“I’ve been lucky to work with Camille for several years.  I first met her in 2001, when she ran basic obedience classes through the Longmont Humane Society.  She really helped me get off on the right foot with my first dog, Scooby.  Several years later, after Scooby passed, I got a new puppy, Joey, who was very anxious.  My vet let me know there was a study being done to test the effectiveness of Thundershirts on anxious dogs and that Joey would be an excellent candidate.  When we arrived for the study, I found out that the study was being run by Camille. Fast forward several more years, and my girlfriend, Amy, and I were looking to move in together.  By this time, I had two dogs who were very used to each other (Joey and Mosely mixes with some pit bull in them) and Amy’s dog Shadow (chow) was used to being an ‘only child’.  Our dogs were not used to being around other dogs and were definitely not keen to share their people with other dogs.  All of the dogs had a tendency to be aggressive when around other dogs. I knew we needed help to make the move work, and I remembered my experiences with Camille and looked her up.  Camille was great, she came over a couple of times to work with us and to work with the dogs.  Camille confirmed our fears that we had a tough road ahead of us in terms of getting the dogs to get along, but she also gave us the guidance and tools we needed to make a workable situation.  We worked extensively with all of the dogs to improve their manners and to get them to listen better.  We took all of the dogs for walks in ‘neutral’ territory so they could get used to being around each other and slowly increased the length and frequency of those walks.  Amy and Shadow moved in back in March and the dogs have done great!  We take them on walks twice a day and often let them all off leash so they can play and chase each other.  We still have to watch to make sure they don’t have any ‘resources’ to argue over, but otherwise, they all get along great! I’m so thankful we reached out to Camille.  I don’t see how we would have been able to bring these dogs together into a family without her help! Thank you, Camille!!”

DAVE ALLEN AND AMY ANSARI

I have a senior dog that loves people and doesn’t care for other dogs and gets aggressive when they get in her space. My daughter was moving back to town to open a new bookstore/coffee shop, so we were going to be spending a lot more time together. She has a young dog that takes a while to warm up to strangers but loves to play with other dogs. My main concern was that Hershey (female Aussie mix) would hurt Frankie (male Chihuahua/Dachshund mix) and ruin his enjoyment of other dogs or possibly even hurt him because of the size difference. Turns out the biggest thing to overcome was my fear. Camille worked with all four of us and it was life changing. The humans learned how our reactions affected our dogs. The dogs received positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior. Hershey started out giving Frankie the side eye, sneers, or ignoring him. Frankie wanted to bounce off her as that was his way of initiating play. Camille did a two-visit process with homework for us in between meetings. We started slow with only quick positive interaction moving to long walks together taking turns with who was in the lead to eventually being able to walk side by side. I am happy to report that Hershey and Frankie now co-exist wonderfully. They have even begun to start playing together including romps in the back yard and tug of war with a toy. The biggest change has been me! Because we have a rather large population of dogs that seem to get out we often run into them on our morning walks. I used to make Hershey sit to not give off an aggressive vibe and I would proceed to freeze while yelling at the stray dog to go home. Recently a loose pit bull came running down the street towards us. We kept walking and I greeted him with a friendly voice. He sniffed Hershey and vice versa and we continued walking. He ran off for a while on his excellent adventure and came back again to interact. He lost interest and left again. Talk about an empowering moment – to finally feel safe on walks. My daughter would like to report that Frankie has ended up being the perfect shop dog. He is very good with the constant stream of strangers coming through the door and has befriended several of them who like to share their baked goods with him.  I would recommend Camille to anyone! Thanks,

CHRISTINE STEWART

“Camille King is the most straightforward yet empathetic person we have ever worked with. We were desperately looking for answers to our dog’s increased aggression when we found Camille. She was able to calm us down a bit until she came to our home a few days later. She explained every detail of what she was doing and why she was doing it. While working with Camille we learned so much about dog behavior, it was incredible. She is a true advocate for the animals she works with and will provide honest feedback to the humans she works with. Camille is the first person we think of when we need any help or answers regarding our pup, we wholeheartedly trust her knowledge and recommendations.”

LISA AND IAN

“Rescuing the ‘underdogs’ is one of our passions… Which is how we ended up w 4 large dogs all 35lbs +! We contacted Camille after recently bringing together 3 female dogs and 1 male dog. The females were getting into vicious fights, and one of them was displaying anxious behaviors with her transition from “street life” to loving home. Camille came to our house and met with us initially for an extensive overview. She sat down with us and listened to our concerns (and comforted me through my tears.) She knew that giving any of the dogs back up was NOT on the table for us (which we had been encouraged to do by other providers.) Camille met with our dogs 1:1 and in small groups to watch how they interacted from a behavioral science perspective. She then worked with us to create sustainable training and interaction plans for us to follow to work with each of the dogs 1:1 and in groups to correct their natural behaviors and build a more sustainable environment that they could be happy and healthy in. She emailed all the plans over to us and they were easy to follow. She truly took the time to get to know us and our dogs! Then, she came back out to our home a few weeks later to check on progress and watch behaviors. Since working with her initially over a year ago we have had no fights between the girls and our senior is living out her golden years. We recently moved states and Camille has still been there for us along the way. We are so grateful for her presence in our lives and with our dogs. She has changed our outlook and experience and equipped us in so many ways.

