About All Dogs Allowed
What We Do:
At All Dogs Allowed, we don’t just want you to get results in the moment – we want you to understand why you got them, how to get them in the future, and how to apply the techniques to other behavior. We give you the skills you need to make dog training easy, reliable, and long-lasting. Our aim is for you to understand how your dog learns so you can communicate and grow together. By using this approach, we coach you to become a dog trainer yourself – one who can solve even the most difficult behavior problems by addressing the root causes of unwanted behavior and fixing them from the inside.
How We Do It:
We make training fun and easy by using proven, science-based training techniques that are effective and convenient to add to your everyday routine. These techniques are family-friendly and allow you to better communicate with your dog. Results can be long-lasting and life-changing. Since we use positive reinforcement, we do not use choke/check chains, prong/pinch collars, or electronic/remote collars. With the right tools, and a little dog psychology, we can help you break the language barrier and do things with your dog you never thought possible.
Why It Works:
Healthy relationships need mutual boundaries and clear communication. Dogs communicate through body language, and they learn from environmental cues via scent, sound, and touch. Most owners aren’t naturally equipped with the tools they need to communicate with their dogs in a way that’s powerful and meaningful to the dog. With All Dogs Allowed, we want you to be successful without us and we don’t hold back – we teach you how to become a trainer yourself. Learn to speak dog and equip yourself with tools and techniques that will help you have the dog you’ve always dreamed of.
Meet the Trainers
Nora Torrey (She/Her) – Owner of All Dogs Allowed
Nora has an extensive customer service and medical admin background, however, she also had a passion for working with dogs her whole life and has volunteered at animal sanctuaries and shelters on and off for years. In 2017, she decided to quit her desk job and start her own pet care business. Getting to work with more dogs every day (and learning their body language) naturally led to dog training. After working at All Dogs Allowed as a group class trainer, she was happily given the opportunity to take over ownership.
Nora has completed multiple certificates including her CATCH Dog Training Academy Masters Program Certificate, Fear Free Trainers Course, and Master Class in Aggression. She also is passionate about continuing her training education through reading, observing other trainers, or falling into the online dog training world. Nora loves getting to work with both dogs and their owners to help them develop and strong, happy relationship.
Nora has two dogs, George (pictured) and Frankie, a sassy Boston Terrier. They enjoy spending time going on long walks and hikes. And in the rare time Nora isn’t doing something with dogs she enjoys reading, occasionally knitting, or looking for more plants to buy.
Candace Brady (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor
In her early years, Candace was required to do a science experiment for school. She decided to research the effects of Pavlov’s Dog and using treats vs. praise. She used her brand new golden retriever puppy, Abigail, teaching many different behaviors. The experiment went to regionals where it won honorable mention. Candace always said it went so far and won because Abby was so cute. Her interest in dog training and dog care grew from there.
Candace has an extensive background in customer service and event management. In the fall of the event industry, due to COVID, Candace decided it was the perfect time to follow her passion with dog training. She is now working for ADA as an assistant trainer. She loves to watch puppies and their owners learn from class to class and grow their relationship with one another.
Candace is working to complete her CATCH Dog Training Academy Master’s Program Certificate. She has two doodles of her own, Gambit (5 year old Goldendoodle) and Kailua (2 year old Berenedoodle). They love to go on adventures outside and see their friends and family! Candace enjoys going to new restaurants, movies, and football!
Dave Labowicz (He/Him) – Private Trainer / Group Class Instructor
Dave has been working with dogs since 2001. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2014, he volunteered at an animal shelter for eight years and fostered ten different pups. Dave also made trips to post-Katrina New Orleans to volunteer his time with Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO).
Dave was introduced to All Dogs Allowed when he fostered a dog who was in need of behavior modification. During that time, Dave developed a passion for dog training and positive reinforcement, and thanks to All Dogs Allowed, his foster found her perfect, forever home!
Dave has now joined the All Dogs Allowed family as an assistant dog trainer and thoroughly enjoys working with all types of dogs – however, he holds a very soft spot for shy dogs due to his experience with one of his previous foster fails – Daphne, a purebred English Mastiff who was believed to have come from a puppy mill.
Dave now has two young rescue pups of his own, Olive (also known as “The Other Olive” since one of Meagan’s dogs is also named Olive) and Kane. In his free time, he enjoys watching football (Go Hawks), BBQing, and movies.
Elizabeth Green (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor
In January 2020, Elizabeth brought home a rescue dog and was immediately overwhelmed. Ivy was terrified and shut down and Elizabeth had no idea how to help her. She thought she knew about dogs after growing up with two brilliant standard poodles, but Ivy was a very different kind of dog.
