About Me
Hi There!
My name is Mia and I am Ace's dog mom. I started Ace's Pace with the hope of filling a hole in the community of dog trainers and inspire the next generation of trainers. My focus as a trainer is to build confidence and relieve stress and/or anxiety in dogs by incorporating dog sports into my training plans. I have found that dog sports are a great way for my clients to build their relationship and communication as a team while also targeting their unique training needs.
Trainer Journey
2021
B.S. Psychology
Minors in Cognitive and Experimental Sciences, Leadership, Spanish, Community Action and Social Change
Honestly, being a dog trainer wasn't a part of the plan. I got my degree with the intention of becoming a Children's Clinical Psychologist but my degree has helped me immensely in this field. My education pushes me to continue asking questions and to be a scientist in every behavioral case I work.
2021-2023
PetSmart Dog Trainer
Elk Grove, CA
Becoming a PetSmart Dog Trainer started off as a summer job for someone who loved teaching and dogs. Little did I know, I would fall absolutely in love with watching people light up when they realized everything their dogs were capable of.
Feb 2023-Jan 2024
Apprentice Dog Trainer
Sacramento, CA
While working at PetSmart, I found myself with a lot of questions and wanting to learn more. I started reaching out to certified trainers in the area and found mentorship under a local trainer that had years of valuable knowledge. Through this mentorship, I learned about the best ways to socialize a puppy to prevent problem behaviors and how to moderate puppy play.
Apr 2023- Feb 2024
Dog Trainer at Local Dog Training & Dog Walking Company
Sacramento, CA
Working as a trainer for a local dog training and dog walking company as both a trainer and a walker/sitter allowed me to practice my handling skills and management skills while working with dogs. I also got to know the Sacramento community and dip my toes into working with cats! As I grew within the company, I started taking on more responsibilities as a trainer. I was on my way to becoming a full time trainer teaching classes, taking on private clients, and working behavioral cases. It was during this time when I began searching for additional opportunities to continue growing in my knowledge and skills to better support companion animals in a variety of ways.
Feb 2024
Ace's Pace
Sacramento, CA
Virtual Worldwide
Despite all of my experiences both with corporate companies and small businesses that aimed to provide the everyday pet parent with training solutions, something was still missing. I was a pet parent to a newly reactive dog and outside of my time as a trainer, I found myself dealing with the ins and outs of living with a dog with such complex and sensitive feelings.
I started Ace's Pace with the vision of not only combating the dog side of training and behavior but how it relates to their people's feelings and lives as well. I want to support people in creating and finding the space and resources that I found along the way in my journey with Ace.
Feb 2024
Vet Assistant
Sacramento, CA
Throughout my journey as a dog trainer and behavior consultant, I noticed that very few trainers had established relationships with vets so when I had the opportunity to learn more about the medical side of supporting companion animals especially at a clinic that shared the same fear free practices as me, I took the opportunity in a heart beat.
Working as a vet assistant has helped me better understand the medical side of caring for companion animals as well as allowed me to further bridge the gap between training and veterinary care for both pet parents and vet teams.
