Our Team
MARY
Call it instinct or uncanny ability: What A Good Dog founder and self-described “canine-compassionate” Mary Remer understands how dogs "work". Mary works hard to establish a bond with even the most challenging of canines. Her approach is based on her concept of “the Golden Cord of Connection”, a spiritual link from third eye to third eye which enables her to connect with dogs on a deeper level.
Mary has been an active competitor and title earner in many fields, including Conformation, Agility, Rally, Obedience, Nose Work, and Barn Hunt. A nationally renowned Certified Pet Dog Trainer, breeder, and a licensed American Kennel Club judge, Mary has won multiple Best In Shows with her home-bred dogs and has earned titles in a number of venues. She has won the breed numerous times as well as placed in the prestigious Terrier Group at the Westminster Kennel Club, and she has had the only Bull Terrier that competed and placed in Agility at Westminster.
Mary’s expertise has touched many different community organizations. She feels honored by her current work overseeing Service Dog and Handler Training for individuals with psychiatric and/or mobility needs at Main Line Deputy Dog (mldd.org). In addition to consulting for numerous rescue organizations, Mary’s volunteer work has included working with the most psychologically damaged mill dogs and training volunteers at Main Line Animal Rescue to work with this population. A tireless canine advocate, Mary has been a member of the Board of the Morris Animal Refuge and has served multiple terms as a member of the Pennsylvania Dog Law Advisory Board that succeeded in shutting down a number of puppy mills in Pennsylvania. A two-term President of the Bull Terrier Club of America, Mary was recognized with the BTCA's highest honor, the Bar Sinister Award. Among Mary’s many honors are training the first Bull Terrier certified for search and rescue missions who helped workers on Staten Island immediately following 9/11/2001.
Her work has been recognized in regional and national media including Main Line Today, Philadelphia Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes, and Dog Fancy. In addition, Mary has appeared on Animal Planet, FOX Sports, Channel 3’s Better Pet Behavior with Carol Erickson, and several other local affiliate stations around the country.
Mary has trained well over 30,000 dogs over the last 35-plus years, and the numbers continue to grow. As Director of Training at WAGD and at Main Line Deputy Dog, Mary loves to share her gift with people and dogs to help them understand each other and create a strong, rewarding bond. Mary's goal is to increase the tolerance and respect between dogs and humans in a society where dogs are woven into the fabric of the community. How would Mary like to be known? “I share my life path with dogs,” she says simply.
CAROLYN
As What A Good Dog's CEO and Director of Operations, Carolyn Garson is our behind-the-scenes wizard. Carolyn brings a Ph.D. in nursing and years of administrative and teaching experience at the University of Pennsylvania to her job. Carolyn uses her healthcare background in the development of policy and procedures, many of which emulate human healthcare standards and protocols. Carolyn also brings to the table years of “dog” experience. She first came to What A Good Dog over 25 years ago to learn how to better her relationship with her exuberant Labrador. Since that time, she and her Labradors have earned titles competing in the Obedience and Nose Work venues. Her knowledge and expertise touch everything we do, and her total dedication to people and their pets is unsurpassed.
GAIL (puppy, manners, advanced manners, tricks, cgc, community education; classes,private lessons)
With 28 years of service, Gail Reber provides invaluable insight and experience to all things behavior at What A Good Dog. Humans and dogs alike know that Gail knows what she’s doing when it comes to dogs, and she does it with humor and warmth. Gail instructs Puppy Kindergarten, all levels of Manners classes (beginners through advanced), and provides behavioral consultations in private session. She also offers swim sessions in the WAGD pool for dogs that are worried about swimming, need swim therapy as directed by their veterinarian, or just want to have fun. Gail has shared her life with many different breeds of dogs including Vizslas, German Shorthaired Pointers, and Bull Terriers. She has successfully competed in the Conformation ring, the Agility ring, and the Obedience and Rally rings. Before joining our team, Gail was a veterinary technician in lab, hospital and zoo settings. She maintains her veterinary technician license, adding to the expertise at WAGD.
christy (canine-canine interaction specialist and supervisor)
Christy Durante has always loved animals. She has shared her home with many large canines, including Great Danes and a Rottie mix. Currently, she has two: one medium rescue and one larger sized rescue who join her for group play. A Pre-Veterinary Studies major at Penn State, she left a lucrative career selling scientific equipment to join What A Good Dog and has been with us for over 15 years. Christy possesses superb interpersonal skills, as well as undeniable intellectual and intuitive gifts when it comes to dogs. She has the ability to stay connected to the dogs and their energy rhythm. As Supervisor of Group Play, this gift and skill set results in the dogs flourishing in their canine-canine interactions. Christy also mentors WAGD staff such that the entire Group Play Team creates a playful and enriching canine environment. Additionally, she has been an assistant trainer for the past 15 years. Christy couldn’t be happier and says, “This is where I’m supposed to be.”
