I wanted to let you know how much I love the newsletter. Your column about your day on the job was great. I could picture you with drool in your hair. Wags and Wiggles has been a godsend to all of us who utilize your services. We can go to work knowing that our beloved pet family member is having a great day playing with their own kind and they surrounded by people who love them.
As you have begun to add more and more services to your facility, it has truly become a one-stop-shop. I can have Annie bathed, boarded, buy her toys and know that if I have any questions I can contact you.
When Annie celebrated her birthday this month, I received a laminated calendar with her picture and congratulations. Loved it! It is hanging on my refrigerator. Thank you for all that you guys do to make the world a great place for our deserving pet companions.
-- Carol Shaw & Annie
ABOUT US
"The best thing about Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare is the staff. The owners have years of experience working with animals so quality, knowledgeable care is ensured.Our daycare staff is unparalleled in their ability to recognize, deal with, and eliminate issues before they become problems. "
All of us love our job because we love animals. We love playing with the dogs all day....what could be better? We aim to provide a fun and educational environment for the dogs and owners. We hope to encourage all humans to take their duty as care givers for animals to the highest intensity.
Whether its treating your own pets with more compassion, rescuing that needy animal, or taking an obedience or agility class.....get involved!" --Laurie Zurborg, CPDT - Owner
OWNER & HEAD TRAINER, TOP DOG Laurie Zurborg, CPDT is a dog trainer, behavior consultant, daycare consultant and obedience and agility class instructor. Her and her husband own Wags & Wiggles, The Original in Rancho Santa Margarita. They also co-own Wags & Wiggles Part Deux in Tustin with their partner Lysa Knight, CPDT. While she trains all breeds from Rottweillers to Miniature Poodles, she has been called "The Aussie Specialist" and also specializes in all herding breeds. She is proud to earn the title Certified Pet Dog Trainer. This accomplishment is granted only after a rigorous examination and qualification process by APDT (apdt.com). She has been training her own dogs and competing for 15 years. Since 1997, she has used Operant Conditioning/Clicker training exclusively in all her training and teaching. She is successfully running Orange County's premier dog daycare and training facility - Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare - which was featured on Animal Planet, won Facility of the Month for June 2006 from the Amercian Boarding and Kennels Association. We have also been featured several times in the Orange County Register and Entrepreneur Magazine. She has had several people apprentice at her facility, many becoming our Staff Trainers. See our Job Opportunities.
Laurie is a long standing and active member of:
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) - Charter Member
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
American Boarding and Kennel Association (ABKA)
American Canine Sports Medical Association (ACSMA)
American Kennel Club (AKC)
United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)
National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI)
Considering another facility? What kind of background do the owners have with hands on experience with dogs? Before opening Wags & Wiggles, Laurie was a dog trainer who ran play groups, veterinary technician that provided a wealth of knowledge on dog illnesses and prevention, adoption counselor at a local Animal Shelter, and aussie rescue volunteer. Then Wags & Wiggles was born in 1999 where all her knowledge was put to good use and could be shared by the community. Wags & Wiggles has an excellent repuation with local veterinarians and trainers and has built itself to be the go to place if you want prime quality daycare or training for your dog. Are the owners active participants in the business? For more questions to ask check out How to Choose a Dog Daycare?
Laurie is an avid agility competitior and can be seen at least twice a month at local and national trials. Her aussies have made the semifinals at the USDAA grand prix nationals for the last three years, achieved their Masters titles in AKC, and rank among the best in the nation. Savior, one of her rescue aussies, has obtained his MACH Title IN AKC. Master Agility Champion is the highest attainable title in AKC agility. Easy, another rescue aussie, has obtained his ADCH (highest title - Agility Dog Champion) in USDAA. Her Catahoula "Gumbo" is one of the best in the nation.
She has continued her education with John Rogerson, The Baileys, Sue Sternberg, Sue Aisby, Dani Weinberg, Susan Garrett, Greg Derrett, Stacy Peardot, Shirley Chong, Trish King, Morgan Spector, Patricia McConnell - Phd, Karen Overall - Phd, Suzanne Hetts - Phd, Jean Donaldson, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Terry Ryan, Marq Cheek, Jim Basic, Nancy Gyes, Elicia Calhoun, Wendy Pape, Jen Pinder, Susan Salo, Rachel Sanders, and Rhonda Carter. She has attended many seminars including Power Paws Agility Camps, APDT Conferences, Clicker Expos, Alpha Bitch Conferences, and aggression/behavior workshops. She routinely gives lectures/demos on clicker training, obedience and agility for many organizations including shelter and rescue groups.
