About Me
I am Toni Walton, I am South African born. I’ve lived in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia and for the last 12 years - USA.
Growing up in South Africa and having access to the abundance of wildlife that we did and having the best dogs in the world as a kid (Shandy [pictured], Trixie and Xaro), made me a huge animal lover.
I started my path to the best job in the world by being a dog walker in Manhattan from 2012 to January 2017. I realized while dog walking that there are a lot of dogs needing proper socialization and training to enjoy their lives in the city a little better.
I did a Dog Training course with Animal Behavior College in March 2014 and was placed with a mentor dog trainer in the city whom I shadowed from late 2014 to June 2016. I completed my certification in 2015. Kate who was my mentor, is an inspiration in the dog training arena and her and her team taught me a lot during my time with them.
I then joined Unleashed in June 2016 and went through their dog training course which just added to the ever expanding world of information in dog training.
In October 2017, I was certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers by passing their knowledge Assessed Exam, giving me my CPDT-KA. I re-certified my CPDT-KA in 2020!
In July 2018, I became a AKC Approved CGC Evaluator and am current in my registration!
In August 2020, I completed an Aggression in Dogs Master Course.
In April 2022, I completed my fear free animal trainer program course.
I am currently a member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and the Pet Professionals Guild (PPG), a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and am certified through CPDT!