Elizabeth is a biology PhD student at UNC-Chapel Hill, so when presented with a problem, she turned to research to find answers and support. She began reading all about dog behavior and positive training, specifically focusing on building confidence and agency in dogs. After six months of individual work, she and Ivy enrolled in the Cautious Canines class at ADA and she began to see Ivy really come out of her shell. She immediately signed Ivy up for agility and nosework and they continue on their training journey everyday as Elizabeth encourages Ivy to trust and interact with the world.
Training with Ivy became the highlight of her week and she realized that working with dogs provided a tangible outlet that she was missing. She joined the ADA team as an assistant and is now leading training classes and loves to help set dogs up for success, as well as to continue her education in dog training and behavior. Elizabeth has her CPDT-KA certification.
When not in the lab or at ADA, Elizabeth enjoys taking Ivy on “sniffaris”, the same four TV shows, and listening to podcasts (about either dog training or cults).
Gloria Schmidt (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor / Private Trainer
Gloria Schmidt is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Fear Free Certified Pet Professional (Level 3), and an AKC Canine Good Citizen approved evaluator.
Prior to becoming a professional dog trainer, Gloria graduated with a degree in chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill. She enjoyed her five years at the lab bench — especially when contributing to drug discovery research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. While there, she helped declare a clinical candidate with the FDA and co-authored seven journal articles for various pediatric diseases.
In 2017, Gloria decided she was ready to get out of the (lab) rat race. She began working as a veterinary nurse for two years while simultaneously developing her professional dog training skills. Although she no longer actively runs chemistry experiments, she carries over that analytical thinking to each dog and owner who crosses her path.
Gloria developed a strong interest in cooperative care while working as a veterinary nurse — her long term goal is to bridge the communication gap between veterinary clinics, dog trainers, and owners. She also enjoys helping owners understand “the why” behind a dog’s behavior so that everyone can be set up for success during training sessions.
When not with clients, Gloria enjoys living her best Hobbit life with her husband John, border-collie pup Jackson, and fierce cat Penny. On the average day, you will find her curled up with the pets by the fireplace, sipping a cup of coffee, and immersed in a book (most likely about dog behavior). On the more adventurous days, you will find her downhill skiing or SCUBA diving with John.
Katherine Prichard (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor/Private Trainer
Katherine was always a self proclaimed cat person who never expected to go into dog training.
That changed when she had to support her partner through losing his dog via behavioral euthanasia. Living through the process of making that decision changed her life, and that’s when she discovered her passion for positive reinforcement training and socialization. The more she learned, the more she realized how important and needed it was for dogs.
As soon as she started assisting at ADA, Katherine fell in love with dog training. She has a soft spot for socialization and working with nervous, shy, and reactive dogs. She loves that every day when she goes to work, she’s helping a dog become happier, healthier, and a member of someone’s family.
Katherine began assisting puppy classes and is now teaching group classes, and accepts private clients on a case by case basis.
Katherine will graduate UNC in 2023, with degrees in policy and advertising. In her free time, you’ll find her chatting about policy and legislation, doing yoga, engaging in a variety of hippie girl activities, or spoiling her two cats.
Her long term goal is to open an animal rehabilitation center with her partner somewhere out west named Fifi’s Farm- in honor of Fievel.
Katie Selvey (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor
Katie has been working with dogs professionally for over a decade and has her CPDT-KA. She managed a successful dog daycare and boarding facility here in the area for 7 years. She fell in love with the fact that you can make your living helping both dogs and people. It was also during this time that she was introduced to the world of animal rescue. The dog daycare worked closely with a local rescue to provide fostering for rescue dogs in their program. Katie soon realized what a difference she could make by becoming a foster mom herself. As a lifetime boxer lover, she began fostering with Carolina Boxer Rescue and devoted 5 years to finding homes for dozens of smushy faces.
Fostering and her work in the dog daycare industry were the catalysts to steer her towards training. Handling multiple dogs in a group play setting required training. Teaching staff to know about body language required training. And incorporating a different dog into her own household required training. And after seven years at the daycare, Katie decided it was time to move on to train full time. Enter All Dogs Allowed.
Katie has been a part of the All Dogs Allowed Team for over two years and is a jack of all trades. If you enjoy our group classes, chances are, you have seen Auntie Katie. She is just as passionate about her human clients as she is about her dog clients. She believes that training should be fun and shame-free.
Along with 10 years experience, Katie is enthusiastic about continuing education. She has graduated from several courses from Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, Karen Pryor Academy, Dunbar Academy and Absolute Dogs Training Academy. Katie has attended numerous training camps including Clicker Expo, Fenzi Dog Sports Training Camp and Teamworks Chicken Camp. She is also a Canine Good Citizen Approved Evaluator.
