Tonya, CPDT, owner of Trajectory Dog Training in Melbourne, FL
MS · CPDT
Your mission specialist

Hi, I’m Tonya.

I’m a Certified Professional Dog Trainer serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, and all of Brevard County, plus virtual clients everywhere. Every client works with me personally, start to finish.

I’ve loved dogs since a collie mix named Snowball wandered up while I was catching frogs as a kid and decided I was hers. But the dog who made me a trainer came much later, and she did it the hard way.

CPDT certified Private, one-on-one Melbourne, FL based
The origin story

The dog that taught me everything.

In 2013 I got my first puppy. When she hit adolescence, my confident, friendly girl turned reactive toward other dogs, and I was completely out of my depth. Our world shrank fast: walks at 5 AM to avoid everyone, peeking around corners, turning back the moment another dog appeared in the distance.

The smaller her world got, the worse the problem became.

So I started learning. What began as one desperate owner trying to help her own dog turned into a deep dive into behavior, communication, and how dogs actually experience the world. And slowly, things changed. She could think instead of react. She relaxed. She trusted. Our world got bigger again.

That dog shaped everything about how I train today. She’s the reason so much of my work focuses on reactive dogs, and on raising the puppies who never have to become one.

The science part

I ran experiments before I ran training plans.

Before dogs, I spent my career in pharmaceutical chemistry (I hold a Master of Science). That training never left. I look at behavior systematically, I test what actually moves the needle, and I don’t accept “that’s just how he is” as an answer.

The trifecta

My own crew keeps me humble.

Three dogs, three very different personalities. Between them, they keep me practicing what I preach every single day.

Frankie, Tonya's Boston Terrier
Frankie
The Boston Terrier
Birdie Mae, Tonya's Frenchton
Birdie Mae
The Frenchton
Monkey, Tonya's French Bulldog
Monkey
The Frenchie
Why I do this

The goal was never a dog who behaves better. It’s a dog who feels better, and a life that gets bigger because of it.

That’s what every program is built around, from a puppy’s first year home (that’s my Puppy Pros division) to Trajectory, my adult programs: whether your dog skipped training entirely or needs serious behavior work.

Let’s Meet!

Start with a free evaluation. I’ll come to you, meet your dog, and give you an honest read on what’s going on and what’s possible.

Book a Free Evaluation

Free 30 minutes · Phone or in-home · No pressure, no obligation