Our Team

Maureen Patin CPDT-KA founded What a Great Dog! Training Center in 2007. Maureen earned her certification from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She keeps current on the latest evidence-based, positive training techniques through online courses and attending seminars.

As WAGD’s Head Trainer, Maureen utilizes positive, reward-based training methods to help people achieve fabulous results with their dogs. She firmly believes that making training fun for the dog AND the person will net the best results. The thousands of happy WAGD clients are a great testament to that philosophy!

Sharon Lacaze joined What a Great Dog! in January 2016 and is a co-owner responsible for overseeing operations. She is passionate about positive, reward-based training that makes learning fun for both dogs and their owners.

Sharon has been actively involved in dog training since 2011, taking hundreds of classes with her own dogs at WAGD. She has also attended numerous dog training seminars and online courses, including those offered by Susan Garrett, Ken Ramirez, Sarah Stremming, and Michael Shikashio. Sharon is an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator and has earned titles with her dogs in a variety of sports, including agility, rally (AKC and Cynosport), herding, barn hunt, and scent work. She also trained and showed her Belgian Malinois, Ripley, to the Bronze Grand Champion level in AKC conformation, handling her from start to finish.

Sharon holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. After many years in the corporate world, she fulfilled her dream of working with dogs every day.

Sharon shares her life with three dogs: Misty, a Standard Schnauzer; Ripley, a female Belgian Malinois; and Dillon, a male Belgian Malinois. Each has a unique personality, and together they keep her busy with their many adventures and competitions. Her current training pursuits include agility, rally, and scent work. Both Misty and Ripley have earned Elite-level titles in UKC scent work.

Brittany Wingfield is a professional dog trainer with a background in biology, animal care, and behavior. With more than five years of experience working as a zookeeper, along with experience in management and professional dog training, Brittany brings a broad understanding of animal behavior to her work with dogs and their families.

Her training approach focuses on building communication, confidence, and practical skills that fit into everyday life. She believes that understanding why a dog is struggling is just as important as teaching the behavior itself, and she works with families to create realistic strategies they can continue using long after training ends.

Brittany especially enjoys helping dogs and their people navigate the messy, challenging parts of life together—from adolescent impulsivity and barking to fear, anxiety, and difficulty settling. Her goal is always to help families better understand their dogs while giving them the tools to build a stronger, more enjoyable relationship.

Diane Cocchiara joined WAGD in 2018. She teaches Rally, Pet Manners and Private Lessons. She also sometimes jumps in to help with Great Dog Day School. She completed her Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations course in 2018 and WAGD Trainer Education Program in 2019. She now is certified through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers and an AKC Evaluator. Diane is an approved competition judge for WCRL Rally.

Diane has two dogs of her own, Eugene a Lab/Hound mix and Arnold a feisty little Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They enjoy a variety of sports together including agility, rally, dock diving and tricks.

Diane graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Oklahoma (Boomer!) and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University. Soon after graduation a foster puppy fell into her arms, dog training became a new passion and life never was the same since!

Eugene: Rally – RL1X, RL2, FL1   Tricks – TKI

Arnold: Agility: ACT1J, P1J    Dock Diving: GNJCH    Rally: RL1    Tricks: TKI

Ellen is Director of the nosework program at WAGD, and joined the team in 2020. She
teaches at all levels of nosework/scentwork. She designed the curricula used by the
other nosework instructors at WAGD.

She has been teaching scent work for the last 12 years, competes in many venues, and
is a judge for many scent work organizations, including: AKC, UKC, ASCA and USCSS.
In addition to judging, Ellen is a member of the AKC Scent Work Advisory Committee,
and writes a monthly blog about scent work (sniffingaroundscentwork.com).

Ellen currently has two Lagotto Romagnolos: Astra, who is retired from competitions
and Yeti, who is competing at the Detective level in AKC.

