About Vera Wilkinson
Vera Wilkinson is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), and founder of The Cooperative Dog.
Her work is grounded in humane, practical, everyday training that helps people build trust, reduce risk, and live together more successfully with their dogs.
For more than 30 years, Vera has helped families develop real-life skills, solve training problems, and navigate behavior challenges with clarity and compassion.
Her work combines professional experience, thoughtful guidance, and a deep respect for both dogs and the people who live with them.
Credentials, Affiliations & Recognition
Vera’s work is grounded in decades of hands-on experience, continuing education, professional leadership, and recognized service to dogs and their people.
Why Families and Veterinarians Trust The Cooperative Dog
Dog training isn’t just about teaching cues—it’s about preventing problems, reducing risk, and helping dogs succeed in everyday life.
For nearly three decades, Vera has worked with Greater Boston families across the full spectrum of life with dogs — from new puppies and household manners to fear, reactivity, aggression, and other stressful real-life situations that require calm, clear, experienced handling.
Clients seek her out because they want thoughtful guidance from someone who understands behavior deeply and can build a plan that is humane, realistic, and safety-conscious. Her work has been recognized both professionally and locally, and she is often referred by veterinarians and by previous clients who value her practical, compassionate approach.
In a small number of cases, Vera has served as an expert witness in dog-related legal matters. That is never where she wants a dog’s story to end. Her work is about the earlier chapters — prevention, responsible management, and training that helps dogs live safely and well with the people who love them.
What Vera Helps With
Vera works with dogs and families in a wide range of real-life situations, from early puppyhood through more complex behavior cases that require a thoughtful, safety-first plan.
Areas of Focus
- Puppy foundations and early socialization
- Adolescent dogs who need structure and guidance
- Everyday manners and family dog training
- Leash skills, recall, and public-life skills
- Fear, reactivity, and over-arousal
- Separation-related distress
- More serious behavior concerns
- Dogs with special needs, including deaf, blind, and deaf-blind dogs
Her clients include first-time puppy owners, experienced dog owners facing new challenges, and families who have already tried other approaches and are still looking for the right help.
Professional Leadership & Experience
Over the course of her career, Vera has combined hands-on work with dogs and families with a strong commitment to continuing education, professional leadership, and service to the field.
Professional Certifications
- Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC)
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
- Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP)
- American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator #29317
Vera has maintained her professional certifications through repeated recertification and continuing education requirements over many years, reflecting her commitment to staying current in the dog training and behavior field.
Professional Affiliations and Leadership
- Professional Member, Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) since 1999
- Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) since 2003
- International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) since 2007
- Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP) since 2013
- Dog Division Chair, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), 2008–2011
- Co-Chair, IAABC Dog Division Application Review Panel, 2009–2011
- IAABC Member of the Year, 2009
Teaching, Education & Community Work
In addition to private coaching and behavior consultations, Vera has taught group classes for many years and has long valued the role of education in helping dogs and their people succeed together. Her work has included puppy and family dog classes, behavior-focused instruction, dog behavior education seminars, and community-based teaching through local recreation programs. She also serves in selected evaluation roles that support skill-building and responsible, real-life training.
Recognition
- Boston Magazine Best of Boston – Best Dog Trainer, 2011
- Boston’s A-List Runner-Up, 2010
- Beantown Tails Best Agility Instructor 2008
- Featured appearances connected with PBS/WGBH, including work related to Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (2007) and Arthur (2012)
A Humane, Practical Approach
Vera teaches with positive reinforcement and humane methods while keeping safety, clarity, and real-world responsibility firmly in view.
Her approach is relationship-based, but never vague. Thoughtful, but never impractical. She helps clients understand what their dogs are communicating, learn how to respond more effectively, and build skills that truly matter in daily life.
Some situations call for patience and gentle skill-building. Others require immediate management, stronger structure, and clear boundaries to keep everyone safe. Vera’s goal is not to force every case into one formula, but to help dogs and people live better together in ways that are realistic, respectful, and sustainable.
A Life Shaped By Dogs
Vera’s professional path has also been deeply shaped by the dogs who have shared her life and helped deepen her understanding of learning, communication, resilience, and partnership. Their influence continues to inform her work and her respect for the bond between dogs and people.
To read more about that journey, visit My Story.
Looking for the Right Kind of Help for Your Dog?
Whether you are starting with a puppy, hoping to make everyday life easier with your family dog, or facing a more serious behavior concern, Vera offers thoughtful, practical help grounded in real life.
