About Us.

Melody is a South Florida native that began training rescue dogs back in 2004 when she started a bully breed rescue. It was much easier to adopt out dogs that were already trained! This start of her career developed into so much more than just training rescue dogs! She began seeing clients in 2006 and Star Dog Obedience was born shortly after! There is almost too much list in her history, but some of the more notable ones are:

School: NePoPo © Silver & Gold School Graduate
Seminars attended: Bart & Michael Bellon, Dick Staal, Justin Rigney, Dr Ian Dunbar, Sarah Kalnajs, Jeff Gellman,
Other: Dog Aggression Master Course with Michael Shikashio, Pet First Aid & CPR
Evaluator: AKC Canine Good Citizen titles, AKC Trick Dog titles, Drink With Your Dog Brewery Manners
Memberships: International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

Eric was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania and inherited a deep-seated love and respect for animals from his Mother and Father. The value of having multiple family dogs and other small animals during childhood proved to be very educational and unknowingly became the first steps in his dog training journey.
 
As he transitioned into a young adult, Eric joined the United States Air Force where he traveled the world, experiencing many regional and cultural differences in animal/human interaction. Throughout his 25 year military career, Eric was fortunate enough to have had many occasions to work side by side with military and law enforcement working dogs intensifying the desire to eventually seek a “Dog Job.”
 
After retiring from the Air Force, his passion led him to the Tom Rose School of Dog Training in High Ridge, Missouri, where he completed both the Professionals and Masters In-Residence Certification Programs, graduating with honors. While at the Tom Rose School he learned many practical canine behavioral modification and training techniques utilizing Timing, Motivation and Consistency to limit confusion while promoting a positive canine attitude through clear communication. Eric continues to transform puppies into working K9s and unruly pets into the well-behaved dogs of dreams.

David started working with Star Dog back in 2022, and has blossomed into an amazing dog trainer. He is a CGC Evaluator and will be attending more seminars in the coming year to further his education! David has always had a love for dogs. His passion for training skyrocketed when he brought home his first Malinois, Mila. Having a working dog really pushed his skills and made him a better trainer and handler. He hopes to compete in bite sports one day! David truly loves to see clients and their dogs grow as a team and succeed.

Lex was brought onto the team in May of 2024 as our training coordinator. Lex is our first point of contact for new clients! She grew up around dogs and horses, but it wasn’t until she got her first dog that the world of training and sports opened up for her. Lex enjoys working with primitive breeds, and looks forward to learning about training and behavior.