Our founder
Janis Bradley
Janis Bradley is an expert dog trainer, educator, speaker, and program designer. She was a primary faculty member at The San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, where she spent a decade as an instructor and program developer, preparing more than 400 students for careers as dog professionals. Before this, Janis enjoyed a distinguished twenty-year career in higher education, developing and teaching curriculum for students working to complete BA degrees.
Janis is an author whose published works include Dogs Bite, But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous, an accepted must-read for professionals in the training and animal shelter world, and an oft-cited source for journalists and policy makers. As Director of Communications and Publications for the National Canine Research Council, she lectures widely on human/dog relationships.
Janis shares her life with her rescued Greyhound, Annie.
Our Faculty
Our students are guided by master trainers who are deeply experienced, highly educated, and are endlessly engaged in continuing education in order to maintain our high standards of the most up-to-date instruction. They have worked extensively in shelters and training organizations, run training businesses of their own, and continue to help individual clients and their dogs. This means that you get a real-world education, allowing you to confidently apply your skills after graduation.
Mac
Mac has helped thousands of dogs and their people lead happier 
lives in each other’s company for the last 10+ years as an accomplished trainer and behavior consultant.
While focusing intently on fear and aggression for several years, Mac developed an insatiable passion for prevention. This is currently evidenced in her leadership of SF Puppy Prep, Outdoor Education SF, and Puppy Talk with Mac, training organizations that support puppies in various stages of development.
Mac loves to teach and talk dog. A 2009 honors graduate of the SFSPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, upon graduation Mac immediately returned to coach students in two subsequent cohorts. Concurrently, she volunteered for over 300 hours, training volunteers, teaching classes, and working directly with shelter dogs needing behavioral modification.
Mac’s continuing education has included courses of study with Bob Bailey and Susan Friedman, as well as a litany of multi-day seminars and conferences throughout her years as a professional trainer.
Mac shares her life with Gaby, a 2002 UC Davis Vet Med graduate who has since retired from veterinary practice, and their 4 Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs.
Jennifer Sims
Jen began her animal career in sheltering at Peninsula Humane Society more than 20 years ago. As Shelter Manager she met thousands of animals learning about dogs and cats as well as pigs, goats, and chickens, and became fascinated with animal health and behavior.
She left PHS and started Busy Pets, a pet care business caring for animals with special health and behavior needs. But, it wasn’t until an untrained, undersocialized, and fearful Great Dane became a client, and then became her own dog that she developed a passion for positive dog training. As he grew to 160 pounds she realized that there was no forcing him to do anything he didn’t want to do. She bought The Culture Clash and After You Get Your Puppy and most important, hired an Academy grad to help. He became a well-behaved member of the canine community.
Jennifer graduated from Academy for Dog Trainers, indulging herself in six weeks of bliss doing nothing but talking about, learning about, and training dogs, which hooked her on training for good. She opened Happy Home Dog Training specializing in private training for dog aggression.
Jen started working in shelters again, first at Humane Indiana then PAWS Chicago. She worked with shy dogs and those with aggression issues and staffed a behavior helpline.
As a people trainer she developed and taught classes about dog behavior evaluations, dog body language, and dog handling to certify volunteers and staff to work with challenging shelter dogs. She’s also created animal health and dog training protocols and earned a certificate in Workplace Learning and Performance.
Jen became a Certified Behavior Consultant – Canine (CBCC-KA) and has attended multi-day seminars with Ian Dunbar, Susan Friedman, Pat Miller, and graduated from a Wolf Behavior Intensive course.
Jennifer lives with a Cattle Dog mix, a wayward rabbit, and a bunch of foster kittens.
Aishe Berger
Aishe began her career as a social worker and soon realized that she would rather be a canine social worker. Aishe followed her dream and enrolled in the SF SPCA Dog Training Academy in 2002, followed by a post graduate internship in curriculum development and instruction.
Aishe worked at the SF SPCA as a trainer/teacher and adoption counselor and in 2004 started SF Puppy Prep with another academy grad, Stephanie Miller.
Aishe loves teaching and mentoring. Aishe is a people trainer who is dog obsessed. Aishe currently has 2 dogs, a 14 yo miniature poodle, Farfel, who can sneeze on cue, and a 100 year old Muttville Senior Dog named Dolly who is as sassy and strong as her namesake, Dolly Parton.
Victoria Laemsae
Originally from Finland, Victoria is a passionate dog sports enthusiast with years of experience working with dogs. She has competed in dog agility and obedience in different countries. She has taught performance dog classes as well as worked as a dog swim coach, dog walker and dog daycare handler in the past. She is CPDT-KA certified (Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) and always striving for new knowledge and better ways to teach and inspire people to do more fun activities with their dogs.
Victoria holds BS in Accounting and International Business from University of Oulu. Being fascinated by mechanics of behavior in general she continues to study Psychology online at the University of Helsinki. She lives with a husband and 2 dogs, 13yo Australian shepherd Piki and 8yo Border Collie Waltsu.
Amrit Khalsa
Amrit is a San Francisco native who has had the opportunity to work with thousands of young puppies and parents to build a strong foundation for happy lives together.
She holds a BS in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution and a Minor in Psychology from The University of California at San Diego (2014). Growing up in San Francisco, she began her training and animal education career working with exotic animals.
Starting in 2004, she worked at the San Francisco Zoo, the Suisun Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the Houston Zoo, and at the Living Coast Discovery Center. After many years working with exotic animals, in 2015, Amrit turned her attention to training dogs (her favorite learners!) as a puppy counselor with SF Puppy Prep’s Puppy DaySchool.
In 2017, Amrit connected with Mac, graduate of the Jean Donaldson Academy for Dog Trainers and Owner of SF Puppy Prep and Outdoor Education SF. Her extensive mentorship deeply expanded and continues to grow Amrit’s abilities.
Amrit played an instrumental role in the development of the Outdoor Education program, training adolescent dogs and parents all over San Francisco before returning to SF Puppy Prep in a leadership position. She now works as SF Puppy Prep’s Program Director managing dayschool, classes and private training as well as training puppies, parents and staff alike.