Breanna Leonard
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant
Founder and Head Trainer
Growing up as an only child in an animal-loving family all my “siblings” were animals. Our house always had animals from small to big but ever since I can remember my heart belonged to our dogs. In my teens I had one thing on my mind, getting a dog.
When the time finally came for me to get my first dog I was ecstatic. Being so young I turned to Craigslist, an ad for Bandog puppies was the first ad I saw. The excitement of finally having my own dog was quickly cut short when I became overwhelmed with my new puppy, Duch. Duch came with a lot of issues and I had no idea how to handle them. She wanted nothing to do with me, she would pee and scream when I tried to touch her. After a few days of getting to know each other, I ended up with the opposite issue. I couldn’t leave the room without her crying, making my neighbors annoyed quickly. I now had a puppy that wouldn’t go near anyone else and also couldn’t be left home alone. I turned to the internet to figure out what to do and after making a bit of progress I felt like we were finally in the clear. Fast forward a few months and I was experiencing a whole new slew of issues with Duch except now I had a large and powerful dog that I could not control and she was acting aggressively towards people and dogs.
After working with a few trainers I found one that worked for Duch and I. Our trainer did an amazing job not only helping Duch but helping me understand Duch.
Seeing the progress we were making I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, help dogs and their owners understand each other better. I researched dog training schools and in 2009 I started attending Mount Ida College in Newton, MA for Canine Behaviour and Training.
Once I graduated from dog training school I was hired by a small locally owned pet store in the greater Boston area to teach a few entry-level group classes a week. This quickly grew into a full-time job teaching group classes of all skill levels, running a Day School program, and training apprentice trainers.
Even while working full-time with dogs I still wanted to gain more experience so in my free time I partnered with a few local rescues and shelters helping them evaluate, train, foster, and place their more challenging dogs. I quickly became known for taking in the underdogs. Seeing these dogs make transformations that allowed them to be placed into homes solidified my choice to dedicate my life to dogs. It also pushed me to become the best trainer I could be as I was working with dogs that needed more than just learning basic obedience commands.
I spent those years with only one focus, learning from as many dog trainers and canine experts as I could and helping as many dogs as I could. After over a decade of training dogs and managing different training facilities, I opened Transition Dog Training. Transition Dog Training was created with an emphasis on helping dogs and their owners understand each other. Drawing from my experience to create custom training plans that not only address the dog’s behavior but their health, happiness, and well-being.