About Us!

Aubry Ortenberg
Owner/Operator & Trainer 

 Aubry grew up with cats and dogs as a passionate animal lover. As an adult, she adopted her first dog Oliver from a shelter. Prior to becoming a trainer, she worked at dog daycares and boarding facilities for many years. During this time, Oliver opened her eyes to dog behavior and training methodologies as he struggled with severe anxiety. She consulted with several trainers while doing online research as well as learning through trial and error throughout his puppyhood. As Oliver got older, Aubry discovered that his issues were deeper than she first thought, and affected his daily life in a way that she was not prepared for. She realized that many of Oliver’s issues were actually genetic, and while some of his struggles could be improved and managed, they couldn't necessarily be "fixed." As time went on, Oliver experienced drastic changes in his overall behavior from consistent confidence building and obedience training. She realized how much her own behavior and response to his insecurities affected him. By adding structure, clear communication, and boundaries, life became more predictable and therefore less stressful for her nervous, skittish dog. This led Aubry to her passion of helping other dogs. During her years as a kennel attendant, she spent most of her free time training friend's and families dogs. She learned a lot about body language, and how training is unique to each dog. In 2020 she became a professional dog trainer, and brought home her second dog (Winston, an Ibizan Hound), who competes in many sports including conformation, agility, lure coursing, scent work, competition obedience,  barn hunt, and rally. Aubry is always expanding her training knowledge through coursework and seminars. She likes to stay up to date with different training methods and continue building handling/teaching skills. She learns new training techniques and ideas every day, especially being hands on with client dogs. Aubry’s goal is to help as many people as possible learn to enjoy life with their dogs!

To read more about the 4QK9 approach, click here. 

Jess Testa

 Assistant Trainer

Jess has an extensive background in animal care. She has always felt an emotional connection to animals, and started out riding horses when she was 8 years old. She has been working as an Equine Care Specialist at the Equicenter since 2018. This job has taught her that patience and consistent training can create a calm, therapeutic environment for both horses and their handlers. As Jess has progressed in her career, she has recognized the major overlap between the horse and dog training world, and applied this approach to her English Springer Spaniel, Cooper. As Cooper grew up, he began to display some rude demanding behaviors, as well as separation and containment anxiety. Jess learned about the importance of understanding the breed's drive and energy levels, and why he was struggling with certain issues. Having structure both in and out of the house made a huge difference for Cooper, especially since he struggled with attachment issues. Cooper was already 5 years old by the time they began consistent training, which changed Jess's views on the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” She learned to use training as a positive outlet for Cooper to put his extra energy into, so it didn’t develop into negative and destructive behaviors. He loved learning new tricks and off-leash walks. Jess believes routine and training can facilitate the creation of safe opportunities and freedom for both you and your dog. She is now enjoying raising her second English Springer puppy, Buck, who continues to provide opportunities for her to apply and improve her training skills. She is actively learning about dog behavior and loves to be hands-on with dogs.