About Us

Our purpose, our methods and our staff

Dana Cooper, CPDT w/ Dali
Member ADPT

Our Staff

Dana Cooper, CPDT
Owner, Certified Trainer, Behavior Consultant

At 9 years old, Dana would sneak off to play with and "train"
the neighbor's Terrier Mix, "Cookie." She thought at that
time she would be a Marine Biologist when she grew up.
Little did she know her passion for animals would turn to the
four-legged, land variety!

Dana and her family have owned a variety of dogs; Miniature
Dachshunds, Black Labrador Retrievers, Keeshonds, English
Springer Spaniels and Australian Cattle Dogs. It wouldn't be
until later in life until she would meet her match in the
canine world and start her love affair with dog training and
behavior.

In August of 1999 Dana went into training at Dogboys with
her new Australian Cattle Dog/Border Collie mix, Dali. Dali had
been diagnosed by Dana's veterinarian as fear aggressive and
thought training and behavior modification would help. In
July of 2001, her adoption of Kobi, a dog-on-dog aggressive
Border Collie/Australian Cattle Dog mix, sparked a
commitment to dog training and behavior modification.
Being fascinated by her dogs' "quirks" and wanting to help
other dogs like them, Dana began studying dog training and
getting hands on experience volunteering at The Austin
Humane Society/SPCA.

In October of 2003, Dana graduated from a Dog Obedience
Trainer/Instructors course and began her professional
journey as at trainer and behavior consultant. She also
became certified by the Certification Council For P rofessional
Dog Trainers in 2005. In addition to previously studying and
training with Lee Mannix, Dana also keeps current on what's
going on in the canine world of training by attending
seminars and lectures. She has had the chance to study with
the foremost authority on canine calming signals and stress,
Turid Rugaas, and was able to spend a day of training with
world renowned Canine Behaviorist John Rogerson. In 2008,
Dana earned a certificate in Domestic Dog Behavior from The
Companion Animal Sciences Institute.

Dana has proven to be a natural at dog training and has an
enthusiasm and caring that makes it easy for her to relate to
canine and human students! She remains committed to
education and keeping dogs out of shelters and rescues and
in their "forever homes."

Eric Cooper
Training Assistant, Business Manager

Eric learned so much while Dali and Kobi were in training
that it just broadened the understanding and instant
bonding that he has always had with animals. Eric's good
and quiet nature is much appreciated by our canine and
human clients alike! Eric is an important part of Woofers
whether it be assisting Dana, taking care of business, or just
showing our students a little kindness with a scratch behind
the ears!

Eric remains interested in Search and Rescue and has
volunteered with Travis County Search and Rescue. He
holds the designation of Search and Rescue Tech III. One
day he hopes to get Kobi trailing more than frogs!

"Dana's sense of
humor made the
training experience
lots of fun, and she
understands that
each pet owner has
different standards of
what is and isn't
"allowed" in each
household, so she
helped us make
realistic goals and
attain them.
Leash-walking is now
a pleasure! We're
grateful to Dana for
her patience and
understanding as we
rehabilitated our
pooches, and we
know they are, too!"

~-Lori w/ Gidget &
Oscar

Now quality training doesn't have to take a "bite"
out of your wallet!
We recognized that good, long lasting basic and behavior
training can cost more than the average family can afford!
With today's high prices from gas to groceries, many
people forgo the training their best friend may desperately
need! That doesn't have to be the case anymore!
Woofers specializes in offering Certified Professional Dog
Trainers, who have studied with top notch behaviorists, at
affordable prices so that both owner and canine can
breathe a little easier!

We understand your busy schedule!
We have "day jobs" and know that at the end of the
day, there is precious little time left for Fido! We offer
convenient daycare training, 4-week group classes, or
evening/Saturday lessons in order to make you and your
best friend happy!

Our Training Methods
We use reward based training methods and help you
understand how dogs view the world in order to improve
the relationship between you and your canine companion!
When you can communicate more effectively and
strengthen the bond with your dog, a new, low stress way
of living is created for your whole family. The right
relationship between dog and owner means a more reliable
response to behavior cues and a vast improvement in
Rover's home manners! Please contact us anytime to talk
to a trainer and learn more about how we can get you and
your dog started off on the right paw!

Picture from Turid Rugaas
Seminar Dana attended in Dallas
in 2006. Dana still uses the
relationship building,
non-aversive leash walking
method being taught here

Woofers' classes are held at
Tomlinson's Cedar Park location
and Action Pack Dog Center in
Round Rock. We also offer
private lessons at Action Pack
Dog Center.