EMILY AND CHRIS

“Camille helps us with our more challenging shelter dogs during their long stays in their kennel and continues to support everyone after placement in a home or rescue. She is easy to work with, communicates her observations clearly, and we appreciate the genuine compassion she invests in both dogs and humans.” 

KATHLEEN & STEPHANIE, FRIENDS OF CHARLIE’S PLACE

Camille’s level of knowledge and understanding of canine behavior is unparalleled. We called her in for a consult involving aggression between dogs in our family. She was available promptly at our request and was extremely thorough in her investigation of our situation. She spent whatever time necessary with us and was exceptionally empathetic. I wouldn’t use anyone else!

BRENT AND LINDA GWALTNEY

My veterinarian at Blue Sky Animal Clinic recommended Dr. Camille King after I expressed concern about redirected aggression within my group of collies.  Though I have a good foundation in dog training skills, I needed the perspective of a highly educated, certified dog behaviorist.  Dr. King took a thorough history on the phone and then came out to evaluate the collie I was most concerned about. She was instrumental in helping me recognize that the granddam of my “problem dog” was actually the kingpin in the aggression issue.  Dr. King demonstrated several step-by-step training methods.  Later that same day, I received an email with her detailed assessment and treatment plan. The real bonus is that much of the recommended training is also useful with “grandma”. Camille was quickly responsive to all of my follow-up questions and has been checking in with me frequently.  Whether one is an experienced dog trainer or working with a first pet, I would highly recommend Dr. King to others who have dogs with challenging behaviors.  Do the assigned “homework” and you WILL see great results.

JAN BAYNTON

Fear/Rescue

My husband and I adopted a dachsund in January 2020.  Lucy had been in a puppy mill for 5 years and she must have been traumatized there.  She then went to a rescue place.  Her next journey was to be adopted by a couple, which did not work out and she was relinquished to an animal shelter.  She then went to a foster home.  My daughter saw her post to be adopted and told us about it since we already had a dachsund. Having Lucy in our home has been a challenge because she just would rather be in a corner and not want to be around people. I’m thinking it’s because all she knew is that people are not nice.  She was very fearful of a leash, and I couldn’t take her places. We provided a safe place for her for 2 years, but I wanted to progress to being able to do more for her.  Lucy’s foster mom told me about Camille.  Camille taught me some desensitizing to do with Lucy which has been very beneficial! She chooses to come into the same room with me now. I walked her on a leash. I would recommend Camille’s Canine Education to others who have a challenge with a dog. I do believe dogs deserve a second chance and most people don’t know how to do it on their own.  

JEANNIE AMMAN

Trust is a long slow road

Fiona was rescued from a life of hoarding and neglect.  She was one of over 100 dogs living on an open lot in Oklahoma.  At almost 2 years old the only human touch she’d ever know was someone grabbing her.  She was terrified when I adopted her, and I knew I’d needed some guidance to help Fiona learn to trust.  I reached out to Dr. King to help me understand Fiona’s behavior and how to best work with her when any attempt at touch sent her skittering in fear.  Dr. King provided specific exercises that helped me build a bridge with Fiona.  Progression is slow for a dog severely traumatized.  Dr. King advised a very slow approach as Fiona wasn’t like most dogs.  Fiona’s trauma runs deep.  I followed specific exercises for months.  My other dogs were able to model healthy trusting behavior and after 2 years I continue to see growth for Fiona.  Touch is just not her love language so, as Dr. King suggested meeting Fiona where she is has been hugely helpful.  Fiona now CHOOSES to be where I am.  She has a “pack” to wrestle and rough-house with.  She gleefully accepts handheld treats and engages in play with me.  Chasing toys that are tossed is FUN!  Fiona still has a long ways to go before I can leash her up and go for a walk.  I love her to pieces and, for now, she’s well loved, happy, safe and warm.  We keep working on all the rest.  Rescuing a dog is a lifelong commitment.  I would not have had the tools or confidence to help Fiona without Dr. King.

