About Your Pet Professional
Andrea Loomis is the owner of For Keeps Pet Training, LLC. Andrea graduated from Argosy University in 2005 with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. In 2005, she passed both the national and the state of Minnesota exams to gain the credentialing of a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT). Her certification remains in good standing with the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association.
In 2003, while attending Argosy University, Andrea began working within a small animal general practice located in Prior Lake, Minnesota and remained a member of their team until 2019. In 2012, Andrea acquired additional knowledge and experience through working at an animal emergency center. In 2016, she began working within an additional small animal general practice located in New Prague, Minnesota.
It is through her experiences as a certified veterinary technician, that Andrea developed a special interest in animal behavior. Specifically, how behavior relates to every day interactions, veterinary visits, and most importantly, how it impacts the human-animal bond.
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Her desire to be an advocate for her patients, along with being a knowledgeable and reliable resource to their owners, drove her to consider specializing in animal behavior and earning the credentials of Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) (Behavior). The coursework and requirements for this certification requires numerous hours of experience in training animals. Andrea wanted to ensure that she would be training animals and teaching owners with the most humane and scientifically based methods.
Through recommendation, Andrea pursued acceptance into the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy Professional Dog Trainer program. After an application, letters of recommendation, a phone interview and a video submission of training a dog a new behavior, Andrea received notice of acceptance. She worked diligently through rigorous course work, training exercises, workshops, and final assessment exams to include how to teach others to train their dogs along with demonstrating her ability to train her own dog a ten-cue behavior chain. Through the successful completion of the course work, workshops, and final assessment exams, Andrea was awarded the distinction of a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP): Certification #12443.
Andrea joined the fear free movement, where the mission of Fear Free is to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them. Andrea has completed the Fear Free certification program and currently holds the highest certification status of an Elite Professional.
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Andrea has completed the Low Stress Handling® Certification Program through the Low Stress Handling® University. The program's coursework is derived from the works of the legendary Dr. Sophia Yin. Andrea learned how to recognize and understand the body language of fear and anxiety in dogs and cats and how to resolve their fear. The successful completion of this program has awarded Andrea the distinction of a Low Stress Handling® Certified-Silver Level (LSHC-S) individual.
Andrea’s certifications through these professional associations requires her to not only continue advancing her knowledge through participating in continuing education seminars, but also holds her accountable to a standard of professional conduct.
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A native to the New Prague, Minnesota area, Andrea shares her home with her husband, their six children, two dogs ("Livi" the Australian Shepherd and "Bean" the Cocker Spaniel/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) and two cats ("Happy" the Domestic Medium Hair and "Stinky" the Domestic Short Hair). In her spare time, Andrea enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors.
