About
Flash of Brilliance
With empathetic, personalized coaching, Adam teaches teams how to understand each other, work together, and reach their goals.
Meet Adam Skandarani, CCUI KPA-CTP
(They/Them)
With a combination of lived experience, extensive hands on learning, and formal education, Adam loves to tackle the weird and wonderful problems living with dogs can produce!
Their expertise can be summed up as Really Big Feelings; teenagers struggling to navigate the world (without driving their guardians around the bend), guarding and conflict aggression, and sport dogs who are flying off the handle or shutting down.
Adam uses training methods that are rooted in positive reinforcement, using play, access to the environment, food and other things dogs love to change behaviour. Their approach is rooted in understanding dogs as the complex individuals they are, meeting their needs and building the skills they need to navigate the world.
Adam frequently works with veterinarians, veterinary behaviourists and other specialists to help teams navigate the process of identifying, diagnosing and treating medical causes of behaviour problems.
As an Arab-American, Adam knows how impenetrable the dog world can be for people of different racial and cultural backgrounds. They teach in both Arabic and English, and value all pet guardians’ diverse cultural histories with dogs. As a judge, trainer and sport competitor, they are an advocate for equity and inclusion in dog sports, and are a mentor for other competitors and trainers of color.
The Story So Far
Adam’s start in the training world came from their very first dog, a beautiful brindle boxer named Sansa. Sansa was Adam’s introduction to dog sports, and they competed in numerous venues together, most notably agility, nosework and obedience. But Sansa was also complicated, with physical health problems that affected her behaviour, and serious resource guarding.
Enter Flash, a sensitive, brilliant, bursting-at-the-seams-with-feelings white Boxer. He was a shock to the system, and through him Adam found their passion for helping guardians struggling with their dogs’ behaviour.
Since starting on their training journey, Adam has immersed themselves in all things dogs and training. From professional certifications, to conformation shows and nosework trials, and all the way to donkey training at the Karen Pryor Academy Ranch in Washington. They are currently pursuing another professional certification with their Boston Terrier Wibble.
Meet the Dogs
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Wibble
Head of Health & Wellness
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Flash Gordon
Chief Remedial Socialization Officer
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Sansa
The Queen (RIP)
“[Adam] helped us develop a lot of life skills I didn’t know I was missing and helped me repair my feelings about my dog.”
— Laken W.
Certifications and Continuing Education
Dog training is an unregulated industry, and Adam is committed to upholding a high standard of education and skill.
In 2020, Adam earned their Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI) certification. Control Unleashed is an industry leading program that uses creative application of positive reinforcement to set young dogs up for success, teach important life skills, and resolve behaviour problems such as fear and reactivity.
In early 2024, Adam completed the world renowned Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program, earning the credentials KPA-CTP.
Over the years, Adam has attended dozens of professional seminars, including with trainers such as Sarah Stremming, Dr Amy Cook, Julie Daniels and Ken Remirez. Some of the topics they focus on are human directed aggression, managing arousal and anxiety in sport dogs, and advanced training mechanics.
They continue to attend as many learning opportunities as possible, including at the KPA Ranch, Clicker Expo and Aggression in Dogs. Learning about dog behaviour and training is an ongoing project, and Adam also focuses on continually building their skills as a coach and teacher.
Sports
Adam has been participating in the dog sports world as a competitor, steward, coach, and judge for nine years.
Since they started in 2015, they have earned 85 titles in 8 different sports with their dogs, and continue to train weekly with their own coaches.
One of Adam’s specialties is helping dogs with aggression, arousal issues, and other behaviour problems participate in sports while staying safe and happy. Sports can be an amazing avenue to build the relationship between guardian and dog, build community, and learn important skills.
From sport-curious new guardians to seasoned competitors having a big problem in the ring, Adam is equipped to help.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
— Audre Lorde
