VINCENT "VINNY" CATALANO

Vincent (“Vinny”) Catalano is a professional dog trainer and behavior counselor with 20+ years of experience in dealing with canine behavior problems. He specializes in aggression and multiple dog issues and has counseled countless owners over the years. He is the President and co-owner of The Coventry School, Inc., for Dogs and Their People.

 

Vinny co-developed a group of courses designed to rehabilitate dog-aggressive dogs. This program has since become the model for other growl classes and is recommended by Behaviorists across the country. The program focuses on calming reactive dogs using classical conditioning and positive reinforcement.

 

Vinny provided pre-adoption temperament evaluations and countless behavior modification protocols for shelter dogs, developed Therapy Dog testing protocols and helped streamline volunteer shelter dog training programs. In addition, Vinny has served on the IAABC task force to develop shelter protocols and has served as a Delta Society Pet Partner Evaluator. He has assisted numerous dog handlers train their own assistance dogs. In 2010, Vinny became involved in K9 Nose Work™ through the NACSW. In June of 2011, Vinny became one of the first Certified Nose Work Instructors (CNWI) in New Jersey.

 

Dedicated to continuing education, Vinny attends numerous educational seminars and workshops. He is a recognized lecturer and has been a speaker at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) National Conference and at the International Association of Animal Behavior Counselors (IAABC) inaugural conference. Vinny was a featured speaker at the 2011 Hunter College Psychology Symposium and the 2012 International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants Educational Conference.

 

Vinny’s own dogs are trained as a classroom demonstration dogs, are Certified Therapy Dogs, have earned titles in agility and obedience, Nosework and “play” at sheepherding. They have appeared in books, calendars, commercials, fundraising campaigns and nationally released training videos. He has enjoyed the company of multiple canine companions for many years and currently shares his life with his wife and their four deaf Australian Shepherds.

Vinny is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), The Animal Behavior Society (ABS) and the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). Vinny holds a Master’s Degree in Finance and a Graduate Certificate in The Advanced Psychology of Animal Behavior and Conservation in December 2011 from CUNY’s Hunter College.