NANCY BRUCE

We’ve been working with Camille over the last two years, and with three different dogs. We originally reached out to her due to our reactive puppy, Scully, who Camille helped greatly during the time we had her. I will never stop singing Camille’s praises. She helped that dog be a real dog, for as long as possible. We were blessed to get to see what Scully was like when she was flourishing, even if it was only for a brief period. And when she regressed, and her suffering (and ours) became greater, Camille explained our options with the care and consideration of someone who’s been through it herself. We had the very, very difficult discussion that ultimately ended with the decision that behavioral euthanasia was the best option for Scully. It was truly the most heartbreaking decision.

But eventually, we decided it was time to bring another dog into the house (since we just can’t handle the house being too quiet for long), and Camille was there to help us find a new member of the family who fit in perfectly.

Camille truly cares for and understands dogs in a way that inspires me to be more thoughtful and understanding with all of my canine interactions. Thanks to our education from Camille, we were able to read dog body language and be on the lookout for the dog that fit our household. We now have Bucky, a happy-go-lucky three-year-old rescue who could not be more perfect for us. Our home is calm, all our pets get along, and most importantly, we’ve opened our home and hearts to another rescue dog despite our past traumas, and we definitely couldn’t have done it without Camille.

KATEY MARQUETTE

I would highly recommend Camille! I have two rescue Beagles; one came from an extremely abusive situation. The other started life out at the same place but ended up as a lab dog in a different location where he was treated humanely.  However, he was not allowed outdoors for the 3 years he lived at the lab due to some of the constraints having to do with the study he was in. He needed to learn how to ‘dog’.

Unfortunately, my dog that came from the abusive situation had some serious issues.  He was afraid of everything and was a flight risk.  He wouldn’t eat for two days because he decided to be terrified of his food bowl. He was scared to take treats.  He didn’t know how to play, didn’t ever wag his tail, ran away from normal home situations (dropping something, moving quickly, a door closed loudly, the television).  Due to his anxieties, he paced all evening and occasionally became frightened from unknown causes. We were at the point of considering SSRIs or ‘doggy Prozac’ to help alleviate his anxiety/PTSD symptoms.

I finally decided to find a canine behaviorist.  What drew me to Camille was that I saw she was associated with the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, among other organizations. I didn’t want to turn my poor dog over to someone that wasn’t highly experienced. Camille came to my house for 2 sessions where she took the dogs’ history, gave us lots of information, and taught us how best to help the two of them. This was my ultimate goal, to help the dogs live their best lives. With Camille’s help my very scared dog will now eat, is starting to wag his tail, and is starting to trust us enough to learn how to play. He is also way less fearful and is starting to smell things that may cross his path before heading for the hills. I feel like there is now hope for him to lead a happy non-fearful life without drugs. Without Camille’s help this wouldn’t have been possible! If you need help with a dog, I highly recommend her services.

LYNN P.

We tried adopting an 18-month-old rescue dog at the beginning of summer, and it quickly became evident he needed more experience than either of us had in training.  My sister recommended Camille from having worked with her in the past.  Camille evaluated the young pup, and she had some misgivings on what we could expect from him.  But we decided he deserved a chance and she set us up with a great training program that he took to extremely well.  But it wasn’t enough, and her initial thoughts were unfortunately spot on.  We could not trust him alone with our cat with his prey drive, and when anything disrupted his routine, he would melt down and have a tantrum, including nipping aggressively.  We just were not the right family for him.  We worked with the rescue to find him a place he could thrive in with an owner with the experience he needs.  The training Camille prescribed for him helped him find a home within a week of being available for adoption again.

Camille committed to helping us find the right dog once we were ready to look again.  And in early fall, my partner found a 22-month-old Labrador that needed to be rehomed since the breeder he was living with could not give him the individual care and attention she knows every good pet needs and deserves.  Koda arrived on Halloween and instantly settled right in with us.  The cat has yet to totally warm up to him, but he has the perfect disposition to allow her to do that on her own time.  We applied some of the training routine Camille provided for the previous pup and they worked like a charm on this former farm dog.  She came to meet him along with my parents’ dogs who hadn’t been well socialized with larger dogs yet, and within just a couple of hours they were all 3 pretty good friends, and all spent Thanksgiving together without any issues at all!

Camille has only ever been a call or text away, even checking in on us to see how Koda has been doing.  Based on his progression, she still offers great tips, and encouragement that have all worked every time when applied correctly.

Anna and Tom

Human-Animal Interactions (Bond)/Animal-Assisted Therapy/Research

Our vet had recommended Camille to work with our new pet dog. We got the dog for our young son who has autism. Camille came to our home and evaluated Cooper. She was very helpful in understanding my son and she even taught him how to be involved with Cooper’s care and training. We were very happy with her help, and we let our vet know too. We supervise my son and Cooper, and they are good buddies.

