Meet Our Trainer

Lauren Training Dolphins

Lauren Tsao, founder of Faithfully Yours Dog Training, is one of Mississippi's most accomplished dog trainers. She understands the challenges and joys that come with owning dogs with complex behavior struggles. With the goal of creating stress-free lives for owners and their pets, Lauren established Faithfully Yours Dog Training.

Lauren holds professional certifications, including being the first in Mississippi to be certified as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and as a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is also a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI) from Do More With Your Dog. She has been recognized as one of SniffSpot's Top Positive Dog Trainers in Mississippi in 2022 and 2023.

Lauren holds a Master's degree in Agricultural and Life Sciences with a concentration in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare from Virginia Tech, as well as a Bachelor's of Science and an Associate's of Arts in Psychology. Her academic pursuits led her to write a thesis titled "The Great Outdoors: Fenced Yards & Their Impact on Companion Dog Activity & Adoption," which examines activity levels in dogs and dog shelter policy. Lauren's expertise has gained recognition from reputable organizations like Honest Kitchen, 4Knines, SuperTalk MS radio show, WLBT/FOX40, Worry Less, Wag More Podcast, and more. She is also available to serve as an expert witness in legal cases related to dog aggression or biting incidents.

Lauren holds several other titles too, including: 

About Our Staff

Kyle Tsao - Assistant Trainer

Kyle has been a steadfast supporter of Lauren's journey to become a professional animal trainer from the very beginning. Over the span of seven years, he has accompanied her to conferences, workshops, and seminars, cultivating his own unique passion for animal training. Despite being an attorney during the week, Kyle dedicates his weekends to assisting in group classes, workshops, seminars, and private sessions. Students benefit from the expertise of both Kyle and Lauren, as they offer two knowledgeable perspectives. Kyle possesses a deep affection for all animals, evident in his playful and positive training style. Notably, he is a Therapy Pets Unlimited Evaluator, an AKC Farm Dog Judge, and a graduate of ABC Training Systems' Dolphin Trainer Academy Advanced Program (2023). Currently, he is working towards completing his Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed certification.

 

About Brindlewood Farms

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The Tsao family took a leap of faith in 2018 when they acquired Brindlewood Farms, an idyllic 11-acre farm in Braxton, MS. This property serves as both their cozy residence and home to Faithfully Yours Dog Training—an exceptional facility offering top-notch training and behavior consulting services to dogs of all breeds.

Brindlewood Farms is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, providing native Mississippi wildlife with food, water, and shelter. The training yard, enclosed and illuminated, offers a perfect setting for practice sessions, surrounded by wild hummingbirds and over 60 bird species documented on the property. Indoors, there is a matted flooring training space, while walking trails meander through the pine forest—an unbeatable environment to learn positive reinforcement-based techniques.

The Tsao family also tends to around twenty chickens and ducks, which are securely kept in runs when dogs and students are present. These animals play a vital role in Faithfully Yours' AKC Farm Dog training program and professional animal trainer education programs. Having been socialized with dogs from a young age, the chickens and ducks enjoy observing training sessions from their pens.

Please note that access to the property is strictly for paying students and by appointment only. We kindly ask that you respect the Tsao family's privacy and ensure an atmosphere of normalcy on the premises.

Meet The Dogs

Beretta

When Lauren rescued Beretta, a now-eleven-year-old Australian Kelpie listed for free on Craigslist, she had no idea of the lasting impact her beloved pup would have. Despite being listed as "shy", it became clear that Beretta was much more than “shy" after it took half an hour to get her out of the car once the Tsao’s got her home. Beretta was later diagnosed with fear-based aggression towards people and other dogs. It took three months of initial bonding for her to integrate fully into the family. After three months of intense moments and baby steps, Lauren fully gained Beretta's trust and they started training to overcome Beretta's reactivity towards strangers and other dogs. At this point, Lauren found that most trainers in the area either wouldn't work with Beretta or recommended euthanasia.

What was a person to do? Beretta had never hurt anyone and was simply scared from past owners failing to socialize her. Lauren couldn't accept that Beretta should die because of the mistakes of others. So, Lauren started attending classes and workshops for professional dog trainers in order to learn how to help her dog. It all started as an attempt to just access the knowledge needed to help her own dog, but grew into much more. Faithfully Yours Dog Training stemmed out of this remarkable journey which proves that with patience, understanding, and kindness the “impossible” can be possible.

