Meet Kurt Burk: Dog Trainer & Founder of Canine Conservatory LLC, in Ojai, California.

Kurt met his mentor, dog trainer Dina Zaphiris, who took him under her wing in Los Angeles, allowing him to assist her in dog training lessons and competitions. She urged him to become certified with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, so she could send him to her clients. She helped him gain the 300 hours of individual training sessions with her and his own clients necessary for the certification. He then passed the “Knowledge Assessed” written test as well as the “Skills Assessed” certification, tested live with actual clients and dogs in real time, gaining him the distinction of CPDT-KSA.

His credentials are searchable at www.ccpdt.org by typing in his zip code 92023. This certification requires CEU credits from online and in person seminars to keep current every three years. He has been certified since 2010. Some of the trainers Kurt has learned under at conferences or seminars: Terry Ryan, Bob Bailey, Ian Dunbar, Kathy Sdao, Turid Rugaas, Susan Friedman, Chiraq Patel, Michael Shikashio, Ken Ramirez, and Kay Laurence. (just a partial list)

Formal Education

• High School Degree, Westwood, MA - 1990

• Bachelors in Business Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA - 1995

• Masters in Fine Art, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA - 2002