Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Lee.
Brian, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I had a moment of trying to finding my way as a young adult- I was a former semi-professional Ballet dancer and I tried corporate America and being an EMT but none of those felt right. I stumbled upon a dog training school, enrolled and dove into what would become my calling. Today, after working with thousands of dogs over the past 31 years, I’m grateful that I’ve had the privilege of transforming the relationships between people and their dogs and was able to spend my lifetime perfecting my program and do what I love!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was definitely meant to do this work so my path of getting to where I am at have been extraordinarily easy. Opportunity after opportunity, everything fell into place.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I train dogs. That’s the simple answer but what I do is much more. My program is behavior training, not obedience training. I’m best known for treating the most difficult dogs and for my puppy program with socialization parties. Whether I’m working with an aggressive dog or new puppy, I’m educating the owners how to raise and develop a mentally healthy dog, and teaching them how to be, not how to do. With the knowledge and practices of my program, they are building a lasting harmonious relationship with their dog and not just treating symptoms.
I’m most proud of my search and rescue training for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and for working with the FBI Evidence Response Team. Specifically, when one of the dogs I trained was flown to the Pentagon post 9/11 to assist in the search of survivors and remains and I’m also proud of my dogs who search for lost children and Alzheimer’s patients.
What were you like growing up?
As a child I was very ambitious, my interest included everything from magic tricks to construction. When I was 10, I built an underground fort in our La Canada backyard, that summer I woke up every morning at 6 am and worked on it until supper. When the fort was finished it was a 6ft hole with built in seats and even a tunnel under the fence so I could go in and out of the yard, until it caved and magically turned into a mud pit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wayofthedog.com
- Phone: (310) 543-0375
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @wayofthedog
- Facebook: Way of the Dog, Canine Counseling
- Yelp: Way of the Dog
- Other: #wayofthedog
Image Credit:
All photos by Katie Sarpolis
