About Us

Hey guys it’s great to meet you! I’m Tamara, the head Trainer at Doglingual. I was born and raised in California but I’m a true Oregonian at heart. I grew up with a fascination for wolves from a young age which over time developed into a deep rooted love for dogs. That love for dogs has transformed into a passion for helping dogs live their best lives through training. 

I’ve always been someone who liked to know how to do things on my own. That originally started with crafting dog related things of course, but it snowballed into learning how to do things for my dogs. Training became the first thing I took on to figure out how to do myself. I started with TV shows, reading books & anything else I could get my hands on. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I had a natural talent for working with dogs. I practiced as much as I could with the dogs I had available to me at the time, which is where I started my hands-on learning. 

I knew I wanted to work with dogs in some way, but I don’t think I knew what a dog trainer was just yet. It wasn’t until I moved to Oregon in the winter of 2017 that the thought even began to cross my mind. I had no idea where to start, so that thought became more of a pipe dream and I focused my energy on getting into the dog industry in any way I could. My professional work with dogs started in grooming shops. I thought it was a great way to get my foot in the door and it was another great skill to have in my tool belt for things I could do myself with my dogs. I saw the good, the bad & the ugly in the dog grooming scene and after about the 3rd time of giving it a shot I realized that it just wasn’t the right scene for me.

I had tried to get into the training scene once before, but I just wasn’t ready to handle it at that point. So I resigned myself to simply working on my skills with my personal dogs. I got 3 over the course of 5 years and my self taught skills are reflected in each of those dogs. My resources had expanded since I first started, so I now had access to some pretty well known trainers through social media & the internet. I watched videos, read articles and talked about dog training with anyone that would listen. I asked questions and continued to work with people that I knew to help their dogs and put my skills to the test. 

The path I’ve taken to get to where I am today with dog training has been pretty unconventional to say the least, but it’s worked out pretty well. Two years ago I took on a position with a local training company where I was able to use all my self taught knowledge and put it to the test with hundreds of different dogs. It was a great experience and the boost that I needed to finally feel ready to branch out on my own. Many people I knew over the last couple years encouraged me to go out on my own, but I just never felt quite ready. But here I am now, the co-founder of Doglingual with my amazing partner. 

Outside of dog training, both with clients & my own dogs, my next favorite thing to do is dog photography. I have another company, Focus on Furever Photography, where I take advantage of my dog training knowledge to help people get amazing photos of their beloved dogs. If I’m not actively taking photos or editing photos, you can usually find me outside with my little family, enjoying nature on hikes.

Hey Ya'll, Carsyn here, I'm the assistant Trainer and Trekking Paws handler here at Doglingual. Like Tamara, I was born in California but moved shortly to Clackamas, Oregon; when there was still farms and only two lines on Sunnyside Rd. It was there I grew up and graduated from Milwaukie High School in 2009. 

Although I came from a low-income and single parent household, my mother made sure to provide me with as many opportunities and experiences as possible. Living in the PNW was the perfect environment for me. I thrived running barefoot while exploring the forests, beaches, and rivers every chance I had; I was considered a feral child. 

As a kid we could never own a dog, it just wasn't in the cards for us. So after I graduated High School, I moved into my own apartment and adopted my first dog. Her name was Kali and she was a 1yr old Blue Heeler. She changed my life forever! However, a year later I enlisted into the Army and my best friend's parents took in Kali and loved her like I did until the day she passed away. 

After 8 years in the Military, traveling and taking in the world, I found myself back in Oregon and enrolled at PSU. I joined the PSU Outdoor Adventure group. I participated in activities like white water rafting, backpacking, kayaking, and intro to mountaineering on Mt. Hood. Although I loved these outings, I missed having a canine adventure buddy. I decided to adopt Becky, 75% American Staffordshire Terrier, had one eye, and was animal reactive. We did absolutely everything together. I'm not even joking, she came to all my classes with me, camping, road trips, and she even got her own seat at the movie theaters. 

Having Becky is what kicked off my dog training career as it was needed in order to help her become the best version of herself. In time, she became far less animal reactive, confident, and with management, we were able to coexist with a well mannered dog in the same household. At the beginning of COVID, Becky's journey continued. She took to VanLife, keeping another Veteran company on their adventures. The two of them have been traveling and hiking all over the PNW and posting their stories to Social Media along the way. She's living her best life!

While attending PSU and getting into dog training, I needed a flexible job to work around classes and studying. I started as a dog walker for WAG! and Rover, walking, running and eventually boarding and sitting as many dogs as my schedule would allow. After PSU, I made the above my full-time job and added in pack hikes, and trail running.

During the height of the Pandemic, dog owners were now working from home or not working at all; this meant my services were no longer needed for a vast majority of folks. To get by, I worked at MudBay Inc. for a while, and I loved it! I also had more free time and started taking classes through CATCH Academy to become a more well rounded and educated dog trainer/handler. I plan on taking the CCPDT sooner than later. 

Between Tamara and I, we currently own six dogs: Ezio, Wryn, Neji, Baby Sai-Fry, Raven & Totoro. When we're not training or out on an adventure, (Usually training or Tamara's taking photos) you'll find me doing home projects or sleeping.