Sally Johnston

I have worked with Camille King as a collaborator on several scientific studies.  She is one of the hardest workers I have ever worked with. One of the most important studies we did explained why some dogs go prematurely gray.  Camille collected all the data, and my contribution was designing the methods.  I also assisted with writing and literature review.  She has dedicated her life to improving the lives of dogs.

Temple Grandin
University Distinguished Professor
Colorado State University

I had known Dr. King for a long time, and we worked together at a hospital years ago. Camille was a tester/observer for Therapy Dogs, Inc. and helped me get my Australian Shepherd registered as a therapy dog. I conducted animal-assisted therapy with patients at the hospital. My dog, Betty, was amazing at helping one of my patients who had a stroke. The patient would perform an underhand throw of a ball and Betty would retrieve it. This activity strengthened my patient’s arm muscles, so she had better function. Camille was creative and really helped me with a plan to use animal-assisted activities with my patient. I can’t thank her enough.

JOAN R.

Training

I was very excited and happy to finally find a dog behaviorist in Camille who could evaluate my two year old collie pup, Cymon, who was overly jealous and showing anxious, poor behavior and manners. He was becoming more assertive with his demands for attention and when I took him to my regular trainer and she let him hang from his leach because he was afraid to jump in the car, I knew I needed to find someone else who better understood his anxiousness and had a more humane approach to dealing with behavioral issues. When I called Camille she was great about asking a lot of questions to understand what I was experiencing with Cymon. During the initial consultation she was very clear about what she thought the issues were, how to resolve them, and showed me what to do. Cymon immediately responded to her direction and within a day or two his behavior began to improve – in fact he was anticipating what he needed to do during our training sessions and looked forward to them. My older dog wanted to get involved in the training and her behavior improved too! Camille came back several times to check on our progress and always provided great suggestions to continue to improve and deal with issues. She has been responsive to provide additional guidance and direction as new issues arise. I refer to the handout that she provided often to make sure we’re on track with Cymon becoming a positive, secure dog. I’m so thankful we found Dr. Camille King and I would highly recommend her!

Brenda McCoy-Manfredo

I was a dog training instructor in Baltimore, Maryland for many years. I lived in Estes Park, Colorado during the summers. I met Camille King in 2003. She was teaching dog obedience classes for the park district then. I was very impressed when I heard about this person who was uniquely qualified to teach dog training. I hadn’t ever met a dog trainer that had so many different talents EVER! – a human nurse, a veterinary nurse, expert witness, researcher, author, etc. I had an unruly Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy and her class had already started. Camille is very patient. She allowed me to attend the class even though the class was in progress. After taking her class my whole philosophy of dog training changed. I went back to Baltimore and trained dogs differently and had very good success. Camille was also heavily involved in behavior evaluations for the Pet Association Rescue Group and helped us to match our homeless dogs with appropriate families. I am currently retired but have kept up my relationship with Camille all these years. She’s the most qualified person I have ever met.

RALA MANDELSON, RETIRED INSTRUCTOR – DOG OWNERS CLUB OF MARYLAND

Camille is a warm, positive, and highly knowledgeable dog behaviorist.  After working with Camille, we had a greater understanding of our dog’s behaviors and how to manage them.  She also helped us feel more confident in our dog training skills.  She came to our home, met our dogs in their natural environment, and gave specific strategies for us to shape their behavior more efficiently.  I would definitely work with Camille again and highly recommend her!  

Mark and Jenny Sleeper

Camille quickly tunes in to the relationship between the dog and its human. Her communication skills, knowledge and patience allow her to formulate a plan specific for the situation. Camille assisted us with our rescue Winnie and her behavior issue of reactivity to other dogs. She gave us information to understand the behavior and tools to manage it. She also gave us great basic training suggestions and now Winnie walks on a loose leash and is much more attentive to commands. We would highly recommend Camille to anyone looking to understand and work on a behavioral or training issue with their pet.

Patti Kayne

I adopted a 4-year-old, 84lb, Golden Doodle with aggression issues toward squirrels, rabbits, and… especially, dogs.  Indy would pull for an entire walk.  And, upon seeing any of the above, he would growl and bark and pull so hard that he would knock me down.  On our second lesson with Camille, he was walking side by side with a neighborhood dog, and they were even laying down next to each other as calm as they could be. This morning, on our walk, Indy walked calmly beside me for 30 minutes and I reflected on how happy he is and how “not afraid” he is.

On a lighter note: When I first adopted him, Indy would drink water, and he would leave a trail of water everywhere he went. Camille worked with us to teach him to “dry off” his chin after taking a drink. It is so funny to watch, but it has a really practical purpose too! Thank you, Camille!

KAREN (AND INDY)