DEB JONES, Ph.D
Deb is a psychologist who specializes in learning theory and social behavior. She started experimenting with clicker training 30+ years ago and never looked back.
Dogs helped
Years experience
Helping dogs & their people grow together
After 20 years spent teaching college students at Kent State University, today Deb works with dogs and their people full time via her books, webinars, online courses, and more.
Cooperative Care
Any handling or procedure necessary to keep your dog healthy and enhance their physical well-being falls under the cooperative care category. It doesn’t have to be a struggle!
Focus Training
“Focus first!” is my training mantra. We want an eager and willing training partner. My training exercises and games instill and strengthen focus between the trainer and dog.
Zen Work
Wouldn’t you love it if your dog was calm, relaxed, and thoughtful? Zen work can help us to nurture these qualities in our dogs by teaching them how to manage their emotions.
Foundations
Foundation work done well makes all the rest so much easier! We want to rush ahead in training and get to the fun fancy stuff, but doing the basics well is key to making the harder stuff easy.
creator of the TEAM Cooperative Care Certificate & Cooperative Care Trainer Certficate
Deb Jones partnered with the Fenzi TEAM program in 2020 to create the TEAM Cooperative Care Certificate Program. The TEAM Cooperative Care Certificate (TEAM CCC) allows a dog & handler to demonstrate their mastery of cooperative care skills. The program is set up with 10 essential exercises and increases through 4 levels of challenge. By earning titles at each level you demonstrate your ability to successfully reach an objective standard of performance for cooperative care exercises.
Then in 2025, Deb debuted her Cooperation Attitude Relationship Education – Trainer Certificate (CARE-TC) program. The CARE-TC certificate is a comprehensive educational program that serves as a knowledge foundation for cooperative care trainers. This program covers the foundations of learning and behavior change, the most common cooperative care exercises and procedures, and the challenges of working in the real world. The modules cover not only WHAT to do and HOW to do it, but also consider WHY this is the best approach for success.
dogs helped
Online Classes Taught
years experience
Books Written
No matter what those goals are — our 6-year-old dog now demands to have his teeth brushed every night, and plays with me with great joy, things that were important to me but that I’d never have achieved without Deb’s expertise and encouragement.”
“A single class with Deb Jones made a big difference to my dog’s quality of life. I was able to help my nervous dog get on board, emotionally, with care practices such as brushing and nail trims; a few simple strategies reduced her stress at the vet’s office. Deb believes in the value of cooperative care, and, crucially, offers step-by-step guidance in attaining it. My dog and I are grateful.”
“As a dog trainer, I love recommending “The Focused Puppy” by Deborah Jones, Ph.D. & Judy Keller, because it is an easy to follow, complete guide to getting started with training a new puppy.
As a student, I have had the pleasure of working under Deb Jones in several training classes from Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Deb helped me, in the kindest way, to tease apart my training tasks to their very molecules, and helped me rebuild my mechanics; I’m more efficient and effective in planning and executing my training goals. I would recommend anyone interested in bettering their training skills to work with Deb.”