Meet Your Trainer

My name is Mike Tomai. Thank you for considering me as your dog trainer!

I have over 20 years of experience as a trainer, but my passion for dog training has been a lifelong development. My first family dog was a Shar-pei with strong aggressive tendencies toward other dogs and people. As a young boy, I spent many hours working with her, and my family often commented that I had a natural intuition when it came to understanding our dog and her needs.

My talent and experience grew as I became the neighborhood dog walker. I enjoyed showing off what I could do with our dog and other owner’s dogs. As I got older, I found myself constantly working with friends, family, and dog walking clients about different strategies that they could use to help them better understand their dogs.

Upon graduating from the University of Maryland, I began teaching at a Fairfax County public school. As my love for teaching grew, I discovered some commonalities between the needs of canines and the needs of children. So often the key to a happy fulfilled child would be in finding what motivates them and fostering an intrinsic motivation. The same is true in dogs. To foster this correctly means consistent positive reinforcement of the desired behavior and persistent redirection when undesired behavior occurs.

After my career in teaching children was fully realized, I sought out professional certification in dog training through the PETCO’s dog training program and began leading private and group training classes. I am currently certified as an AKC Evaluator and I have been certified by the Council of Professional Dog Trainers. Additionally, I have canine first aid certification.

My clients have experienced a variety of successes: developing basic commands, understanding their dog’s psychology, and dealing with anxiety or aggression. Please feel free to reach out to me for references or check out what other clients have said about their experiences.