Joyce (Training Administrator)
My passion for working with animals began with training and competing with my two Thoroughbred Cross horses in the hunter, dressage and eventing arenas. Developing a partnership, built out of trust, patience and understanding with these amazing creatures quickly transferred over to the philosophy of training and competing in the dog world. For the last 27 years, I have shared my life with five Belgian Tervuren, who have successfully competed and earned titles at the highest levels in Agility, Disc, and Flyball Competitions. We also dabbled in the Conformation Ring, Herding Trials, and Dock Diving. Each of these dogs, although the same breed, presented unique challenges and strengths which led me to become a better teammate, bringing out the best in each other. Horses and dogs have been my greatest teachers, reminding me to keep life fun, interesting, motivating and rewarding! I currently share my life with my supportive husband and two Working Line Belgian Tervuren; one who is retired from dog sports and the other competing in Agility.
LINDA (PUPPY SPECIALIST, MANNERS, RALLY, CGC, Classes/private lessons)
Former Director of Admissions at Temple University’s School of Music and an accomplished musician herself, Linda White found a second career as a dog trainer with us 15 years ago. What A Good Dog’s positive-reinforcement training philosophy for her Curly-Coated Retrievers “changed my world,” she says. Linda focuses on working with families and their puppies, and she specializes in early socialization experiences, Puppy and Manners classes, Rally, and in-house training during a boarding stay. As part of our Behavioral Care Team, Linda also participates in the education and training of WAGD staff on canine behavior and health. Linda’s canine expertise, combined with her patient, kind and caring approach to families, put her in a league of her own... our customers constantly tell us so. Linda is herself -with her Curlies- a title holder in Conformation, Obedience, Rally and Nose Work.
Shirlee (AGILITY, Nosework, CiRcus Dogs; classes, private lessons)
Shirlee has a passion for training dogs and sharing her knowledge to help owner/handlers build a stronger connection with their dogs. She started her career as a veterinary technician at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine’s Teaching Hospital. In her free time, she would train and compete at local and National obedience and agility trials.
What started out as a hobby slowly expanded to a second occupation of teaching owners to train their sports performance dogs. Through the years, she expanded her knowledge in the sport of agility, obedience and K9 Nose Work®, as well as dog behavior, from nationally and internationally recognized educators.
In 2010, she retired as a vet tech and started her 2 nd career as a dog trainer and joined the team at What A Good Dog. There, she has taught classes/lessons in competitive Agility, FUN-gility, K9 Nose Work®, Circus Dog (Tricks and Obedience) and Performance Pup.
Shirlee especially enjoys coaching agility and is a OneMind Dog assistant coach. She believes in OneMind Dog’s approach to handling, as it advocates communicating through body language that dogs naturally understand. She enjoys teaching foundation and building skills that lead to advanced work, while maintaining enjoyment for the dog and handler. She says, “I love watching the handler and their dog learn to trust each other and grow as a team.”
LAURA (PUPPY HEAD START, PUPPY, MANNERS; CLASSES, PRIVATE LESSONS)
Laura began at WAGD working in daycare where she picked up her skills in dog-to-dog communication. After college, she worked in another field, but realized during the pandemic that her life should go to the dogs (so to speak). She returned to WAGD in 2020, now as a trainer. Laura co-runs the Puppy Head Start program with Sam, assists in classes, and does private lessons.
Before Laura had a dog to train, she began with her cat, Smudge, who now has a variety of tricks to show off. Smudge was nice enough to share his home, and now Laura also has a retired racing greyhound named Radar. Radar earned his CGC title with Laura in one year of being together, and she hopes to earn many more titles with him.
Laura loves helping owners understand their dogs and improve their communication. She has seen first-hand the impact that positive-reinforcement delivers, and wants to share the knowledge with our clients so they are able to use it themselves.
Susan (puppy, manners, advanced manners, rally, agility, CGC; classes,private lessons)
Susan has been training dogs for 33 years and teaching others how to train their dogs for 29 years. Susan began training with her first German Shepherd Dog (GSD) puppy, Grendl. Quickly bitten by the obedience bug, she went on to advanced levels with Grendl and then with her next GSD, Zak. Zak excelled in the obedience competition ring, earning his Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent and 2 of the needed 3 qualifiers required for his Utility Dog title before elbow arthritis earned his early retirement. Susan's next GSD, Falkner, was clicker trained from the age of 7 weeks and earned 5 agility titles before being retired early for a back injury. Falkner taught Susan a great deal about positive reinforcement training. Susan next began training and competing with her wildly enthusiastic sable girl, Ika. Ika earned her Agility Dog Championship and Performance Dog III title and was a two-time National qualifier through the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), all while in remission to cancer. Ika was also a well-loved therapy dog in the READ and Autism Program with Paws for People. Susan then competed with Vista, who completed her Performance Dog III title, qualified for USDAA Nationals and was a sweet and patient Reading Education Assistance Dog with Paws for People. Until her retirement, Vista was Susan’s valued assistant when working with dogs that were reactive toward other dogs – she had a very special gift, for which Susan is eternally grateful. Next came Hedda, a precocious black GSD. While Hedda did earn 13 agility titles & won High Scoring Dog in Agility at the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s national specialty in 2013, agility was not her passion. Susan learned that you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole & found that obedience was more of Hedda’s calling. Susan learned a great deal about patience &how to motivate a dog with different interests than her own.
