Why I Do This

More than thirty years ago, there wasn't a college degree that taught you how to become an animal behaviorist.

There wasn't a career path.

There wasn't a textbook.

There wasn't even a clear definition of what I wanted to become.

If you wanted to understand animal behavior...

You had to build your own education.

So that's exactly what I did.

Like many students, I began on the human side of medicine and behavior.

I studied psychology.

Psychiatry.

Human anatomy.

Neuroscience.

I spent countless hours studying the human brain and behavior.

Yes... I even spent long hours in anatomy labs learning from human cadavers, trying to understand the incredible complexity of the body.

I also spent time working with people through therapy, learning how experiences, trauma, emotions, and relationships shape behavior.

I was fascinated by every bit of it.

But every time I walked outside of class... or finished a therapy session... my heart was waiting outside with my furry friends.

That was the moment I finally understood something that had always been true.

Animals weren't simply my passion.

They were my purpose.

I wasn't meant to stop at understanding people.

I was meant to understand the incredible relationship between people and the animals who share their lives.

From that point forward, I stopped searching for a career...

And started pursuing a calling.

There wasn't a roadmap.

So I built one.

One mentor at a time...

One rescue at a time...

One research paper at a time...

One wolf observation...

One veterinary visit...

One conversation...

One question...

And one remarkable animal after another.

My education didn't happen in one building.

It happened anywhere someone was willing to teach... and anywhere an animal was willing to show me something new.

I put on my boots.

I walked into forests.

I quietly observed.

I volunteered.

I asked questions.

I spent time beside veterinarians during examinations, surgeries, and treatments.

I learned from chiropractors as they restored movement.

I observed osteopathic physicians who taught me to see the body as one connected system instead of separate parts.

I immersed myself in nutrition...

Genetics...

Anatomy...

Neuroscience...

Learning theory...

Behavior...

Instinct...

Movement...

Health...

Because I couldn't understand behavior without understanding everything that influences it.

Every opportunity became another classroom.

One opportunity led to another.

My desire to understand behavior eventually led me to study wolves in their natural environment.

What began as an internship eventually became leading my own wolf observation experiences.

Watching wolves changed me forever.

They taught me that behavior is never random.

Every movement has purpose.

Every glance has meaning.

Every family interaction teaches something.

Nature became one of my greatest professors.

My education didn't stop there.

I had the incredible privilege of interning under one of the foremost experts in avian behavior in the United States.

Working with birds... including exotic species like toucans... taught me to notice details that most people never see.

The slightest posture change.

The smallest feather movement.

The tiniest shift that completely changed the meaning of a behavior.

Those lessons followed me into every species I've worked with since.

Over the years I've had the privilege of rescuing and rehabilitating horses... cattle... llamas... hawks... pelicans... toucans... beavers... otters... opossums... bats... dogs... cats... and countless other wild and domestic animals.

Each one taught me something.

There is another part of my story that I don't hide.

I have AuDHD.

If you've ever met me... you've probably experienced it.

One moment I'm talking about puppies...

The next it's wolves...

Then neuroscience...

Then nutrition...

Then genetics...

Then bird behavior...

Then right back to puppies again.

My brain is constantly making connections.

Constantly asking questions.

Constantly chasing another rabbit hole.

For many people, that sounds exhausting.

For me...

It's home.

People often ask me how I know so much about animals.

The honest answer is simple...

I've spent the last thirty years choosing them over television.

Even today, our home is a little different.

We don't build our evenings around television.

In fact...

We don't even have one.

Those hours are spent reading.

Researching.

Observing.

Writing.

Discussing ideas.

Following one more scientific paper.

One more study.

One more question.

One more rabbit hole.

While many people understandably spend their evenings relaxing in front of a screen...

I've spent mine trying to better understand the animals I love.

It has never felt like work.

It has always felt like curiosity.

After tens of thousands of hours...

I'm still a student.

And I hope I always will be.

As my knowledge grew...

The questions became bigger.

The books became more specialized.

The conversations became deeper.

The people around me became some of the brightest minds in their fields.

Eventually, I found myself serving on university boards and collaborating with researchers, veterinarians, behaviorists, geneticists, breeders, chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, nutritionists, trainers, and other professionals who shared one thing in common...

An insatiable curiosity.

None of us were satisfied with...

"That's just the way we've always done it."

We wanted to know...

Why don't puppies learn as quickly as they could?

Why aren't we intentionally developing the brain during the first sixteen weeks of life, when growth happens at an extraordinary pace?

Why aren't we doing everything possible to produce healthier dogs through responsible health testing...

Everything eventually led me to one simple realization.

Behavior doesn't exist by itself.

Behavior is influenced by health.

Nutrition.

Genetics.

Environment.

Experience.

Development.

Relationships.

And above all...

The brain.

That's why Brain First Development™ exists.

Not because the world needed another training method.

But because animals deserve something better.

A better beginning.

A healthier brain.

A stronger body.

A deeper understanding.

A lifetime built on trust instead of fear.

Because when we develop the brain...

Behavior follows.