Katie is a proud mom to an 11 year old female boxer, Jojo, and a 5 year old male boxer-bulldog mix, Patty. When she isn’t training, she is co-hosting a YouTube webshow, “Animal Shelter Talk” with the wonderful trainer and rescue expert, Meagan Thomas. She also loves being an auntie to 3 human nieces and 1 human nephew.
Keegan Matuszek (He/Him/They/Them) – Assistant Class Trainer / Private Trainer
Keegan is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Fear Free Certified Professional, and American Kennel Club CGC Approved Evaluator.
Keegan has always loved working with animals but found a passion for training and the human-animal bond while learning about positive reinforcement and raising their first puppy as an adult. He decided to pursue this interest by joining as an assistant, shadowing other trainers, and eventually, working his way up to training at a local facility. He is most interested in helping people discover and bond with their best friends as they work and train with their dogs. He strongly believes training should be fun for both the dog and the people participating!
Keegan shares his life with one human, three dogs, cats, and small animals. He enjoys hiking, cooking, and participating in various dog sports and companion activities with his dogs. He is currently pursuing additional education and is enrolled in the Karen Pryor Academy’s Dog Trainer Professional program. Coming from a family of generations of (human!) teachers, Keegan values education and hopes to continue participating regularly in programs that expand his abilities to bring his best when working with dogs and their people.
Logan Buie (She/Her) – Separation Anxiety Specialist (Virtual Sessions)
Logan found her love for dog training after her rescue dog, JJ, began showing signs of reactivity to dogs and separation anxiety. She began reading everything she could about positive reinforcement based dog training, and soon knew that she had to pursue a career in training. She shadowed the trainers at All Dogs Allowed before joining the team as a trainer, and she has experience teaching learners of all ages as a science educator.
Logan is passionate about the science behind animal behavior and helping people learn how to read dog body language to understand the emotional state of their dogs. She has seen firsthand the power of positive training, and is excited to help both people and their dogs feel more confident while training. Logan also volunteers at the Duke Lemur Center, because she is obsessed with all kinds of animal training – not just with dogs! She hopes to one day train zoo animals as well as household pets.
In her spare time, Logan likes to listen to dog training podcasts while baking homemade bread, do yoga (with her pup trying to lay on the mat), and post on her dog’s Instagram.
Mark Allemang (He/Him) – Private Trainer
Mark became interested in positive reward training while learning to help his reactive rescue puppy Leo. He then welcomed puppy Jarrah, and trained her for agility and competed with her in CPE agility trials. During this time, he worked at an area positive dog training facility, first as an assistant in the fearful and reactive dog classes and then as a group class instructor for puppy and basic obedience classes. He took a break from teaching for several years as life took him in a different direction.
After beloved Leo passed away in 2019, he welcomed home cocker spaniel puppy Chestnut. Knowing the critical importance of early training, and now living in Cary, he tried the Successful Socialization and Puppy Starters classes here at All Dogs Allowed. When he then welcomed puppy Snickers home, he took Successful Socialization again, talked to the instructor about his training background and joined All Dogs Allowed as group class instructor in the late summer of 2020.
Mark is passionate about teaching Successful Socialization and Puppy Starters because time invested in training while a pup is young pays rich dividends for the dog’s whole life. Many of the behavior issues owners face with adult dogs can be avoided with proper socialization and early training. And, with two puppies at home, he can fully identify with the issues a new puppy owner faces.
Mark has called the Triangle area home for almost 30 years and is a professional software developer during the day. In addition to learning more about training, he is passionate about photography and cooking. He lives in Cary with his husband and 3 American cocker spaniels, Jarrah, Chestnut, and Snickers.
Remy Metzger (She/Her) – Group Class Instructor & Private Trainer
Remy has been passionate about animals for as long as she can remember. She previously rode horses,
and has experience handling a variety of different animals, but has found that dogs are her true calling.
Her first dog, Baby, developed reactivity and aggression towards other dogs. Working to rebuild Baby’s
ability to co-exist, and even enjoy the company of her own species is what ignited Remy’s love for
training. In addition to dog training, Remy has experience in customer service.
Remy has completed the CPDT-KA exam, which requires three hundred hours of hands on experience, as
well as a passing grade on a comprehensive exam. She looks forward to acquiring more certifications in
the future.
In her free time Remy enjoys hiking with her three dogs, whilst listening to her favorite dog training
podcasts. Remy also enjoys training for and competing in dog sports. Remy believes there is always
more to learn and is passionate about continuing her education to ensure she provides the best possible
service.
Sorrel Robinson (They/Them) – Private Trainer & Group Class Instructor
Sorrel is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. They graduated with distinction from SUNY College of Environmental Science in 2017, earning a Bachelors of Science with a major in conservation biology. Following graduation, Sorrel worked in rural Pennsylvania conducting wildlife and ecological surveys, their work ranging from wrangling and measuring snapping turtles to researching tick populations.