Susan’s current generation of training partners are Xarya, Kai & Jagger. The lovely Xarya ,another GSD, is Susan’s second Agility Dog Champion. Together they qualified and competed at the Cynosport World Games in 2019. Retired from agility now, Susan is training & competing with Xarya in AKC Obedience and Rally Obedience. Susan’s first Border Collie, Kai, is a dog with tons of drive to work and extreme character. Kai is broadening Susan’s training skills by bringing his own set of needs and preferences to the training field in agility, obedience & rally obedience. Her second Border Collie, Jagger, is her present serious agility partner. Susan & Jagger are just about to embark on his competition career & she looks forward to all the fun & excitement they will share on this journey.
Susan is committed to keeping current on the most humane and effective training techniques available. She and her dogs have attended many training camps over the years including Susan Garrett’s Say Yes! Training Camp, and is a multiple time attendee of Kinetic Dog’s Agility Camp and One Mind Dog Camp. Thrilled with what she learned about positive reinforcement training at the 1998 Association of Pet Dog Trainers conference, Susan has become a lifelong student on the effective use of positive reinforcement in dog training. To this end, she has attended seminars on the subject given by noted trainers Leslie Nelson, Jean Donaldson, Sheila Booth, Chris Zink, Susan Garrett, Ken Ramirez, Sue Sternberg and Pat Miller (among others). Susan understands that education & learning are an enduring obligation. In 2012 she completed her secondary and special education certifications through the state of Pennsylvania – giving her the skills to further enhance the learning experience of the all-important human side of dog training.
Nancy (AGILITY; classes, private lessons)
Nancy has been a dog training instructor since 2007 teaching all levels of Basic manners and Advanced training skills before concentrating her instruction to the sport of Agility. She has been teaching Agility classes since 2014. Nancy’s dogs, past and present, have trained, competed, and titled in Rally-O, Treibball, Nosework, Barn Hunt, Tricks, and Agility. She currently has two Border Collies, 13+ yr old Zuzu, now retired, who has earned MACH4, ADCH Bronze, PDCH, LAA-Bronze, and ISD. Nancy’s younger Border Collie, Fae, is competing at the Master levels of USDAA, and UKI and working on her Championship titles.
Over the years, Nancy has attended many training seminars/workshops for her continued learning. Most notable, her successful completion of all 5 of Bob Bailey’s 40-hour Operant Conditioning Workshops.
Nancy’s biggest influence in Agility has been OneMind Dogs. OneMind Dogs’s approach to handling considers the dog’s perspective, striving to help handlers communicate in a way their dog understands naturally. In 2017 Nancy became an OMD certified instructor and completed certifications for all handling levels and more in 2020. You can see all of Nancy’s completed OneMind Dogs certifications at (https://app.oneminddogs.com/coaches/Nancy-Schilling)
Agility is always evolving, and Nancy is committed to staying on top of current training and handling practices to improve her skills and pass them along to her students. She regularly trains with and studies some of the world’s best handlers/trainers.
Nancy loves being an agility instructor and is passionate about sharing her own learnings with her students. Nancy works with each team individually to address the needs of both the handler and the dog to help each team be the best they can be. She enjoys teaching all levels of agility from Foundations to Master classes. She particularly enjoys teaching handling techniques used within any course and coursework.
Nancy shares, “The best moments of teaching are when a student has a moment where it all comes together, when they realize what they thought they couldn't do is possible.”
team
As they say, “Teamwork Makes The Dream Work.” What A Good Dog only happens because of the full complement of its team. Our passionate core team (Christy, Annie, Angie, Marci, Gail, Robin, Sue, Kayla, Andy, Oliver, John, Kieran, Sandino, Raffi, Joyce, Linnea, Charrell, Alfonzo) devote themselves to the well-being and comfort of each and every dog at What A Good Dog. They care with every fiber of their being and often extend themselves above and beyond to provide every guest at WAGD with the best possible experience.
We are also fortunate to have many high school and college students who are passionate about animals come to us for their first-time and summer work experiences. They are a very important part of the WAGD team because they come with passion in their hearts and their work ethic on their sleeves.