Rhea Northcut, CPDT-KA ABCDT CSAT is a Senior Trainer with What a Great Dog! She joined the WAGD family in 2016. Rhea teaches Pet Manners and Nose Work in both group classes and private lessons. She also provides a training program aimed at resolving issue with Separation Anxiety.
Rhea is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and an Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer. Additionally, she has earned the Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer designation through extensive coursework with the global expert on this issue, Malena DeMartini. She enjoys teaching owners how to better communicate with their canine companions. She has a special place in her heart for rescues and shelter dogs, having spent a large portion of her free time volunteering at animal shelters.
Rhea also has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University. While at Tech, she started her first volunteer work with shelter dogs at The Haven Animal Care Shelter in Lubbock, Texas and also took a course on Human-Animal Interaction. This is what initially sparked her interest in dog training. She started her Masters in Counseling at the University of North Texas with the goal of doing pet therapy. She quickly realized that it was the dogs’ training she was most interested in and was more than willing to give up her spot in the counseling program to fully commit her education efforts to dog training.
Rhea spends her free time volunteering with Collin County Animal Services in McKinney and spending time with her husband, daughters, and her dog Lizzie, an Icelandic Sheepdog. Rhea enjoys trail running, hiking, and training and competing in Nose Work.