Micheal D Sapp Jr.
Micheal D Sapp Jr. is Owner and Head Trainer/Consultant of Talon Canine Services and Consulting. A company he started over 20 yrs. Ago in Rockford, MI. His deep affection towards animals however, can be recalled as early a age 5 alongside his father, he helped train a neighbors pet Cairn Terrier, Crystal, to be a hearing dog for their deaf child.
Realizing even then the need for service dogs, his lifelong passion quickly began to grow. His childhood was spent centered around any activity involving the training of dogs for various types of service work and sport. Titling his first dog in the sport of Schutzhund at age 16 and devoting every spare second to his volunteer work with Paws With A Cause, the nation’s first service dog organization, where he would eventually develop and land role as supervisor over an apprenticeship training program that has since grown to train more than 2,200 assistance dog teams.
Since his days at Paws, Mike’s life experiences have been as broad and exceptional as his skill set. From his advanced degrees in Psychology and Behavioral Science to his 8+ yrs. spent as one of the first civilian Explosive Detection Dog Handler/Trainers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it can effortlessly be seen that every facet of his life as played an intricate part in the development of his unique abilities, superior knowledge and unmatched expertise. Over the years Mike has participated in training many disciplines aside of the ones mentioned above, sheep herding, livestock protection, personal protection, brace walking, diabetic alert, bed bug detection, and various other disciplines.
Mike believes being able to effectively communicate with your pet is fundamental in resolving unwanted behavioral issues but before you are able to do so you must have a firm understanding of WHY they do what they do.
After traveling the country giving consulting various service dog organizations, Mike currently lives in Grand Rapids.