Tessa Carter, the trainer behind Dogs With Ties, built her skills through an unconventional path, starting at Petco, then moving to Sundowners Kennels where she worked with board-and-train dogs being prepared for showing, sport, hunting, and search-and-rescue. According to her site, that background in specialized training shapes her current work with pet owners in the Morgan Hill area.
Carter is a certified AKC Evaluator, which means she can administer tests for Puppy S.T.A.R., Canine Good Citizen, and Trick Dog titles directly. Her site describes hosting dedicated testing days every couple of months where dogs can work toward multiple AKC titles in a single session. She maintains a network of her own trained dogs and advanced client dogs that serve as demo and distraction animals during lessons and testing, a practical resource for owners working on focus and calm behavior around other dogs.
The training approach, as she describes it, centers on two-way communication between dog and owner, with positive reinforcement emphasized for behavioral work like reactivity or resource guarding. There's no dedicated facility; sessions happen in clients' homes, local parks, pet-friendly stores, or at weekly group meetups at Mirasol Park. Carter also notes she's currently training five dogs toward therapy work, including one she co-owns, and is working toward becoming a Pet Partners evaluator.