Gabi Vannini CPDT-KA joined the WAGD staff in fall 2018. She teaches barn hunt, agility, conformation, rally and manners. She is an AKC CGC, trick, ACT test, temperament test and farm dog evaluator. Gabi competes in a variety of dog sports with her own dogs and has titled in obedience, agility, rally, conformation, lure coursing, dock diving, barn hunt, tricks and herding. She has a particular fondness for rare breeds and has titled multiple “off” breeds in various dog sports, including Icelandic Sheepdogs, Norrbottenspets, Great Pyrenees and mixed breeds. She is heavily involved with her two rare breeds, as the president of the American Norrbottenspets Association and a board member of the Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America and the National Icelandic Sheepdog Rescue Alliance. Her Icelandic Sheepdog, Link, has been among the top ranked in his breed in agility, obedience, rally, conformation, coursing, barn hunt and dock diving. He has won High in Trials, competed at Westminster, the AKC Rally National Championship, AKC Obedience Classic and AKC Agility Invitational. She has a degree in Journalism from Michigan State University, and has worked in marketing for various animal shelters. Most recently, she managed the equine adoption program at the SPCA of Texas. She and her husband Chris have fostered more than 400 animals in the last few years. When she’s not competing or hanging out with her dogs, she enjoys traveling and trying unique new foods.

Joy joined WAGD as a pet trainer in 2026. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Before graduating with her master’s she realized that animal training would be a better career/personality fit than counseling.

She has always been an avid animal lover and became a vegetarian at 12-years of age. Even in high school and college when she didn’t know her life would lead her to a career with animals, she volunteered at Roger’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, worked a summer job at a veterinary clinic and another summer job in college with the education department at the Abilene Zoo. She attended her first animal training convention with the American Zoological Association in 2010. From there she trained to be a dog trainer at PetSmart, where she continued for about 16 years.

Joy loves helping dogs be the best family members that they can be, and helping families understand and care for their dogs.

Julie is a self-described nosework and dog training nerd. She began nosework
instruction in 2018 and began working as an AKC Scent Work Judge in 2022.
Julie’s love of nosework began while working with her reactive Australian
Cattle Dog mix, Eleanor Frisbee. Julie and Ellie began their nosework
competition career in 2016 and competed until Ellie’s retirement in early
2024. Together they earned titles in UKC, AKC, NACSW, and USCSS.

As a dog training nerd, Julie is interested in interspecies communication
through training and enjoys incorporating best practices from successful
trainers such as Bob Bailey, Sue Sternberg and Denise Fenzi into her training
toolbox.

Julie has experienced first-hand the benefits of teaching a dog to use his or
her nose and the partnership created in the process. She sees nosework as a
dance and loves watching the dog/trainer team learn the steps.

Julie Prigmore teaches Nose Work classes at What a Great Dog!  She has enjoyed all forms of dog sports for over 37 years, competing and titling in conformation, obedience, agility, fast cat competitions and coursing. She has also achieved certifications in working aptitude, CGC, and Nose Work. Julie has handled and finished multiple champions, Doberman Pinschers, Alaskan
Malamutes and Tibetan Spaniels in the breed classes, but to her, the most rewarding moments involve training with and working beside a dog to achieve its peak performance at sporting abilities.
She admires a structurally sound dog and loves to see dogs of every breed achieve success in whatever job they were bred to do.

Julie began scent work with her own dogs in 2021 and fell in love with the sport. It thrills her to see dogs performing with different techniques, and even more importantly, watching the exciting aspects of the communication between dog and handler, and the ever-evolving bond that develops and grows as each team works together. She has been competing in nose work since 2022 with her Dobermans, Shine and Charlie and trains under Ellen Heavner. Julie is an AKC Judge and competes in AKC, UKC, and NACSW.

Keri brings a diverse background in canine behavior, training, and client service to her role as Site Manager and Trainer at What A Great Dog. She is passionate about helping dogs and their families achieve success through positive, engaging training that makes learning both effective and fun. Keri served as a Pet Partners therapy team handler and completed Mike Shikashio’s Master Course on Aggression in Dogs, providing her with advanced knowledge in canine behavior and behavior modification. She is a Penn Foster Dog Obedience Instructor graduate, an AKC Evaluator for Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Trick Dog titles, and holds an IBPSA Pet Care Technician certification. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Whether supporting clients, mentoring staff, or working directly with dogs, Keri is committed to creating a positive environment where dogs and their people can build confidence, strengthen their bond, and have fun while achieving their training goals.

Matt first joined the What a Great Dog! Team in March of 2022. He completed the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations course in the fall of 2022, and finished the WAGD Trainer Education Program in 2023. He teaches Pet Manners classes and does WOW In-home Training Sessions.

