Endorsements

“Sharon’s soft handling skills, impeccable timing, and abilities with multiple species can be traced back to her extensive experience and deep understanding of horses. She possesses a boundless passion, an incredibly bright mind, and unquestionable integrity.  She has a keen understanding of behavioral science, the talent to assess and problem-solve specific issues, and the insight and humility to know when to refer to a specialist. She is a highly effective teacher of people and trainer of animals.”

–Dr. R.K. Anderson, DVM, Dipl. ACVB (1922- 2012)

“Sharon Madere is one of those rare, innately intuitive people who just know how to communicate with animals. Her precise body language and clear vocal communication combine to put animals quickly at ease.  Her natural empathy for each individual’s emotional state means that she soon establishes a rapport from which her gentle effective training or therapeutic interactions can begin very easily. She is a consummate rider and trainer of horses, an amazingly patient and encouraging trainer of dogs, and cats just seem to follow her around admiring her! But on top of all this instinctive ability and communication skill, Sharon has studied the science – and studied it probably harder than anyone I’ve known. She has absorbed a huge bank of knowledge of the science of animal behavior and training, and now interprets and critically applies it most effectively with every animal that she works with. As a result, Sharon is one of the most proficient trainers you could meet or wish to engage with your animal.  I have had the enormous pleasure of working with Sharon on many animal projects over the last 20 years (including marketing the world famous Gentle Leader Headcollar for dogs, which she brought to the benefit of millions of dogs and their owners worldwide). Sharon carries my total endorsement and recommendation in this field wherever she goes.

–Peter Neville, Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE), UK
Adjunct Full Professor, Dept of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, USA. (2009-present)
Clinical Professor, Dept of Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Japan. (2008-11)

I remember first having dinner with Sharon Madere over 20 years ago, and what struck me immediately was her openness, honesty, willingness to listen, and her clear intent to learn all she could about animal behavior. With more than two decades of talking to and learning from the top names in the field of behavior and training, there’s no doubt in my mind that Sharon has gained the expertise she needs to successfully help owners with their horse’s behavior and training “issues.” Sharon has ridden and been around horses since childhood, so not only does she understand the scientific principles behind effective behavior modification, she knows horses inside and out.  If I had a horse with a behavior or training problem, Sharon would be the first person I’d call.

–Dr. Suzanne Hetts, PhD, CAAB, Co-Founder Behavior Education Network

“I’ve known Sharon for many years. I’ve been her teacher, her student and her friend – and she excels in all three roles. She is an intelligent, down-to-earth person who cares greatly about people and animals, and who puts her whole heart into everything she does. She has a broad theoretical and practical background in animal behavior and is an astute behavior analyst. Her keen observation and problem-solving skills set her apart from the average trainer. She has a natural rapport with animals and great mechanical skills in training. Sharon is an innovative and engaging speaker who accentuates the positive, and knows how to effectively reinforce both animals and the people working with them. Whether its chickens in Washington, dogs in Japan, or horses in Virginia, Sharon makes learning a joyful experience for each animal and human she works with.”

–Terry Ryan, Legacy Canine Behavior

I have known Sharon forever, and simply put, she’s the best there is. Sharon did so much to bring reward-based training techniques and professionalism to the field of dog training, and now, at long last, she has embarked on a mission to do the same for the horse profession. There is an enormous wealth of science-based reward training techniques for teaching horses to love people and to enjoy being handled and examined, for dealing with an unruly, inattentive, or unresponsive horse, and for fine-tuning precision and panache of performance. Horses and your people…prepare to be delighted!

–Dr. Ian Dunbar, PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS
Director, Center for Applied Animal Behavior, Berkeley CA
Founder of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers