Rebecca G. Andrews

Rebecca Andrews is a certified professional dog trainer specializing in behavior modification with more than 20 years of experience. She is an Austin, Texas native and has worked in both the veterinary and boarding/daycare industries. In 2014, Rebecca and her husband moved to Raleigh, NC for his job. That same year, Rebecca founded My Dog Can – which was voted Best of the Best by the Wake Forest Weekly in 2016. Her husband’s job brought them back to the Austin area in 2017, where she continues her work through My Dog Can.

Training Philosophy

Rebecca is committed to compassionate and fear-free training. She has a deep understanding of the issues that dog owners face today. The My Dog Can philosophy is based in helping dog owners recognize their dog’s potential. Where not every dog can do everything, there is so much they CAN do!

Services

Rebecca provides customized training in and out of your home. She offers initial consultations, training for dogs and puppies, and preparing families with dogs for life with a baby.

Initial Consultation

The initial consultation includes:

• Gathering thorough background information
• Addressing client concerns and establishing goals
• Assessment of your dog’s behavior
• Educating family members on their role in your dog’s training
• Discussing how to best proceed with future sessions to ensure your dog’s success
• Training exercises to begin right away to help you and your dog
• A written training plan to help you meet your goals

Training for Dogs and Puppies

During the initial training consultation, Rebecca will help you determine the next steps, which may include help with:

• Barking management
• Basic manners
• Biting and chewing
• Coming when called
• Confidence building
• Crate training
• Fearfulness
• Food and toy guarding
• House training
• Jumping up
• Patience and focus
• Proper interactions with both people and dogs
• Reactive behavior
• Walking nicely on a leash

Preparing Families with Dogs for Life with a Baby

Rebecca can help you navigate this special time in your family’s life. You will be provided with resources for a successful transition for life with a baby, as well as one-on-one training and guidance to ensure you and your dog have the much-needed skills once the baby comes home.

Certifications

In 2007, Rebecca received her professional dog training certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, the leader in the development of rigorous exams to demonstrate mastery of humane, science-based dog training practices. She is now credentialed as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). She is also a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator helping parents create safer, lasting relationships between their dogs and their children.

Specializations

Behavior modification

Training Methods

Fear-free, reward-based dog training

Customer Reviews

“She will take the time to answer all your questions and always wants what is best for you and your dog. We’re very thankful for Rebecca.”

“When I called Rebecca we had been to other training classes with no luck with our dog Gaston, a one-year old Great Pyrenees who was too hyper for those classes. At home, he was jumping on our children and he would jump on our guests. When Rebecca came over for the first time, she saw right away how hyper Gaston could be. Rebecca explained to me that her training would be to help Gaston learn to calm himself down. It took some time, but he did learn. Rebecca was very patient with Gaston and answered every question I had. Gaston is no longer jumping on people and if we do see him start to get excited, we know ways to calm him down and make things peaceful again.
Rebecca comes to your house and works with your schedule. She will take the time to answer all your questions and always wants what is best for you and your dog. We’re very thankful for Rebecca.”

“Rebecca has helped me with training a few of my dogs. One of those dogs was fear aggressive and she taught me the best ways to manage and help ensure my pup’s life was the best it could be. Recently, she worked with my husband and I to train a new addition to our home who deals with leash reactivity and general “rude” puppy-like behavior. She took the time each training session to understand what was working for us and what wasn’t and help us adjust our training for what worked best for us and our pup. We haven’t had any sessions in a while, but she is always available and ready to answer any questions we have when new behaviors pop up or if we just need some tips and tricks! I highly recommend calling up Rebecca for help with training your doggy friends!”

“Rebecca Andrews of My Dog Can! exceeded all of our training expectations. When we rescued Bear, an 18-month old Rottweiler mix, our well-behaved pack of two dogs and a cat was disrupted. When Bear came to our home, he exhibited behavioral issues including food aggression, cat aggression, and bad manners in general. Rebecca instantly bonded with Bear which reinforced the fact we had selected the right dog trainer. She was compassionate, knowledgeable and positive during all training sessions. Bear truly enjoyed the training with Rebecca and was always excited to see her. After working with Rebecca, Bear quickie became a well-socialized member of our pack. His aggressiveness has disappeared and he even enjoys being with the cat now! It is amazing to watch all of our dogs and cat hang out together in perfect harmony. This would never have been possible without Rebecca with My Dog Can!”

“When my husband and I first received Katie from our friend’s mother who was hospitalized and could no longer keep her, we thought we knew how to handle a tiny Shih-Tzu. After all, we already had two and they were happy, healthy and got along great with their Lhasa-Apso brother. However, we were in for a big surprise! Katie was scared and a little–okay, a lot—aggressive. While she was getting along okay with her doggie brothers, she was not friendly with me. She growled, sometimes bit me, and if I went to sit next to her on the couch …well let’s just say I was afraid to cross paths with her!
I asked Rebecca for help and she suggested she come out to my house and see how Katie was reacting to me and my husband, as well as with the other dogs. Rebecca was at our home for a while and watched me and my husband interact with Katie, as well as observed Katie with the other dogs. We were given homework and training exercises to do with lots of positive reinforcement and treats. I learned that I shouldn’t approach her the way I did my other dog as she wasn’t totally comfortable with me yet. Thanks to Rebecca, it’s a completely different situation now. Katie is an integral part of our family and is the happiest dog. She and her brothers are a happy pack. Truthfully, I benefited from the training as much as Katie. I thought I knew how to welcome a new dog into my home, but I was in new territory with Katie. I highly recommend Rebecca as a trainer. She has a kind, sincere style and is very knowledgeable of positive reinforcement training techniques.
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“I would recommend Rebecca to anyone who wants to train their dogs with positive reinforcement, understanding, and love. She was patient and consistent with both of my English golden retrievers, Ginger and Grace. They would not be the well-trained dogs they are today without Rebecca. She got the girls started on the basics of obedience, then she took the training to the next level – she had to teach me! I enjoyed the training sessions so much, I never wanted them to end. There was always so much more to learn from her. In fact, it has been over a year since that first training, and she is still answering every question I have. And my girls love her! That is the truest sign of a good trainer; when a dog can feel, and responds to, the love and respect that trainer has for them. I am grateful to have Rebecca in our life.”