Our Expert Dog Trainers

Maximum Canine's Certified Dog Trainers have all been trained by Founder & Head Trainer, Joe Secreti.

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Meet Our Certified Maximum Canine Trainers

Nick Vannerom

IPO Camp Instructor
Nick was born and raised in Belgium, he started training dogs when he was 11 years old and started his first IPO dog at 15, he has spent 32 years in the sport. Nick has trialed many of his own dogs, and also enjoys trialing the dogs of others. He competes in all levels of IPO and is a 7 time Belgian Champion and 3 time Vice Belgian Champion. He has competed 11 times at world championships (FCI all breeds, FMBB, IFR).

He started protection training at 16 years old and has been a helper at more than 100 trials. He has been a helper in club trials, world champion qualification trials, and Belgian championships (FCI all breeds, Belgian Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc.). He has also been a helper in other countries such as Finland, South Africa, Canada, and Denmark. Nick has run workshops in many other countries as well, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and France.

Sherry Tauber

Certification/Degrees
Certified Maximum Canine Trainer
AKC CGC Evaluator

Sherry grew up with Dobermans and German Shepherds; she was always involved in the training of her family dogs and helper her friends train their dogs as well. Sherry became a Certified Dog Trainer because she wanted to turn her passion into a career. She became acquainted with Joe when she was searching for raw food for her Labrador-Rhodesian Ridgeback, Cooper. Their friendship grew through their connection with dogs, and Sherry realized that her and Joe have a similar dog training philosophy. When Joe offered her a position at Maximum Canine, Sherry decided to further her passion by joining her long-time friend.

Morgan Dog Trainer

Morgan Dalis

Detection Operations Coordinator
Certifications/Degrees
Certified Maximum Canine Dog Trainer

Morgan’s mother was a dog trainer so she grew up training her childhood dogs as well as those in her neighborhood. She spent her childhood through early 20’s working with and training horses in various disciplines. At 26, Morgan adopted Ruby, a hound mix, to train as a psychiatric service dog. Morgan’s parents had their dogs trained through Maximum Canine’s board and train program so she was able to see first hand results of the balanced training method. She liked the method so much that she joined the Max Canine team to continue her dog training education.

Morgan’s training interests include service dog training and detection training; she is training Ruby as a narcotics detection dog and her Belgian Malinois, Drac, as an explosives detection dog.

Jim Burns

Certifications/Degrees
Certified Maximum Canine Dog Trainer
Dual CEI Dog Training Certification
AKC CGC Evaluator
Maximum K9 dog training certification

Jim has had dogs his entire life; his Border Collie mix, Riley, spiked his interest in dog training when he was 13. Jim would also walk dogs and dog sit just to be around dogs from a young age. Jim has been a Certified Dog Trainer for 8 years, and worked as a trainer for two different companies before finding Maximum Canine. Jim is a Certified AKC CGC Evaluator and specializes in Obedience, Aggression, and Agility.

Nicole Dog Trainer

Nicole Sulzbach

Certifications/Degrees
Certified Maximum Canine Dog Trainer

Nicole Sulzbach grew up with German Shepherds, jump-starting her interest in getting into the dog world; her current Shepherd, Cash, is training in advanced obedience and bitework. She started her career as a bather in a grooming salon for 5 years, after which she found Maximum Canine. Nicole was began as a kennel technician and apprentice and worked her way up the ladder to trainer; her training interests include basic obedience, scent sport, and protection.

Katie Lopez-Ortez

Certifications/Degrees
Certified Maximum Canine Dog Trainer

Katie Lopez-Ortez grew up with a love for all animals, with a special passion for dogs. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Biology with a focus on pre-veterinary sciences to become a small animal general surgeon. Katie started working with dogs in a large boarding facility where she was fascinated by working with and handling dogs. She found Maximum Canine where she started as a kennel technician and is now a fully certified dog trainer.

Toki Woods

Toki grew up with dogs and was always the "dog person" in her family. She started fostering dogs and fell into training to help rehabilitate the dogs and give them the best chance at a new home. Toki started at Dream Come True K9 and then decided to further her education at Maximum Canine. Toki's training interests are advanced obedience and trick training.