About

Offering dog training and behavior consulting remotely and in your home.

Pupstart Family Dog Training has been in business since 1998. The company's mission is to:

• Promote kind, ethical, and practical dog training and behavior consulting;

• Change undesirable behavior whenever possible;

• Use reward-based training tools and techniques always; and,

• Provide the latest accurate and evidence-based information, solid instruction, thorough training plans, and close follow-up.

Dana Fedman, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, is the sole proprietor of Pupstart Family Dog Training and Behavior Consulting in Des Moines. Business Insurers of the Carolinas insure Pupstart.

The CPDT-KA certification means "Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed." This credential is from the independent and accredited Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT.) She was one of the first dog trainers in the United States to pass the first CPDT exam in upstate New York first offered in September 2001.

In April 2018, she also received the Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (ACDBC) credential from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC.) 

Trainers certified through IAABC and CCPDT are required to keep their knowledge current with continuing education units (CEUs.) Dana traveled across the United States for conferences and seminars. Since the pandemic, she participates regularly in conferences, webinars, and on-line courses. Content is provided by the best minds in dog training, behavior, veterinary medicine, and running a training business. Here are the educational units Dana has accumulated since 2001. Included are public speaking engagements, CEUs recognized by the CCPDT, and IAABC, in addition to non-recognized education.

Dana lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband and their nine-year-old Golden Retriever, Zak Russell Foodman. Zak is a member of the AKC Morris Animal Foundation's Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.

Likes: walkies, sucking on his woobie, car rides, stuffed Kong and West Paw Qwizl toys, playing "Tug of Peace," and SNACKS! Dislikes: No walkies. Hair mats.