KPA-CTP
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. A six-month, intensive program founded by the pioneer of clicker training. KPA-CTPs are committed to force-free, science-based methods grounded in the principles of operant conditioning.
About Emily
Years of rescue work taught Emily that saving lives is only half the story.
The other half is teaching dogs how to live well in a human world — and teaching humans how to understand what their dogs are actually saying.
The Founder
Emily Wolf, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, FDM
Emily has always loved dogs. That love — combined with a deep belief that no dog should be discarded for being misunderstood — led her to found Boulder's Summit Dog Rescue in 2009.
After years of rescue work, she realized that saving the lives of dogs is only half the battle. The other half is teaching them how to live in a human world, and educating humans about how dogs communicate, how they learn, and how to meet their needs as a canine species sharing our homes.
So Emily went deeper. She attended and graduated from the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy, becoming a KPA Certified Training Partner. She earned her certificate as a Trainer and Behavioral Consultant from the Misha May Foundation in Denver, and holds the nationally recognized Certified Professional Dog Trainer — Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) credential.
In the summer of 2021 she earned her certification as a Family Dog Mediator, studying Kim Brophey's groundbreaking ethological approach — learning to coach families through the lens of who their dog actually is, not just what they're doing wrong.
When Emily isn't training or rescuing dogs, she lives in Boulder with her family, two cats, and two dogs — all rescues from Boulder Valley Humane Society, Boulder SPCA, and Summit Dog Rescue. She also works alongside Gigi Moss as an assistant trainer at Good Dog Club and Puppy Social Classes.
Credentials
What those letters actually mean.
Every certification represents hundreds of hours of study, supervised practice, and ongoing continuing education. Here's what each one stands for — and why it matters for your dog.
CPDT-KA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer — Knowledge Assessed. The most widely recognized independent dog trainer certification in North America. Requires verified hands-on experience and passing a rigorous standardized exam in learning theory, ethology, and instruction.
FDM
Family Dog Mediator. Developed by applied ethologist Kim Brophey. FDMs apply the L.E.G.S.® model — Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self — to look at the whole dog, not just the surface behavior. It's the difference between fixing symptoms and understanding causes.
Giving Back
The work that started it all.
In 2009, Emily founded Summit Dog Rescue — a Boulder-based non-profit dedicated to saving dogs and giving them the second chance they deserve. Years of rescue work shaped everything that came after, and remains close to her heart.