About Us

“Marine mammal trainers like to boast that they can shape any animal to do anything it is physically and mentally capable of doing, and as far as I can tell, they can.”
– Karen Pryor

Andrew began his professional animal training career in 2007 while completing a BSc in Zoology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. After graduation, he spent the next decade working internationally as an animal care and training specialist, focusing primarily on dolphins. After returning home and working for an emergency veterinary clinic and a local Humane Society, Andrew decided to utilize his skills and experience to combat the large number of heartbreaking pet cases that can be easily prevented or addressed with proper training.  Motivated by a desire to improve public understanding and application of modern positive reinforcement techniques, he founded Operant Animal Training to help meet the behavioural needs of both domestic and exotic animal owners in Peel and surrounding regions.

Andrew is a Certified Training Partner of the Karen Pryor Academy, a professional member of The International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association, The Animal Behaviour Management Alliance, and The Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Andrew, and came to know him as a truly valuable asset to my team. He is honest, dependable, and incredibly hard working. Beyond that, he is an impressive animal trainer who is always working hard for the animals under his care. He has an exceptional amount of international work experience. He is able to teach, mentor and lead in a wide variety of different cultures.

Along with his undeniable talent, Andrew has always been an absolute joy to work with. He is a true team player, and always manages to foster positive discussions and bring the best out of others.”
Eric Bogden, Director of Marine Mammals at Loro Parque
“Layla spent 6 weeks as a very young puppy training with Andrew. It was definitely the best thing I could have done for her as a young and active German Shepherd. Andrew displays a great deal of patience and dedication in his training. It was never about the clock during the sessions but more importantly about the capacity that Layla had that day. It was really great to see Andrew training with positive reinforcement techniques in all his lessons. It was like a different Layla when she was in class, the perfect angel. I love the clicker and so does Layla, and I couldn’t believe the discipline this taught her! What is most impressive is it is the first thing my teenage son goes for when he needs Layla’s attention. Great job Andrew! Looking forward to Phase 2 in a couple of months. Thanks for the dedication and patience, see you and Reese at the dog park!”
–Toni
"When I adopted Lyla as a rescue from the humane society in the British Virgin Islands, the only thing I knew about her was that she was young, and friendly. We didn't know if she had ever lived in a house, or even if she was house trained. Andrew's patience and consistency with her has made her the wonderful canine citizen she is today. His passion for understanding her behaviour and needs translated into customizing a training plan not just for her, but for me as an owner. He taught me how to be consistent and fair with her so that she would want to work with me and be a good girl. She is the best girl and my favourite girl 11 years later!"
-Cecilia
"Andrew is a fantastic trainer who was able to give me strategies to work on with my girl Reese, from crate training to basic commands, the clicker has worked amazingly. Andrew has many years experience working with animals which is apparent in the positive training sessions we’ve had, his guidance and skills are helping me shape Reese into the best dog she can be and I could not be more happy. Ive learned really quickly from Andrew that there is nothing you can’t train “you get the behaviour you reinforce”, everything is a positive experience as it should be."
-Tina
"Andrew is a fantastic trainer who was able to cater to our puppy’s specific training needs. He is enthusiastic and passionate about giving animals the best opportunities to be successful. We agree with his philosophy on operant conditioning being the best approach to training our dog to reach his full potential. Andrew provides us with weekly strategies to work on with our dog and answers all the questions we have. Andrew even gets our children involved in the training sessions so we are all equipped with the strategies needed to help our puppy be the best he can be. We always end our sessions feeling 100% confident in our ability to handle our dog. We highly recommend Andrew for anyone who is considering dog or puppy training!"
-Janine and Ryan