Meet The Team
Behind every superhero dog’s cape lies a tale of an extraordinary journey honed and nurtured by the visionary duo Mari Yanagawa & Mandy Gibson.
Renowned for their positive reinforcement techniques and innovative methods like Tellington TTouch.
They believe every dog harbours an incredible superpower waiting to be discovered.
Through their force-free, reward-based approach, Mandy and Mari empower families to bring out the very best in their four-legged heroes.
Mari and Mandy established themselves as animal behaviour practitioners offering one-one-one tailored behaviour solutions with their respective practices in dealing with problem dog behaviours.
Despite over 20 years of collective experience as dog trainers and behaviourists, Mari and Mandy continue learning new things, as the science behind animal behaviour constantly evolves , so too does our understanding of learning and dog behaviour, and how this applies to dog training and behaviour modification.
As moms to rescue dogs themselves, they have a special affinity for working with these precious souls and are passionate about advocating for their training needs. Collaborating with rescue organisations, they strive to reduce the number of dogs returned to shelters due to behaviour issues, thus lightening the load on rescue groups and fostering stronger bonds between pets and their families. Their superhero training methods and compassionate approach not only transform dogs into well-mannered companions but also strengthen the human-canine bond, creating a world where every dog can unleash their inner superhero.
Meet Mari
After an international career in travel, Mari’s lifelong dream was finally realized when she settled in Cape Town in 1997 and welcomed Takuma, a German Shepherd, into her home. An experience quite rare in her native Japan – sharing a house with multiple big dogs! Takuma’s puppy training sparked Mari’s interest, driving her to immerse herself in Tellington TTouch.
This transformative experience motivated Mari’s extensive education in dog behaviour and training. Her passion now lies in integrating comprehensive positive reinforcement methods to help people and dogs flourish together.
Training & Experience:
- Level 1 Certified Tellington TTouch Practitioner for Companion Animals. Level 1 (2009)
- ThinkingPets Trainer Level 3 (2010)
- Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour & Training DIPCABT (COAPE) NOCN UK from COAPE (2011)
- Completed multi-level Pro Dog Trainer courses from Absolute Dogs UK (2018-present)
- Over 15 years of combined experience as: Tellington TTouch Practitioner, Certified Behavior Therapist, Pro Dog Trainer
Meet Mandy
Mandy’s journey to becoming an animal behaviourist started with a Sharpei called Daisy, which led her to discovering Tellington T-touch and to become a practitioner. She later adopted a husky / border collie cross called Sledge from DARG and served as a catalyst to pursue her studies and obtain her Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour & Training through COAPE. Mandy shares her home with her husband Mike, a 12 year old Sharpei called Jade and a 2 year old mixed-breed rescue called Hunter.
Training & Experience:
- Certified Tellington TTouch Practitioner (2014)
- Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour & Training DIPCABT (COAPE) NOCN UK from COAPE (2011)
- Completed Pro Dog Trainer courses from Absolute Dogs UK (2021)
- Over 10 years of experience blending: Tellington TTouch techniques, behavior modification, force-free positive reinforcement training
- Specialises in strengthening the human-animal bond
- Uses gentle, reward-based training methods