A Connecticut native, Tina Biello is a retired Police Officer who teaches swimming, dock diving, intro to K9 disc and in-home foundation skills and problem solving for dogs. She began working with dogs at a very young age because her father raised beagles for rabbit hunting, a tradition he brought with him from his native Italy. She used to help him train the beagles to scent, and was fascinated by it.

Although she always loved dogs, she didn’t begin actively studying canine behavior until years later when she was injured on duty, requiring multiple surgeries and long-term rehabilitation. Working with dogs helped to fill the void caused by her sudden retirement, and her healing was assisted by her own two dogs, who are an essential part of her life.

Tina’s specialty is working breeds, and she loves teaching dogs to swim properly by engaging their core and rear muscles rather than relying solely on a life jacket. She teaches with positive reinforcement, focusing on important life skills such as loose leash walking, perimeter training, no jumping, leave it, being respectful in the house and not destroying things in the home (including toys), all of which equals a balanced, respectful dog. She believes in “teaching” instead of “training,” as she sees the former as a phrase that connects with dog owners and helps to create a better relationship between human and canine. Over the past 10 years, she has been blessed to have earned the trust of many different breeds of dogs and their owners, and has learned from every dog she’s worked with. Currently, she has two Cane Corsos, RoxieStar and Zhazzy, who are her life, love and sanity! She and her dogs are highly accomplished in dock diving and play “UpDog Challenge” disc at highly competitive levels. Additionally, she is a member of The Canine Stars Stunt Dog Team, performing at shows all over the U.S. Most recently, she and RoxieStar appeared as part of The Canine Stars team on Season 16 of “America’s Got Talent.”