Meet Your Trainer

Her first word as a baby was doggy.

Lindsey Lieberman, CBCC, CPDT is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant who has been working with dogs professionally for over 15 years, and yes: her first word really was “doggy.”  Lindsey is a to-the-bone animal person who has worked with critters in some capacity most of her life.  From the pet sitting business she started when she was in grade school (donating 25% of the $1 per day fee to the local cat rescue), through to today, she has built her life around animals.

Extensive experience, unique perspective.

Over the course of her career, Lindsey has worked directly with hundreds upon hundreds of different dogs, from 3 pound Chihuahuas to 200-pound Mastiffs. She has worked with dogs from an enormous variety of backgrounds including:

• Puppy mill offspring
• Rescued Korean meat dogs
• Hurricane survivors (Katrina, Sandy, Irene, Michael)
• Fighting ring busts (The Missouri 500)
• Mexico street dogs
• Off-the-track Greyhounds
• Hoarding & neglect cases

She has years of experience not only working with dogs with behavioral baggage, but living with them too. Over a decade of parenting her own (perfectly) imperfect pups has given her a unique perspective, and she is able to truly understand and empathize with clients who share their lives with fearful, reactive, and anxious dogs. Lindsey knows the struggles of special needs pet parents first hand, and has the tools to support and guide them on the path to peace in their homes.

In addition to dogs, Lindsey has worked professionally with cats, goats, equines, cattle, ducks, chickens, geese, pigs, and a few other species.  She is especially proud of befriending a cantankerous Brahman-mix steer named Neal.

How she got here.

All through her childhood and teen years Lindsey surrounded herself with animals: dogs, cats, horses, pygmy goats, and a few rodents. She had a few critter-free years in college, then remedied the situation by adopting her first fur kid as adult, the ineffably fabulous kitty, Sammy.
After graduating from California College of the Arts with a BFA in Photography in 2004 and intending to continue her education with a graduate degree in Art History, Lindsey took an unusual turn in her professional path: she began working at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland, California. It was there that she adopted her first dog, Kisa, the incredible 100-pound Malamute mix who filled Lindsey’s life with laughter, adventure, and an endless supply of fluffy dog hair for 12 years. At the East Bay SPCA Lindsey realized that her path forward in life wasn’t at graduate school: she wouldn’t be happy with her nose behind a book when she could be playing with dogs in the sunshine.
After a few years in the Bay Area, she took her knowledge and talents further up the state to Chico, California. There Lindsey worked as the Canine Coordinator at Butte Humane Society where she completely revamped their behavior assessment, training, and volunteer programs. In 2011 she headed south to continue her shelter career with San Diego Humane Society as the Behavior & Training Coordinator at the Oceanside Campus where she worked for 9 years.
In 2018 Lindsey launched Birch Bark Dog Training to further help dogs and their people in her community.
Lindsey has lectured on domestic canine behavior to the staff at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, as well as presented on dog bite prevention to City of Oceanside employees.
She serves as a Mentor Trainer for both CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and Animal Behavior College.

At home.

Lindsey lives in a Hobbit Hole in Vista with her three dogs: Shine, the 13 year old brown dog whose motto is, “Why not? What’s next?”; Stormy, the 11 year old Greyhound mix who doesn’t quite know how to be a dog; and Kit, the 7ish year old Cattle Dog, whose well-deserved nickname is Monster. Alfie the cat lives there too, but he does as he pleases.

Outside of working with dogs, Lindsey has a regular yoga practice and can be found on her mat at various studios around North County. In 2019 she graduated from Yoga Branch’s Roots & Wings 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program, and has taught yoga classes at studios in Vista and Carlsbad, as well as private instruction.

She is an avid reader, cactus and succulent cultivator, and receives boundless joy from exploring the local hiking trails with her pack.