Cyndi was born and raised in San Antonio Texas. She has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and had a 25 year career in the computer industry. Her love of saving dogs led her to leave the computer world and embark on a new journey to help pet parents take the best care of their dogs through nutrition, holistic healing and dog training.

For the past 16 years, Cyndi Smasal has turned her love of one dog Norman (the subject of her first book), into a passion for all dogs. She’s helped thousands of dog lovers through her book and hundreds have spoken with her about their own dogs with liver disease. Cyndi received Certification in a Professional Dog Trainer Instruction Program. Additionally, she has studied canine nutrition, animal naturopathy including natural and holistic animal care..

She trained over 300 dogs in group classes and now trains dogs in clients homes. She has worked with puppies doing extensive early socialization from as early as 3 weeks old. And she has traveled to train dogs in Florida, Vail and throughout the San Antonio area and Texas Hill Country.

Cyndi regularly conducts free puppy socialization workshops at Kriser’s Natural Pet Store. She has been called the “Puppy Whisperer” because she understands puppy behavior and gives her clients valuable insights into managing and training them to be well mannered adult dogs.

In addition to being a dog trainer, Cyndi brings years of experience with nutrition and pet care to all of her clients. She brilliantly integrates this knowledge and experience and provides valuable education on caring and feeding dogs of all ages.

I work with people who love their dogs and think of them as family. I work with people who want a well mannered dog but don’t want to use harsh punishment to get it. And I work with people who are interested in what’s best for their pets…good nutrition, positive training and alternative health care options.

I specialize in working with:

• Multiple dog households
• Sibling puppies (sibling syndrome)
• Doodles and their guardians
• Puppies of all breeds
• Dogs and people with special needs

I provide solutions to:

• Train your puppy to grow into a happy, healthy and well-behaved companion dog that you look forward to living with for a lifetime.
• Resolve your dogs bad behaviors using a positive approach
• Give your dog the best diet for their health and longevity
• Deal with the challenges that come with caring for a dog at different stages of their life
• Care for a pet with a chronic illness and making end of life decisions
• Train your dog, while sprinkling in a little fun and good information

Dog Training:

I’ve been training my own dogs since the ‘90’s.

I am a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) by the leading independent certifying organization for the dog training profession – the Certification Counsel for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). The CPDT-KA certification means that as a dog trainer I have passed a comprehensive exam and have over 300 hours of dog training experience (working with clients); I have a reference (statement of attestation) from a Vet. I comply with a code of ethics, follow scientific principles and receive continuous education.

I completed a dog trainer instructor program and taught group dog training classes at a pet store for 2 years. I’ve been doing in-home dog training since 2016. I’ve worked with over 350 dogs and their people.

Canine Nutrition Training:

I have been feeding home cooked diets for my healthy and sick dogs for 14 years.

I studied canine nutrition at American Council of Animal Naturopathy and other online nutrition training courses for 2 years (species appropriate home-prepared raw and cooked diets).

I have been using the Pet Diet Designer software for 3 years to create custom diets for my own dogs and clients with dogs with liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, IBD, allergies and cancer. (Following NRC guidelines and Small Animal Clinical Nutrition guidelines)

I worked as a pet food representative at pet store for a year. In that position, I learned all the pet food industry jargon and marketing techniques along with their formal pet food industry “nutrition training”.

I worked at big pet store and smaller “natural” pet store for 2 years as Pet Nutrition Specialist. In that position, I completed pet nutrition training (commercial diets) and spoke with pet food representatives from all major brands and learned all their specialties and what each formula is recommended for specific needs.

Pet Coach Training:

I completed Personal and Business Coach Training in 2003.

I have been coaching/consulting with people about their dogs with liver disease since 2005.

I studied animal naturopathy at American Council of Animal Naturopathy in 2013.

I participated in professional training and development courses and education for 6 years with Landmark Worldwide.

I became a Pet Expert on PetCoach.co in 2014.