Meet the Wiggle Butt Team
Michael Miranda, CPDT-KA, FFCP, CPPS, Pet-Tech CPR/First Aid
Michael was raised in Dallas and had many dogs as a child, all of which he trained himself. He studied music at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and, after graduating, worked in fine dining and music education while working as a musician, playing in several bands in the area and touring the southwestern United States. After getting his first dog as an adult, Michael reached out to Nicole Kohanski after coming across her name via the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Several sessions with Nicole sparked an interest in dog behavior, training, and the science behind positive reinforcement. He began learning the basics of training under Nicole while preparing to begin his formal education in dog training. Michael is a certified Fear Free Professional (Veterinary and Trainer) and Professional Pet Sitter and currently runs a boarding and training facility in Prosper, TX. He is working on obtaining his Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from the Academy for Dog Trainers as a recipient of the BIPOC scholarship. Michael's ultimate goals are to spread awareness of the benefits of, and sound science behind, positive reinforcement training methods, to combat the negative stereotypes of people of color and dog ownership, and to help as many owners as possible give their dogs a happy and healthy life.
CPDT-KA stands for Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed. Those with this certification have at least 300 hours of dog training experience within the previous three years, obtain a reference from another CPDT-KA trainer or veterinarian, and agree to the certification council's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics and Least-Intrusive Minimally-Aversive (LIMA) Behavior Intervention Philosophy. They have also passed a 180-question exam that tests them on instruction skills, learning theory, ethology, training equipment and animal husbandry. To maintain certification status, trainers must complete continued education credits or re-take the exam every three years.
Pet Tech Pet Tech® is the first International Training Center dedicated to CPR, First Aid & Care for dogs and cats. Pet Tech has been teaching the important skills of Pet CPR, First Aid & Care for over 20 years.
We align with the Fear Free mission. We choose to minimize fear, anxiety and stress whenever possible. This includes NEVER using techniques that cause pain or tools like e/shock collars, prong collars, choke collars, etc. Completing the Fear Free Program allows trainers to work in partnership with families and veterinary teams to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress and improve an animal’s emotional wellbeing during veterinary care and home care. This certification program is designed to give qualified animal trainers the knowledge and tools required to begin implementing Fear Free techniques with their clients’ pets at the veterinary hospital, through in-clinic training classes for puppies and kittens, and in day-to-day training of animals in the home.
We offer The Family Dog Private Training Program for families with dogs & kids. This customized program is designed to get everyone involved, on board and on the same team.
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We are dedicated to excellence in every aspect of our business. We achieve this through education and execution of best practices. To obtain the CPPS credential, professionals must pass the CPPS Exam, adhere to quality standards and a Member Code of Conduct and Ethics and complete 30 CEUs each renewal cycle.