About Us

Colleen is a Certified member with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC), and is one of only 600 Dog Behavior Professionals that holds the distinct CDBC certification, recognized worldwide.

Family Dog Mediation (FDM) is an Evolved, Progressive certification.
Using the L. E. G. S  template, (Learning, Environment, Genitics and Self), all known information is considered when developing the most comprehensive training and behaviour modification plan for your individual dog.

Colleen founded Diamond in the Ruff Inc. in 1991 to give dog owners a kinder, more cutting edge approach to dog training. She lives her motto – training with our hearts and minds, not our hands – with her own animals. Colleen has helped thousands of dogs and dog handlers become better teams using gentle yet effective techniques based on sound research.

Colleen’s dog training education includes:

Council for Professional Dog Trainers Certificate CPDT-KA
Animal Behaviour College Honours Graduate ABC-DT-MT
Canine Good Citizen Evalator CCGC-E
Therapy Dog Evaluator
Regular attendance at relevant training and behaviour courses to ensure the most up to date service.

When she is not running group training classes, doing private training sessions or Animal Assisted Therapy, she enjoys spending time on her acreage with her cats, horses, dogs, pigs, emu, goat, and parrots.

Sharon adopted a rescue dog and initially relied on aversive training methods. After seeing her dog’s behaviour take a turn for the worse, she sought out a different approach that used science-based training methods for fearful dogs. After seeing first hand how force-free methods helped her dog to flourish, she was hooked. She has become a passionate advocate for force-free methods and works to find long-term solutions for her clients.

Sharon mentored under Colleen for several years to complete her apprenticeship hours and her CPDT-KA exam. She is a certified professional dog trainer and is fear-free certified.

Sharon enjoys teaching classes and completing private training for clients.

When Sharon is not training she works as a full-time Chartered Accountant and enjoys spending time with her husband and their two dogs. She is also active in the rescue community and takes pride in helping families create a strong bond with their rescue dog.

After taking group classes and private sessions with Colleen with his own dogs, Jas started to realize he had a strong passion for dog training and rehabilitation. He became more intrigued on learning the science behind these methods and jumped at the opportunity to learn from one of the most respected trainers in the Edmonton area.

Jas also spent several years mentoring under Colleen and is a certified professional dog trainer and is fear-free certified. He also is a Certified Management Accountant.

Jas has a strong passion in working on behavioural cases and works to provide safe and long-term solutions for his clients.

When Jas is not training he is busy with local dog rescue groups and spending time with his wife and two dogs.

Jenna always knew that she was not a “desk job” type of person. That’s why, during her years spent living and studying in Vancouver, she enjoyed the fast paced and dynamic working environments of arts and entertainment management and restaurant management. However, her passion for animals kept pulling at her and she sought out part-time jobs that would let her interact with animals in any capacity. Her experience working in pet stores, pet sitting and working full-time as a professional dog walker, hiking with groups of dogs in the North Shore mountains, kept reminding her where her true passion lay; helping animals to live a better life.

When she moved back to Edmonton in 2020, she knew it was time to truly start following her dream. After researching many different jobs and companies that worked with animals, and specifically dogs, she found Colleen and Diamond in the Ruff Inc. Jenna immediately sensed a connection with Colleen and her company that sparked something in her, and knew she was ready to dive in and make her passion come to everyday life. After signing up for Colleen’s Professional Dog Trainer’s Student Academy and mentoring under Colleen, Jenna embraced learning everything she could about dog training and never looked back.

She is now a CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer passionately committed to this industry; someone who advocates for science-based, force-free methods and positive reinforcement in animal training.

Jenna’s love of dogs, people and this industry comes through in her caring, passionate and respectful nature. She gets fulfillment in knowing she has not only helped a dog to feel better and live better, but has also helped to make pet families’ bonds stronger and life a little easier. She truly has found her passion and loves what she is doing, but also looks forward to enrolling in further specialized dog training classes to continue to build on her exceptional knowledge and skills.

Mary joined the Diamond in the Ruff Inc. team in 2023. Her passion for helping others allows her to create a positive and memorable experience for each and every client she serves. You will quickly come to know Mary as that friendly, empathetic, and helpful member of our team who will pull out all the stops to make your experience working with us a positive one.

Mary brings with her a diverse background in administration and client support, education and employment, financial services, and healthcare. She loves working with individuals and families to ensure they receive the supports, guidance, and resources they need to live their best lives. Mary is “Mom” to two rescue dogs, Irina and Hope, and she understands the importance of having a peaceful and harmonious environment for her entire fur-family to thrive.

When Mary is not assisting our clients, she loves walks in the woods and beach-time with her dogs, cooking, hiking, road trips, and tackling her latest DIY project.