VIRGINIA BROITMAN / North Star Canines & Company

Virginia Broitman has been involved in dog training since 1981. Over the years, her business has provided behavioral counseling, group & private lessons, occasional Service Dog training, and volunteer services for local humane organizations. She is a CGC Evaluator for AKC, and has a Level 2 Certification in TAGteach.

Since 2007, Virginia has been the head trainer at various prison facilities where shelter dogs are placed 24/7 with inmates in order to receive obedience training and behavior modification before being adopted to the public. (For more details, please go to: www.fetchacure.com)

In 2010, Virginia joined a team that is receiving government funding to design automated training systems for teaching scent detection to various types of rodents.

Virginia has presented many training workshops around the country (and overseas), and was a faculty member of Karen Pryor’s ClickerExpos for six years. She was a contributing editor for The Clicker Journal for four years, managing editor for NADOI's Forward publication for a year, and has written many articles for a variety of training publications.  She was also a contributing writer for Karen Pryor’s Academy for Animal Training & Behavior program.

Her own dogs have participated in a variety of activities, including pet therapy visits, agility competitions, herding, and TV/advertising work. The current menagerie includes a shepherd, two min pins, a sheltie mix, a papillon, 4 rats and an agouti (large South American rodent).  She is located in central VA, and can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SHERRI LIPPMAN / Citizen Canine, Inc.

Sherri Lippman began her dog training career in 1970, raising German Shepherds for Seeing Eye. From there, she continued her canine education, working at several local obedience clubs and competing successfully in dog obedience trials. While earning degrees in Behavioral Psychology and Counseling, Sherri further expanded her dog training career by attending seminars, reading everything available about dogs and working with local dog training schools.

Sherri has been involved in Search & Rescue and Therapy Dog visits. She has also logged in many hours volunteering at animal shelters, helping to solve canine behavior problems and training older shelter dogs to make them more adoptable. Sherri and Virginia presented clicker training workshops around the country and were faculty members of Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expos.

Most recently, Sherri designed and implemented a training program for the resident animals at a wildlife rehabilitation facility in San Rafael, CA . While there, she worked with many different kinds animals and birds, including pelicans and ravens.  

Sherri owns and operates Citizen Canine Inc., in San Anselmo, CA, which provides positive reinforcement-based training instruction and behavior counseling for dogs, cats, horses and birds. She volunteers for a local rescue group and is still an active participant in wildlife rehabilitation.  You may reach Sherri at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (804) 338-8686.