Almudena Ortiz Cué (she/her) is a graduate of the renowned San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers (CTC), a Certified Professional Dog Trainer by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), Certified Canine Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCC), a professional member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and the owner of C.H.A.C.O. Dog Training & Behavior Consulting, LLC. located in Tesuque, the Santa Fe, New Mexico area, since 2012. In March of 2023, Almudena was awarded the certificate of Certified Canine Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCC) from the NC State Collage of Veterinary Medicine. She is also a certified Tellington TTouch® Practitioner for Companion Animals. She is the author of two books. (See Chaco’s store for more info & purchase.)
As a staff trainer for two years at the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in Walnut Creek, CA, she worked with under-socialized dogs who had experienced lengthy shelter stays or scored poorly on the SAFER test. She utilized training designed both to improve the lives of the dogs while at the shelter and to prepare them for successful adoptions. She also designed and implemented the shelter’s first Dog Training Internship Program (Dog TIP). In addition to private dog training, she offers one-on-one consultations on behavior modification and group dog-training classes.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History of Art, a Master’s Degree in Folklore from the University of California at Berkeley, and a three-year degree in Commercial Photography from Brooks Institute.
Aside from her interest in animal behavior, she has been a professional photographer for twenty-five years and a college professor for over ten years, teaching various topics in photography, postcolonial theory, and the human body from an anthropological perspective.
When not working with her clients and their dogs, Almudena spends oodles amounts of joyful time training her three dogs (Deuce, Rioja (aka Rio), and Stig in fitness, agility, and playing training games. She also loves to spend time with her husband, John, and working out. She is a level 1 certified MOVNAT trainer https://www.movnat.com.
