Our Story
Two friends brought together by a love of dogs, training, and the belief that life gets better when dogs and their people understand each other.
Why Canis Major?
Finn set it all in motion. Raising him is what made us fall in love with training. Sirius is what made it official. We brought him home because we wanted to challenge our handling skills, and between the two of them, we knew this was something we wanted to keep pursuing.
Sirius is named after the Dog Star, the brightest star in the night sky. It sits in a constellation called Canis Major, Latin for the great dog. When it came time to name what we were building, it just fit.
Meet Your Trainers
We share the same goal: practical training that helps dogs become great companions and gives their people the confidence to keep that training going at home. We also never stop learning. We train hands-on alongside other trainers in the area and work as many different dogs as we can, so we can adapt to the dog in front of us.
Audrey Liberati
Trainer
How I got started
I didn’t grow up with dogs. Finn was my first, and since I’d never raised a puppy, I wanted to do it right. I started learning everything I could and somewhere along the way fell in love with training itself. Sirius came next and challenged me to keep learning, adapting, and becoming a better handler.
What I bring
I’ve coached lacrosse at The Bolles School, and my career has been in client partnerships, where a big part of my job is taking something complicated and making it clear and actionable. That translates naturally to helping owners understand what we’re doing with their dog and why.
My approach
I love finding ways to meet a dog’s natural needs, give them meaningful mental and physical outlets, and problem-solve through the things that make everyday life harder. The goal is a dog who gets to be a dog, and a companion you can confidently enjoy life with.
I also know training only lasts if it transfers to you, so I focus on making the why behind what we’re doing clear and practical for the person holding the leash.
Elena Guerra
Trainer
How I got started
I grew up with a Lab named Calvin. We were new to dogs and didn’t start out with much structure, but with the help of a professional trainer, we saw firsthand how much training could change everyday life together. He became a well-trained, off-leash reliable dog we could confidently include in more of our lives.
What I bring
I come from an athletic and coaching background, so I understand that progress takes repetition, consistency, and patience. I love seeing the work you put into something start to pay off.
My approach
For me, the payoff of training is bigger than what a dog can do on command. It’s being able to enjoy more of life together. I want to help dogs become companions their families can confidently live with and include in their lives.
And when better communication, structure, and training can help a dog stay successfully in the home they already have, that matters to me.
Meet the Dogs Behind Canis Major
Finn and Sirius are our personal dogs, our demo dogs, and two very different reminders that there’s no single formula for training every dog.
Finn
Finn was Audrey’s first dog and the reason training became more than an interest. He loves doing just about anything with us: retrieving, training, or heading out on an adventure. He taught us how much giving a dog the right physical and mental outlets can change everyday life together.
Sirius
Sirius came along when we were ready to challenge ourselves with a very different dog. He’s still growing up and keeping us learning along the way. Training him is an ongoing reminder that no two dogs are the same and that good training means adapting to the dog in front of you.
Clear rules. Fair boundaries. Built around your dog.
We’re balanced trainers. We use rewards to build motivation and fair boundaries to build reliability, so your dog understands what you’re asking.
Reading the dog in front of us No one-size-fits-all programs. We adjust our approach, tools, and pace to your dog’s temperament, energy, and your household.
Our own two Labs, Finn and Sirius, need completely different things from us. Some dogs need help building confidence slowly. Others need help learning to settle and power down. A plan that works great for one can backfire on the other.
Before we pick a tool or a timeline, we watch your dog: how they handle new places, what motivates them, what stresses them out, and what your days at home really look like. Then we build the plan around that, and we change it as your dog grows.
Clear rewards and boundaries We reward what we want to see and set fair, consistent boundaries for what we don’t. Your dog always knows where they stand.
Dogs learn fastest when the rules are black and white. When your dog makes a choice we like, we mark it and pay it with something they actually care about, whether that’s high-value food, a toy, or a quick game. When they make a choice we don’t want, we calmly let them know and show them what to do instead.
We never want a dog guessing. Think about starting a new job where your boss praises your work one day and ignores the exact same work the next. You’d be stressed too. Being consistent on both sides is what lets a dog relax and actually enjoy working with you.
Rehearsing good habits We practice calm behavior over and over until it becomes your dog’s default: at home, on walks, and out in public.
Whatever a dog practices is what they get good at, and that goes for the stuff we don’t want too. Every time a puppy jumps on a guest and gets attention, that habit gets a little stronger.
So we start with lots of easy, calm reps where your dog can win, then slowly add the hard parts: the doorbell, the leash, a busy store like Home Depot. It’s hard at first, but with consistency, calm stops being something you have to ask for and becomes your dog’s default.
Ready to see how we can help your dog?
Explore our programs