the animal behavior world, developed curriculum for training programs for training schools, municipal shelters, and therapy dog programs, given webinars on canine behavior topics, built behavior assessment systems, and developed individualized behavior training plans for dogs displaying a wide variety of behavior concerns. She is certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and a Fear Free Certified Professional. Currently Claire is a Behavior Consultant for Behavior Vets of NYC and an instructor at CATCH Academy. Prior to this, she spent three years as the Private Trainer Manager at School For the Dogs in NYC, four years as the Behavior and Enrichment Assistant Manager at Animal Care Centers of NYC, three years as a behavior consultant on the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team, six years as the executive trainer and coordinator for The Good Dog Foundation.
Claire currently has availability for virtual services weeknights, and in-person Friday-Sunday.
Blaise Lazares
Trainer
(he/him)
blaise@blackdogbt.com
Blaise Lazares brings years of experience to the BlackDog team, from pet sitting, grooming, boarding dogs in doggy daycares, force free training in both group and private settings, and volunteer work assisting in training service and therapy dogs. In addition to enjoying working with puppies, basics, and reactivity, Blaise is passionate about working and supporting the relationship between people with disabilities and their canine partners. Blaise is committed to BlackDog's mission of promoting force free techniques and evidence based positive reinforcement training, and is pursuing his CPDT-KA certification to better support his human and canine clients.
When not at work, Blaise spends time training his own psychiatric service dog Apollo, who enjoys catching his frisbee and prancing around the yard.
Blaise is currently not accepting private clients, but leads our weekly group class series at partner location Riverfront Pets!
Becca Stern, cpdt-ka, sba, ffct
Owner and Founder
(she/her)
becca@blackdogbt.com
Owner and lead trainer Becca Stern is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a Shelter Behavior Affiliate (SBA) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP) through Fear Free Pets. In 2014, She began her career working on the frontlines of animal welfare at a shelter in Dublin, Ireland, and from there quickly became a leader in the field. Her experience includes work as Director of Adoptions for an open-admissions shelter in Washington, D.C. averaging 5000 adoptions a year, followed by her role as Director of Operations for the. Brandywine Valley SPCA,, and finally overseeing adoptions, foster, intake, and rescue programs at ACCT Philly. During her work, she balanced her time between hands-on work with the animals and spearheading program initiatives. As a fierce advocate for animals and the people who care for them, she placed particular focus on open adoption philosophies, in-shelter behavior modification and enrichment, and post-adoption support programs.
Merging her behavior certification with her extensive animal welfare background, she continues helping individuals and animals in her community through shelter consulting and training support for owned/adopted dogs. Services range from basic manners to more complex behavior needs, with a focus on reactivity, fear, anxiety, and select aggression cases. She has a special place in her heart for shelter dogs, and welcomes clients of all breeds, ages, and sizes!
She currently not taking new clients, to focus on continued BlackDog growth and program development, supporting her staff, and to reserve availability for current/returning clients! Email becca@backdogbt.com with questions.