Affectionately called "THE DOG NANNY" by many of her clients, Laurie has brought many chaotic pet households to have a calmer better relationship with their beloved dogs. Laurie brings her life-long love of dogs together with proven training techniques using positive reinforcement that both you and your dog will enjoy. She has 20 years experience in the animal field. Her classes give unique insight into how dogs learn which can only come from spending thousands of hours hands on with dogs. Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare has provided the experience needed to observe dog behavior, understand it's meaning, know how dog behavior affects training, and how to convey that information to the pet owner.
Her vast experience working with dogs includes: puppy and obedience training, behavior modification and problem solving, working with aggressive and biting dogs, AKC obedience and conformation, temperament testing, agility sports, and shelter dog placement. She works with many rescue organizations and shelters and is a rep for Australian shephard rescue. All of her dogs are rescues and all of her dogs have been awarded multiple titles.
Her sensitivity to your dog's personality and temperament, coupled with effective training tools, will help you and your dog live happily and obediently together! You can contact her via email.
THE KIDS
Back Row: Easy CGC ADCH (Agility Dog Champion) MX MXJ - Aussie Foster CGC AX AXJ "The Queen" - mixed breed Gumbo CGC USDAA Agility (ADV) "BoBo" - The Catahoula
Front Row: Dasher OA, OAJ "WildMan" - mixed breed Gator "The Puppy" - Pyrenean Shephard Savior, CGC MACH (Master Agility Champion) MAD "My Boy" - Aussie
CO-OWNER WAGS & WIGGLES DOG DAYCARE, PART DEUX Lysa Knight, CPDT has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, a Masters in Business (MBA) in Technology Management, and is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer. She came to Wags and Wiggles in 1999, as one of the charter employees. She started working at Wags as a way to focus on something she loved, part time, while she worked in corporate Human Resources and studied through her MBA program. She quickly began the Wags and Wiggles apprentice program with Laurie, the owner and head trainer. This apprenticeship program gave her the invaluable opportunity to observe raw dog behavior as well as playgroup and pack behavior. Lysa grew with the company, working at the original Wags in RSM and now is partner in the Tustin venture! Lysa has been involved in positive reinforcement training since 1999, and a CPDT since 2004. She has been actively involved in Agility with her dogs, Guinness and Twister, for over 5 years.
Lysa regularly attends training seminars conducted by internationally renown trainers/writers as Trish King, Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, etc., as well as the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) annual conference. This continuous education helps her to stay abreast of the most updated training techniques, and to learn new tools for working with all different types of dogs. Lysa's training philosophy is based on positive reinforcement methods and she has patience in dealing with difficult dogs.
Lysa takes great pride in providing exceptional care to all the Wags dogs and keeping their owners informed and educated. In addition to flaming the fires of her doggy obsession, you can spot her virtually all over the Wags Campus, whether she is maintaining playgroups, loving on the dogs, or teaching classes.
Wags & Wiggles, The Original 23171 Arroyo Vista Rancho Santa Margarita, CA P: 949 635-9655 Hours, Staff, More Info, Map It!
Lysa Knight, CPDT has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, a Masters in Business (MBA) in Technology Management, and is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer. She came to Wags and Wiggles in 1999, as one of the charter employees. She started working at Wags as a way to focus on something she loved, part time, while she worked in corporate Human Resources and studied through her MBA program. She quickly began the Wags and Wiggles apprentice program with Laurie, the owner and head trainer. This apprenticeship program gave her the invaluable opportunity to observe raw dog behavior as well as playgroup and pack behavior. Lysa grew with the company, working at the original Wags in RSM and now is partner in the Tustin venture! Lysa has been involved in positive reinforcement training since 1999, and a CPDT since 2004. She has been actively involved in Agility with her dogs, Guinness and Twister, for over 5 years.
Lysa regularly attends training seminars conducted by internationally renown trainers/writers as Trish King, Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, etc., as well as the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) annual conference. This continuous education helps her to stay abreast of the most updated training techniques, and to learn new tools for working with all different types of dogs. Lysa's training philosophy is based on positive reinforcement methods and she has patience in dealing with difficult dogs.
Lysa takes great pride in providing exceptional care to all the Wags dogs and keeping their owners informed and educated. In addition to flaming the fires of her doggy obsession, you can spot her virtually all over the Wags Campus, whether she is maintaining playgroups, loving on the dogs, or teaching classes.
Laurie Zurborg, CPDT is a dog trainer, behavior consultant, 
