Meet yourFairyDogmother!

Biography…

Laura Nativo, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP

Laura Nativo is a tv host, pet lifestyle expert, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Fear-Free Certified Veterinary Professional, Founder of her own line of dog training treats & chews, Nativo Naturals and the Founder + Executive Director of a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to helping dogs heal people ~ The Preston’s Planet Foundation.

But her favorite title? Proud dog momma to 3 incredible celebrity canine kiddos.

The breakout star of the 2008 CBS reality show, Greatest American Dog, Laura embarked (pun intended) on a mission to make the world a better place for pets, in honor of her Pomeranian sidekick, Preston Casanova.

Nicknamed “America’s Favorite Ma & Paw” by Entertainment Weekly for her relationship with Preston, Laura’s natural gift for dog parenting evolved into a career of professional dog training, after years of studying animal behavior and the science behind clicker training. Fast forward a decade plus, Laura is more passionate than ever about the power of positive reinforcement training to impact the human-canine connection.

Laura is a host of the new tv series, Dog Masters, from the creator & executive producer of the Dog Whisperer, Jim Milio. Laura served for years as the resident pet expert + dog trainer “family member” on the Emmy-nominated lifestyle show, Home & Family, on Hallmark Channel. She hosted two seasons of Dog Park Superstars for the Game Show Network, and has appeared as a dog expert on countless news and talk shows, including The TODAY Show, Access Daily & Inside Edition.

Laura is one of the most sought after pet industry influencers, and serves as a brand ambassador for healthy and socially conscious brands, including Honest Kitchen, Skout’s Honor, Whistle and more. Laura is the youngest member of the World Pet Association’s communication committee. Laura is also the official spokesperson and training advisor to Bubby, a dog training app. Laura has hosted & produced digital dog training content in collaboration with DogTV, Embrace Pet Insurance, and is about to launch a new DIY dog training YouTube channel.

A science-obsessed #dognerd, Laura regularly attends animal behavior conferences, including IAABC, ClickerExpo, APDT, and other educational workshops to learn the most innovative and up-to-date animal behavior research. She is often asked to speak at dog behavior, training and lifestyle conferences. Laura’s two rescue dogs, Penelope Supafly (12) and Delilah Jane Sassafras (8) both embrace their work as professional actors, models and mommy’s demo dogs, following in the paw prints of their angel brother, Preston Casanova. Look for Laura’s girls starring in the feature films A Dog & Pony Show and The Puppy Swap. Delilah, Penelope & Preston are the inspiration for Laura’s dedication to helping pet parents better communicate with their four-legged best friends. 


Laura is a proud advisor and co-founder of the Canine Learning Academy, the first mobile day training school for dogs in Southern California, employing only certified professional dog trainers who use positive, rewards-based techniques. With her belief that all living souls learn better when taught with joyful, judgement-free methods, Laura endeavors to simplify behavior modification and help find creative, practical and accessible solutions for both ends of the leash. Laura is known for her puppy foundation training, basic manners and advanced behavior for rescue dogs, therapy dog prep, service dog training, and advanced trick training for performance dogs. Laura currently sees clients in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and the Los Angeles beach communities, along with serving dog parents around the country online. Laura is happy to sign an NDA, and respect the privacy of her loyal clients who appreciate discretion.

Laura trains lucky dogs and their people all along the California coast, and is determined to make dog training easy, accessible, and fun for both ends of the leash! When not working with animals, Laura loves adventure, and is often in search of a perfect, tropical surf break. She is an advocate for human and passionate about normalizing women’s fertility health, as she shares her own journey towards becoming a human mom.

To connect with Laura, join her free, online private facebook community where she often hosts live Q&A’s:
Laura’s Private Training & Lifestyle Facebook Group.

For media, training & business inquiries, please contact Laura.

Her-story…

“What do you want to be when you grow up?“

If you asked me when I was 5 years old…
I wanted to be a farmer, or an actress.

I never imagined I would, somehow, become a little of both!

Growing up I was the little girl who always wanted, but was never allowed, to have a dog. Every birthday, every Christmas, every Easter… my #1 wish to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and my father, was a dog! I remember crying hysterically, begging my father for a puppy, I’d even settle for a kitten. I didn’t understand then why he said it would be “too much work” and being a spirited little Puerto Rican, I refused to take “no” for an answer.

My journey towards becoming a dog mom began with a little Sato named Bambi, a homeless puppy rescued by my beloved Titi Evy, from the streets of Puerto Rico. Knowing our strict, single-parent father would not approve of the adoption, my sister Lisa and I thought, if we can convince our father that we’ll be responsible dog owners, surely he’ll let us keep our puppy! So we snuck this beautiful, deer-like chihuahua mix Bambi into our home and quietly, secretly cared for her… until we got caught. Bambi barked one night, and that was the end of our childhood dog mom days.

The reality was, our dad was a widow, raising two little girls by himself. He had a lot on his plate, and even though my sister and I were responsible enough to do the work, our father simply didn’t have the bandwidth for another responsibility… but that didn’t make it any easier. After losing my mom to breast cancer at the age of 6, I was devastated at the loss of my new best friend.  The experience touched me in a way I would never forget.  

I spent my childhood bonding with friends’ and family’s dogs whenever possible, unknowingly laying the path for my life vocation. I was always drawn to training, and preferred asking my canine friends to high five me for Milkbones (yuck, I didn’t know any better!) over giving the hugs. I like to think my childhood self would be proud of the path I’ve followed in the many years since.

As soon as I was living on my own, in LA, I adopted Preston, as a gift to myself on my 22nd birthday. He was 6 weeks, and I fell in love. I developed my unique style of dog training because of Preston, when I realized I wanted a full-time friend, not just a little dog waiting for me to come home from auditions or long days on set.  To bring Preston everywhere meant that he couldn’t just be cute, Preston had to be well-trained, well-mannered and sophisticatedly charming enough to get past all the “no dogs allowed” signs in town.  Every time I worked with Preston, he made me ridiculously happy… and I let him know it. Preston responded with joy, confidence, and more than a little delight to find out all that he was capable of doing.  

Soon, my approach was refined to a uniquely positive use of rewards of which happiness is a central part.  In time, friends and even strangers began to notice Preston & my incredible relationship and started to ask me how we got there. The answer was not just training, but lifestyle choices in which my dog was always included.  Which, as it turns out, is all it takes to make them happy.  My training clients don’t just teach a dog to sit, they teach their dog relax at the bookstore and the coffee shop and anywhere else they can bring them. And they are always looking for places to bring them.  That’s lifestyle.  That’s happiness.  I believe in positive, science-based methods that make your dog want to work with you, building a foundation of love, trust and mutual respect, which ultimately defines any happy, healthy relationship- human or canine.  

I am a passionate advocate for integrating dogs into our daily lives, dedicated to animal-assisted therapy work and public-access rights for exceptionally trained dogs.  I believe that training is a simple and as rich as the art of conversation with a great friend. Friends make each other better… take more risks together… and have more fun than either of them could alone. When your friend is a dog, you get double the chance for adventure, because you see the world in two very different yet magical ways.  Allow me to become YOUR fairy dogmother, and make your wishes come true with fun, enthusiasm, inventiveness and a deeply felt passion that anything you can do with your dog is better than almost anything you can dog without them.

Training & Behavior Credentials: