About The Trainer

My name is Sandra Harknett, and I am a full-time professional dog trainer dedicated to helping dogs and their owners build stronger, healthier, and more balanced relationships. Dog training is not a hobby for me it is my career and passion.

My husband, our dogs, and I relocated to the Topsail, North Carolina area from DuBois, Pennsylvania in 2015 after falling in love with the people, community, and beautiful beaches of North Topsail Beach.

We currently share our home with five dogs three Golden Retrievers, a White Husky Shepherd mix, and a Pomchi — all of whom continue to remind me every day why I love working with dogs so much.

Before moving to North Carolina, we owned and operated a Doggie Daycare, Training Center, and Retail Store in Pennsylvania. We were proud to be the only pet store in the area focused exclusively on food and treats made in the USA. During that time, I regularly taught multiple weekly obedience and therapy dog classes and developed a strong reputation throughout the community among veterinarians, groomers, and dog owners alike.

I have been training dogs professionally since 2012 and have successfully trained over 2,000 dogs.

I am:

• An Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer
• An AKC Approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
• An AKC STAR Puppy Evaluator
• An AKC Community Canine (Advanced CGC) Evaluator
• A Therapy Dog Evaluator

Over the years, I have worked with dogs and handlers of all breeds, ages, and experience levels. My training philosophy focuses on creating a balanced dog and a balanced owner through clear communication, consistency, structure, confidence building, and practical real-world training.

Therapy Dog Training

In 2012, I founded a LOVE ON A LEASH Therapy Dog chapter in Pennsylvania. Our teams regularly visited hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and community programs. One of our therapy dog graduates even became a library reading dog, helping children improve their reading skills and confidence by reading aloud to the dog.

I continue to offer Therapy Dog training and evaluations in the Topsail, North Carolina area. Initial evaluations are conducted during class training, followed by real-world visits and public exposure experiences.

Service Dog Training

In 2014, I founded LEFT PAW – RIGHT PAW Service Dog Training to help individuals train their dogs for public access work and daily assistance tasks. My focus areas primarily include PTSD, anxiety, depression, TBI, mobility assistance, and related conditions.

I work with handlers to develop reliable obedience, public access skills, socialization, confidence, and task-oriented behaviors needed for service dog work in everyday environments. Teams completing the program are evaluated through a Public Access Test (PAT).

I was previously affiliated with TADSAW (Train a Dog, Save a Warrior), where I worked with veterans and active military members with PTSD, TBI, and related challenges. While I am no longer actively training through the program, I remain passionate about supporting individuals who benefit from service dog partnerships.

Training Programs Offered

I regularly offer:

• Free Consultations
• Facetime & Virtual Training
• Basic Obedience Training
• Advanced Obedience Training
• AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Classes
• AKC Community Canine (Advanced CGC) Classes
• AKC Trick Dog Classes
• Dog Agility Training
• Therapy Dog Training
• Service Dog Training
• Private Lessons
• Behavioral Problem Solving

Private lessons are available either in-home or at my training location depending on the needs of the dog and owner.

At this time, I generally do not work aggression cases, as I believe aggression rehabilitation requires highly specialized handling and carries significant liability. There are trainers who specifically focus in that area.

I am incredibly proud of the many successful dogs and happy owners I have worked with over the years, and references are available upon request.

Thank you for visiting the website, and I look forward to helping you and your dog succeed together.

Sandra Harknett
Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer
AKC Approved Evaluator
Therapy Dog Evaluator
LEFT PAW – RIGHT PAW Service Dog Trainer

📞 910-777-9968 Call or Text