Beretta now lives happily with three other dogs and has lived with several other foster dogs over the years. She is most fond of puppies! She has turned into an amazing dog that has exceeded the expectations of everyone who has helped Lauren with her along the way. She has earned her Do More With Your Dog! Intermediate Trick Dog title and helps with virtual training sessions when she isn’t eating, sleeping, or sunbathing on the farm while supervising her chickens and ducks.

Booski (rest in peace 2023)

Booski, an 18-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi/Jack Russell mix, holds a special place in Lauren's heart as her first cherished canine companion. Despite a challenging start in life, Booski's remarkable resilience and determination made her an exceptional dog. Originally acquired from a unfortunate puppy mill situation as a gift for her original owner's grandchildren, Booski's fate shifted when Lauren eagerly adopted her.

Though initially labeled as "Ditzy" due to perceived lack of intelligence, Booski quickly proved otherwise. Overcoming her initial fears and limited socialization, Booski excelled in agility training, help countless dogs test for their Canine Good Citizen and AKC Farm Dog titles, and served as a valuable assistant in Lauren's professional dog trainer workshops. Not only did Booski help aspiring trainers and dog owners enhance their skills, but she also actively participated in raising numerous foster puppies and assisting in private sessions. Even at the age of 18, Booski still enjoyed training and boasted an impressive repertoire of tricks.

Throughout the years, Booski was an unwavering companion and friend in Lauren's life. This bond was further exemplified when Booski took on the role of a bridesmaid at Lauren's wedding. Despite concerns about her nervousness and age, Booski amazed everyone by gracefully walking down the aisle and quietly sitting through the entire ceremony. Later, she contently rested on her dog bed during the reception, captivating the guests with her charm. Booski's memorable presence on that special day has since become a cherished topic among family members, overshadowing even the bride herself.

Sadly, Booski crossed over the rainbow bridge in 2023 after bravely battling canine cognitive disorder. Her incredible journey and unwavering presence will forever be cherished.

Oakley

With an infectious enthusiasm for life, Oakley is a now-six year old brindle Border Collie that has made quite the splash since joining the fun in 2017. Affectionately known as "Oakley the Wonder Collie", this pup has conquered everything from modeling gigs to disc dog and even earned herself over 7K adoring fans on Instagram! A true star of our time, she's been featured in a coloring book, qualified for UpDog International Finals after competing at her very first disc dog event - not to mention graced BuzzFeed 3 times (1, 2, and 3) with her irrefutable presence. She also had done modeling collaborations with Barkworthies, Pet Qwerks, Natural Only Pet, Herding Dog Designs, among many others!

This little dog is a powerhouse. People call and ask if we have experience with high energy dogs all the time and you can't find a dog with much higher energy than Oakley. For the first six months, we literally never saw Oakley sleep because she would bounce out of bed ready for training when she heard someone enter the room.

Oakley has done disc, trick dog, and agility demos with Lauren for her training classes, the Girl Scouts, and even Santa himself. Oakley has trained in disc, agility, herding, barn hunt, fit dog, farm dog, stunt dog/trick dog, and IPO so far. Not to mention she earned her AKC Advanced Trick Dog title and her Do More With Your Dog! Advanced Trick Dog titles before turning a year old. Lauren and Oakley have trained together with influential trainers like Kyra Sundance, Sara Carson, and Andrea Rigler. On top of this, Oakley has managed to win over Beretta, all while keeping a busy training schedule and helping with most of our group classes and virtual training sessions as a demo dog.

Ginger

Meet Ginger - the latest member of the family! She was initially a foster from a struggling student, but before long it became clear that she'd be staying for good. Despite her high energy when Lauren first got her, this now-four year-old Pit Bull/Border Collie mix has changed significantly over time due to routine and positive reinforcement training. She started out as a mouthy and out of control puppy who loved to chew through any wood, door frames, or furniture she could get to. She couldn’t be trust alone and would bark at all hours of the day if left alone. Today, you can trust in leaving Ginger alone at home where she calmly contentedly waits until you return with no barking or destructive behavior whatsoever! She is the easiest and most independent dog Lauren owns now.

Ginger loves to spend her days hanging out in the backyard, watching her deer friends come and go while she chews on her chew toys and cleaning up any treats students drop in the training room. She is a major cuddle bug who enjoys sniffaris and chewing on her favorite treat, Whimzees. Beretta is Ginger’s very best dog friend and Ginger is known to encourage strays to climb the fence to jump into the backyard to play with her (which she has successfully gotten them to do TWICE!)