Nancy Freedman-Smith CPDT is a professional dog trainer who has been living in Portland, Maine for six years.  Nancy began her work with animals at age 15 as a riding instructor.  Most of her early years were spent at the barn and at horse shows.  Then as a student at the University of Massachusetts, she went on to major in Animal Science and Equine Studies.  While at college, she competed on the Event and Dressage team and taught horseback riding for the college, as well as privately.  

In 1993, after the birth of the first of three children, Nancy made the switch to dog training.  In 1996 she joined the team of Animal Behavior and Training Associates and worked at a "Major Chain Store" in several locations in Greater Boston.  It did not take long before word spread and Nancy had the highest volume of training classes in the Northeast, with the 5th highest volume of clients in over 300 of the chain stores in the country.  When she lived in Boston, Nancy did not advertise.  Yet she had a thriving business, due to satisfied customers and Vet referrals.

She was always drawn to the difficult and green horses, and the same holds true for dogs.  Her current dog, Charlee, is a genuine diamond in the rough.  Nancy has helped her overcome major behavioral issues since joining the family as a 10 month old puppy.  Charlee was adoped from New England Border Collie Rescue and now enjoys being a "demo dog" for classes and lectures.  Charlee's also trying her paw at agility, freestyle, and lots of stupid pet tricks.

After adopting Charlee, Nancy joined the New England Border Collie Rescue team where she wears many hats, including Policy Board Member and Behavioral Consultant.  She has been involved with Pet Therapy for 14 years and was a key member of Helping Hounds, where she regularly visited Boston Children's Hosptial and Spaulding Rehab with her dog, Dina. 

With her hands-on parenting experience, Nancy is uniquely qualified to assist families in training and child-proofing their dogs.  She encourages children to be part of the dog's life and daily care and has a special interest in training the whole family to train the dog.  Children are welcome in class, as long as people and dogs remain safe.  Upon request, private sessions can be uniquely tailored to incorporate your children.  Nancy is also involved with the Safe Kids Safe Dogs Project(tm), a program that educates school children about appropriate behavior around dogs.