Black Cloud Obedience Training

Hello, my name is Nichole Buckley and I am the founder and owner of Black Cloud Obedience Training. Growing up I always loved animals, but ironically wasn't allowed to own a dog! I found outlets in programs such as 4H, where I first learned to show dogs, and FFA. During college I got my first dog, a border collie named Gus, who had been dumped in Paso Robles, CA. Gus was my introduction to responsible dog ownership and training my own dog. Shortly after, in 2011, I got hired at a Veterinary office caring for the boarding dogs on evenings and weekends. Not long after starting I was allowed to offer training services to boarding dogs and got my start training very basic obedience to a variety of breeds. After graduating from Cal Poly SLO in 2015 I got a full-time job working for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). While working full time I still got to fill my passion for dog training by working with dogs for waterfowl hunting, and still do a great deal of field training with our personal dogs. In 2019 I decided training dogs part time wasn't enough, and with many people's encouragement, I quit my government job that year to start Black Cloud Obedience Training. 

I use a balanced training approach utilizing reward and correction to teach your dog to make correct choices. Training is about consistency, communication and repetition, and a large part of what I do is to teach you, the owner, how to maintain your dog's training once they are home. I am always available for advice and support to ensure that you and your dog both succeed with your training goals. 

Regardless if it's for basic obedience, hunt training, or service work, any trainer will tell you, obedience is the foundation of everything. You can’t truly progress your dog to more advanced training if the obedience is not solid. This obedience is the same if your dog is training to work in the field or is simply a companion and well-loved pet. 

In 2019 my service dog journey began when I got Mr. Darcy, a lovely standard poodle, as a medical alert service dog. He has changed my life in so many ways for the better, and I really found a passion for training these dogs to help others. Over the years the type of training I focus on has changed, but my passion for dogs has been undying.