Meet Your Trainers: Deven Gaston MA, CPDT


Deven Gaston Has worked as a professional trainer and instructor in corporate and university environments for over ten years. Her love of teaching people combined with her love of working with her own dogs led her to co-found Canine Campus in 2002. In February of 2003 Deven completed an internship with renowned trainer Pat Miller. In June of 2003, Deven completed the Principles & Techniques of Behavior Modification at Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine.

Known for her lighthearted teaching style, she helps owners realize their goals of well-mannered family dogs in a relaxed and supportive environment, thus enhancing the human-dog bond. Deven's commitment to evangelizing positive reinforcement as a viable communication strategy sent her to prison in June 2003! For three years, as the lead trainer for the Pen Pals prison dog program at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women and one year at Buckingham Correctional Center, Deven screened shelter dogs and placed them with carefully selected inmates who worked with her to teach the dogs to be polite family members during a ten-week training period. The inmates used positive methods only (and lots of hot dogs!) with the aid of a clicker. The dogs were then adopted by the general population. In the Spring of 2006 Deven debuted the Canine Campus pod cast, available on Itunes, where she addresses common behavior challenges and listeners questions.

Deven believes her love of problem solving (a carry-over from Logic 101, she fears :) is the foundation for her interest in behavior modification. She works with local vets who have diagnosed behavior problems in dogs to design and implement behavior modification techniques to manage and improve the situation. Her Puppy Socialization class is designed specifically to prevent the need for behavior modification later in a dog's life. Deven is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), successfully completed the certification requirements of the Certified Pet Dog Trainer program (CPDT) the only nationally accredited program for dog training, and holds a Masters Degree in Philosophy.