Get To Know Us!
Tino Contreras
Tino was brought up in a unique environment, he grew up on his family ranch in Mexico, where dogs were utilized everyday to herd livestock, hunt, and protect their home. At the age of 6 he was put in charge of his own pack of dogs. He later moved to the states and eventually moved to the North State where he became involved in protection training. Tino’s interest in training took off from there and he’s been involved in bitework ever since. His passion lies in police and personal protection training but he has trained for sport as well. Offering him a well rounded experience and exposure to the different facets of the protection world. This experience also exposed Tino to a need for strong, stable, consistent working dogs. It inspired him to create his own breeding program; All Terrain Working Dogs. Since starting in protection Tino has also worked as a professional dog trainer and behavior specialist. He has worked with a large variety of dogs and problems; from building up a fearful dog to getting control on a serious aggression case. He also utilizes his personal dog on our farm, training him to herd our sheep and cattle. Tino is a fantastic problem solver and will help you get on the right track with your dog. |
Celeste Schmidt
Celeste got an early start in dogs, becoming involved with the local animal shelter at the age of 13. She started out volunteering and cleaning kennels but quickly became involved in the training of the dogs. She was lucky to be mentored by several fantastic trainers there who gave her a fantastic foundation in marker training and free shaping. She worked at the shelter just shy of 10 years, becoming the head trainer and temperament evaluator. The shelter took in over 5,000 dogs a year and it was her job to test each dog prior to adoption. This experience was invaluable, it exposed her to and gave her hands on with a huge array of temperaments and behavior problems. Including severe aggression, reactivity, and fear. Celeste also has experience on a variety of sports; having successfully titled and trained in protection, obedience, weight pulling, conformation, dock jumping, barn hunt, and more. She also has hands on in a variety of working venues including service work, herding, and police. Celeste also breeds German Shepherds, with a focus on overall functionality, stability, and versatility. Her kennel name is Dakonic German Shepherds. |
