About | Althea Canines

About Us

Building Confident Dogs Through Trust, Patience & Positive Reinforcement

At Althea Canines, we believe every dog deserves to be trained with compassion, patience, and respect. Our approach is rooted in force-free, positive reinforcement training — helping dogs learn through trust, encouragement, and clear communication rather than fear or punishment. While service dog training is central to our mission, our methods are designed for all dogs and the people who love them.

From future service dogs to beloved family companions, every dog we work with receives thoughtful, individualized training focused on building confidence, strengthening the human-canine bond, and creating lasting success both at home and in the real world.

More Than Dog Training — A Lifelong Commitment to Changing Lives

Althea Canines was founded from Shannon’s lifelong love of Labrador Retrievers and her personal understanding of the powerful connection between people and dogs. After facing her own struggles with PTSD, anxiety, and severe depression, Shannon experienced firsthand how the presence of a service dog could provide comfort, stability, and hope during life’s most difficult moments.

That experience inspired a deeper mission: creating accessible, compassionate training programs that help individuals, families, veterans, and first responders experience the life-changing support dogs can provide. What began as a passion for raising exceptional Labradors evolved into a purpose-driven organization dedicated to improving lives through force-free training, empathy, and the extraordinary bond between humans and dogs.