Renée Lamoureux grew up with a precocious Irish Terrier that she swears hated her. That first Irish Terrier, Carrie, was a challenge for the Lamoureux family. Behaviors like running away, fighting with other dogs, sneaking a nap on the couch, pulling Renée across a field to fight with other dogs or chase a squirrel, rolling in foul smelling garbage and many more helped Renée see what dogs do when they succeed with bad behaviors.
Renée started a successful pet sitting business that carried her through high school and college. That business helped grow her love for dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds. Just fresh out of Catawba College, with a history degree and a small pet sitting business, Renée had a unique conversation with her eye doctor. During an annual checkup, she sat chatting with her eye doctor about the family’s new Irish Terrier puppy and how, just out of college, she was looking for a job. The doctor stopped her in mid-sentence and exclaimed “Well, you know you could train dogs for a living.”
Education came first, Renée helped her mom work that new puppy through a local obedience class, soaking in as much information as she could. Attending the National K9 Learning Center in 1996 gave her a foundation in training and she soon opened her first business. She became a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and is now an IACP Certified Dog Trainer. Still wanting to learn all that she could about dog training and behavior, she studied under Robin MacFarlane in early 2004 and became a remote collar specialist. While working for That’s My Dog! Inc. and the E-Cademy she was able to learn from and help teach some
of the best dog trainers in the country. There are so many resources, methods and tools associated with dog training to learn about. Renée understands and is confident in the method and approach that she has built toward working with the everyday dog owner. But she knows that the learning never ends. Attention to education has driven Renée across the United States to schools, workshops and conferences.
Richmond, Virginia has become home to Renée and her dogs. She has worked with thousands of dogs in the past 20 years and loves being able to meet new ones every day. What she has learned from those dogs and their people has been invaluable. Strong relationships and honest, fair training with her clients and their humans is what helps Follow Me Dog Training LLC grow and continue to make an impact on dogs every day.