Jen Severud, Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Jen Severud is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT), who has been living with dogs all of her life. Jen began her work at Best Friends in September of 2008 and feels very blessed to have found her dream job. As a dog trainer for Best Friends, Jens position enables her to combine her passion for helping dogs who need homes, with her love for educating people!
In addition to working with various dogs in a one-on-one setting at the sanctuary, Jen also spends her time introducing new dogs to existing dog runs; assessing dogs behavior to assist in finding them the right home; teaching clicker training classes to caregivers and volunteers; and writing training plans for individual dogs, while helping the caregivers implement those training plans.
Jen enjoys working with the young, energetic dogs, as well as the very shy dogs at the sanctuary. One of her favorite work-related activities is leading staff and volunteers on off-leash hikes that help exercise the active dogs and help socialize the shy dogs.
Before moving to Utah, Jen owned and operated Canine Discovery Dog Training for 5 years in Minneapolis, Minn. She has a B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and graduated from the Arizona Canine Academy in Sierra Vista, Ariz. Jen enjoys living with her two dogs, "Bugsy," a Siberian husky/collie mix, and "Echo," a Siberian husky.
