OUR TEAM & OUR DOGS

JOHN  –  Head Trainer & Founder   |   Passionate about Dogs, Teaching & Learning, Music, Language, etc.

I grew up in Bowie, Maryland…and I’ve lived in Maryland for most of my life. I was a high school teacher in both Maryland (3 years) and Florida (13 years) before opening Confetti Dogs! This dream of mine had been brewing since 2013 when we rescued our first German Shepherd from the Animal Control in Orlando. I truly feel to this day, that Fonso rescued me 🥺 …as without him I wouldn’t be where I am today helping others with their dogs! Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Fonso last year (2024) when he was almost 13 😭. Fast forward from 2013 to 2021 >>>> After years of studying, taking courses, experience with my own dogs, shadowing mentors, working part time as a trainer and dog walker, helping neighbors with their dogs, etc…I finally decided to open Confetti Dogs when we moved back to Maryland. Switching to a dog training career has been one of my favorite decisions I’ve ever made in my life…and it is deeply special to me. I am incredibly grateful each day that I have the opportunity to do what I do. My hope is to eventually bring along other FUTURE TRAINERS who have a growth mindset and are open-minded problem-solvers whose passion for dog training and puppy training is already brewing (Please reach out if that’s you 👍 !) ***Aside from the work I do as a trainer and my time with our 4 current family dogs…I love writing music & playing the piano, playing simple card games, watching movies and going hiking with my wife and kids, and learning. new DIY skills…AND, of course, watching Commanders games with my boys. 

Thanks so much for being here!

APRIL – Director of Operations   |   Dog Lover, Passionate about Animals and the Arts

As the Director of Operations at Confetti Dogs, I work alongside my husband, John, the founder and head dog trainer, to ensure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. While I’m not directly involved in training dogs, my role is primarily in supporting the day-to-day operations, helping our team focus on delivering exceptional results for our clients and their amazing pups.

Outside of work, I have a deep love for animals of all kinds. When I’m not helping John, you’ll often find me hanging with our four boys, enjoying the garden, tending to my plants, caring for our chickens, or experimenting with watercolor painting. I’m also an avid beekeeper, and overall I just enjoy the peaceful rhythm of working with nature. These passions help me stay grounded and inspired as we continue our mission to help dogs and their families thrive.

Thanks so much for being here and for your interest in Confetti Dogs! Whether you decide to do an actual program with us or not, please always feel free to join our FREE Confetti Dogs Learning Community (there are a lot of really cool things happening there legitimately at no cost whatsoever), Learn More about how our Training Programs Flow, OR…FOLLOW us on YouTube, Instagram, and/or FaceBook!

Nova is our 6 year old German Shepherd. She is a high drive dog who loves to create play with other dogs and people. She LOVES to train and play tug / keep away! She likes to come help me on the job when we are working with clients and their dogs through leash aggression / leash reactivity programs. She watches over our chickens when they are free-ranging and is a great “hawk prevention.” More than anything, she is as tough and as sweet as a dog could be and is always on the job keeping an eye on everything around us!

“Rip Bocelli” is our 2 year old Blue Heeler and our newest dog. We’ve had him for almost 8 months now. I grew up listening to Andrea Bocelli because my grandmother loved his singing…and apparently Rip grew up on Andrea Bocelli, as well. He is a passionate singer 🎵 🎶 🐕 and sings along when I play the piano. He is a full-throttle / blast-off  / very physical kind of dog who is also learning to relax more inside the home little by little. We are working on learning some herding skills and elevating his obedience because he is so incredibly smart. This guy is a fun, intense, playful, and highly intelligent…loves playing tug and LOVES laying next to you on the couch!

Ruby is our 3 year old Chihuahua Mix. She loves all the people in her life very deeply…and loves our 4 sons through the roof and would do anything for them. She is loves to, let’s say…”over-work” and is our first alert dog out of the 4 dogs we have 🤣. In our pack…Ruby is THE BOSS…(well sort of…to be honest, it’s really Nova…but Nova is very good at letting Ruby feel like she is the boss.) Ruby is the best lap dog, friend, and also support dog for when anyone in the home is having a tough time.

Mickey is our 8 year old Shih-Tzu / Maltese who came to us when he was about 6 and 1/2 years old as a Board & Train for a family friend. The family sent him to us with the hopes of helping prep him to be re-homed after his 80 year old life-long owner sadly passed away. Mickey lived with the other family members in a different home for a 3-4 months after his owner’s passing, but because he had a significant life history of what I would call “common little dog aggression” (creating many unsafe scenarios for family members and neighbors), they wanted to get him trained to prep him to be re-homed safely. Mickey came to us with so many behavioral concerns…Food Aggression / Resource Guarding, Resource Guarding Dog Beds or Couches, Leash Aggression towards dogs, people, and especially almost every moving vehicle, Dog-to-Dog & Dog-to-people & Dog-to-our Cat socialization red-flags, issues being brushed / groomed, getting a harness on, being picked up, being asked to get off of the couch, etc. Mick Jabber, (with all of his inherent and/or developed challenges) is actually an EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR (I mean, like clockwork)…The problem is that after his 6 week Board and Train, we fell in love with this little guy and asked if we could keep him since they were planning on re-homing him! He has come such a long way in his life and is a much safer dog whose circle of trust continues to expand little by little every day. Anyways, this is how this dude became a special part of our lives!