As a child, Matt dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. Although he didn’t follow that path, his love of animals has always been strong. While an undergraduate student, he worked part-time jobs at a veterinary clinic and at local pet stores, and over the years he has provided a loving home to a variety of rescued cats and dogs.

Matt was raised in upstate New York, but he has called Texas home since 1997. He holds a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in Humanities and is currently a faculty member at Dallas College, where he teaches courses in composition and literature. His experience as an instructor has prepared him well for teaching at WAGD and helping clients learn how to build stronger relationships with their beloved dogs. Clients tell us that they love his approachable style and clear instructions during class.

Matt has served as a foster for the Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas, and he adopted his current dog, Bella, from GRRNT in April of 2022.

Mickey has been involved with dogs for over 40 years and has competed in conformation, obedience, rally and agility. She started an in-home training business (Four Paws Training School) in 2002 and worked with owners using reward based training. Some of the trainers who have influenced her most are: Susan Garrett, Bob Bailey, Pat Miller, Kathy Sdao, Jean Donaldson, and Ken Ramirez.

An owner and fan of big dogs for most of her life, she has now downsized to a couple of little guys: Micah (terrier mix), and Harper Lee (Papillon). In 2012 she went to a seminar to learn about K9 Nose Work, a new dog sport, and it quickly became her passion. She has been teaching nosework at What A Great Dog! in Frisco since opening in 2012, and has several classes each week. Her favorite venues to compete in are NACSW (National Assoc of Canine Scent Work) and USCSS (United States Canine Scent Sports). Above all, she believes that competition needs to be a great experience between you and your dog, and that success is completely secondary.

Stephanie joined What a Great Dog! in August of 2020.  She is a Pet Manners trainer and the Coordinator for both our GDDS (Day School) and WOW (In-home) programs.  If you have visited our retail store you may know her as “Aunt Stephanie”.  All the pups know she’s always ready to give some extra love and treats, for good behavior of course.  

Before joining What a Great Dog!, Stephanie managed a pet boarding, daycare and grooming facility in McKinney for 12 years.  She has shown her dogs in conformation and obedience for over 30 years. Stephanie and her dog, Brooke, took manners and CGC classes from Maureen in her barn in Prosper 20 years ago.  She was taught and loved the positive reinforcement training that Maureen coached her and all of us on since she has started.  

Since Stephanie has been active in working with dogs, she has had Siberian Huskies, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and German Shepherds.  Currently she and her husband share their home with Stella, a 8-year-old German Shepherd rescue that they adopted just weeks before the Covid lockdown.  She is her “work in progress”. 

Stephanie hopes with her experience to provide our WAGD families with helpful advice and guidance to assist them in having lifelong GREAT DOG family members.

Victoria is a Senior Trainer at What a Great Dog, teaching a variety of classes including all Manners class levels, Puppy Preschools, Trick Dog, Nosework, and Canine Good Citizen.  She also helps dogs and their owners, in private one-on-one lessons, work through behavior struggles and gain new skills.  She taught previously taught Barn Hunt and has a deep understanding of that sport. Her passion for dog training lies in helping owners develop a deeper understanding of their dogs, strengthen their bonds, and build lasting relationships. She loves helping families work through behavioral challenges while discovering the joy of training together through games, tricks, and positive reinforcement.

Victoria is a registered AKC evaluator for CGC and Trick Dog programs.  In addition to WAGD’s trainer education program, she has completed extensive continuing education programs, including Karen Pryor Academy education, Absolute Dogs Pro Dog Trainer and Geek programs, specialized Behavet canine courses, and Do More With Your Dog tricks certification. Victoria is currently enrolled in The Canine Behaviour College through Behavet where she will earn credentials to be a certified Canine Behaviorist.

Victoria discovered WAGD in 2017, where she worked her rescue Chi/Terrier, Audrey, through Manners, Agility, and Tricks classes and attained several tricks titles and is currently learning and competing in Rally.  Victoria also has two other dogs.  River is another Chi/Terrier rescue who has competed and titled in Barn Hunt, earned Trick Dog titles, and is currently learning Rally and Nosework.  Suzume, a Papillon, is just starting her training journey to become a Trick Dog, Rally enthusiast, Freestyle pup, and more.