As Riverdog's principal owner, and head of coaching and training, Denise has been improving the relationship between dogs and owners since 1996.  After graduating from the University of Washington and spending a decade in banking, Denise apprenticed at a nationally recognized dog training facility and quickly became one of its top instructors.  A regular winner on the dog show circuit, Denise was also showing horses at the same time and studying the technique known as "horse whispering."  When one day she mistook a Great Dane for a small horse and discovered that "whispering" work for dogs, too, Denise's fate was sealed and Riverdog Canine Coaching was born.

Today, with over a dozen years of experience training all breeds of dogs and coaching all kinds of people, Denise is a longtime Certified Pet Dog Trainer, one of the first in this region. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and is an Associate of John Rogerson, Director of the Northern Centre for Canine Behaviour of England. She has titled numerous breeds in conformation, hunting, and obedience, including Labradors, Dobermans, and Pointers. Riverdog Canine Coaching has been showcased in 425 Magazine, the East King Trail Head, the Bravo reality program “Show Dog Moms and Dads”, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Innovative Small Business of the Year and the WA State Small Business Psychologically Healthy Workplace. Denise is a member of Issaquah’s Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Association. She has been featured on KIRO Radio's "Ask the Expert" program, and is an active speaker in the community. Denise is remarkably warm, funny and personable for somebody who bosses dogs around all day. She shares her life with her husband, Scott, and a circus of three kids, six sheep, three horses, three cats, and a Yellow Labrador, Kimber.

Denise / Shelah / Marlene / Amanda / Katerina / Liz / Tatyana / Kelsey / Tim / Lisa / Sarah / Julie / Carol /