Sorrel moved down to Raleigh in 2019 and began working locally teaching group training classes as an AKC Evaluator and doggie dayschool lessons. They also began taking agility classes and private lessons, as well as competing in dock diving with their younger dog, Solas.
Currently Sorrel focuses on in-home private lessons with reactive and anxious dogs, helping owners and dogs build confidence and decrease anxiety, as well as helping owners manage and retrain problem behaviors such as mouthing and counter surfing. Sorrel enjoys using training games based in the science of animal behavior to build engagement, confidence, and communication in pets and their owners.
Vicky Palmer (She/Her) – Private Trainer
Working at her parents’ boarding kennel at the age of 13 kickstarted her journey working with and training dogs. 23 years later, she’s still doing what she knows best, helping dogs anyway she can.
Vicky headed off to the animal shelter world after receiving a BA in Biology and Animal Behavior in 2009. After volunteering at her local shelter during college, she realized she wanted to work with homeless dogs who needed and deserved a second chance. While overseeing the behavior department, Vicky completed her Master’s Certificate from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and earned a Free Fear Handling Certificate as well. Vicky was also the volunteer coordinator and was enthusiastic about teaching behavior and why dogs behave the way they do. When she sees the “light bulb” go off above the handler’s head, it provides her with a sense of accomplishment. It’s great to be able to be a part of that journey with the handlers and their best friends.
After spending over almost 15 years in animal shelters and managing her own behavior department, she wanted a change of pace and decided to bring her knowledge of dog behavior and training to families who greatly need guidance and a listening ear. All Dogs Allowed has given her a remarkable opportunity to bring her knowledge and experience to households.
Working with multiple types of dogs with all sorts of behavior issues, five days a week, and raising a 3 year old spirited little boy, was basically like having her own dog. However, since venturing out of that world, she’s not getting her doggie fix, which means she’s experiencing “doggie fever.” Growing up with 6 cats and 3 dogs, she is certain she’ll have a pack of her own soon.
Judi Young (She/Her) – Therapy Dog Class Teacher
Judith recently started a new Pet Partners group, Pet Partners of NC Triangle. Judi has been a Pet Partners handler since 2011. Her first registered therapy dog was Jackson, an Australian shepherd. Jackson not only provided therapy on visits; he also helped Judi with her own mother’s passing. When Jackson passed over the rainbow bridge, Judi wanted to keep his memory alive. She told us, “He loved [therapy work] so much that I became a team evaluator in his honor.” Judi has been a Pet Partners team evaluator since 2014.
Judi is currently registered with Chase, a border collie, and Ryder, an Australian shepherd. Judi and Chase are pictured here on a visit to the Mayday Trauma Conference.
Melanie Hampton (She/Her) – Owner of Serenity Pet Massage – Registered Veterinary Technician – Certified Canine and Equine Massage Therapist – HTA-AP® and Reiki Practitioner – Certified Pet Food Nutrition Specialist – Certified Raw Dog Food Nutrition Specialist – Certified Pet Tech® Instructor – Certified Canine Kinesiology Tape Practitioner
Melanie is a partner with All Dogs Allowed through her company Serenity Pet Massage and is a Registered Veterinary Technician, Certified Canine Massage Therapist, HTA-AP® and Reiki Practitioner, Certified Pet Food Nutrition Specialist, Certified Raw Dog Food Nutrition Specialist, and Pet Tech Instructor. She started her career of working with animals as a Registered Veterinary Technician and has spent over 30 years working in various animal hospital settings; large/small animal combined, small animal, feline-only, and a veterinary surgical practice.
She began her interest in helping animals live healthier lives by getting her certification in Canine Massage Therapy and opening Serenity Pet Massage in 2013. Since then she has become a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist, Certified Canine Kinesiology Tape Practitioner, Healing Touch for Animals® – Advanced Proficiency Practitioner, Pet Tech® Instructor, and a Certified Pet Food Nutrition Specialist, with an additional certification in raw dog food specifically. She strongly believes in a holistic approach to overall health and well-being for both humans and animals. Through massage and energy work, she is able to help animals with both physical and emotional issues. She teaches Pet CPR, First Aid, and Care classes at All Dogs Allowed. Along with the Pet Tech classes, she also offers a Pet Nutrition seminar, helping pet parents understand the ingredient label and how they can affect their animal’s health, well-being, and even their behavior. She also offers individual nutrition coaching sessions. She is always looking for new ways to help animals and their people.
In her spare time, she volunteers at Wake County Animal Center. She shares her home with her husband, her three dogs Willow, Dixie, and Gypsy, and her three cats Sammie, Mork, and Marley. She enjoys kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking when there is time in her busy schedule to sneak it in!