About Paws & People

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While I grew up with animals of all types, and lots of them, I started my professional career with dogs in the mid 1980's while on a K9 avalanche Team. For four years I worked with carefully selected dogs and other professional handlers from around the US and Europe. This was an incredible foundation in so many ways, but it was the working relationship and partnership with the dogs that had the biggest impact. During the winter season I was on the mountain working, training, and handling. Summer was short but I was fortunate to spend a few of them conditioning one of the dogs through a couple of mountain ranges. I was learning about canines to be sure, but also - health, movement, mobility, observation, training, trust, and pushing limits, together. Some days were just days, and others were explosive and dynamic, and in all of the mix we still had to remain a Team.

It was a natural transition from professional handling to avid back country hiker. Dogs and the outdoors seemed to be a natural blend, I don't know that I ever imagined one without the other. My dogs and I covered mountain ranges in over three states, the miles we covered would just be a guess at best. All weather, all terrain, and I can't remember a time that I wasn't grateful to have my dogs with me. This is when I started to learn a little something about nutrition. My dogs were performance/working dogs and the food that was available didn't seem to be enough or right for the energy they were needing. I had a lot of curiosity and also questions, this was the start to what would become my life's work in health and behavior.

Dog sports had been around a good long while but didn't peak my interest until agility hit the scene in the early 1990's. I remember seeing a demonstration on TV and was hooked, it was that instant and would be the next thing to try with my dogs. I ended up spending twenty-five weekends a year for over a decade competing in agility all over the west and up into Canada. One dog went to two, then three, then five, and more dog sport disciplines were added. Herding, scent work, canine freestlye, then one new dog sport from Germany caught my attention, Treibball. Years later I founded the World Treibball League and for twelve years ran my on-line International league that hosted Teams from eight different countries.

Training with my dogs for dog sports wasn't just about competing, although I do like ribbons, it was about the art & skill of it all, and going back to my foundation of relationship. 

In 2003 I became a CPDT-KSA  certified dog trainer and the founding owner of Paws & People. While I still wanted to work with professional and sport handlers, the focus was going to be family pet and working dog owners that wanted to learn what I had to offer with health and behavior, at the highest levels. I wanted to focus on the whole dog - socially, emotionally, physically, and nutritionally. 

To say the least, I didn't come out of the gate walking, it was more of a bang. I didn't wait for anyone's permission on how I should structure my training business, I knew that I wanted my clients to be as stoked about training and health as I was. I continued to offer creative classes, but also started to offer workshops across the country. I accepted any invitation for a demonstration, appeared on national TV, radio interviews, and wrote articles about our relationships with dogs. I became an award winning writer and photographer, focused on our relationships with animals, and then started to give public talks on all things dog.

If anything, all of these years, and experiences, and knowledge in the animal world have brought me to the place and profession of Professional Observer. The mechanics of how a dog moves, how they behave, how they observe, what catches their attention, how they carry themselves in the human world vs the dog world, how they self-medicate, show or guard emotions, or when they might have dis-ease. This has become my agreement with dogs, all animals. Show me what is going on, this is our start, and we will move forward with this understanding. And I believe this is what I am known best for now. And I would like to believe that my clients are the most educated dog owners with the best skill, and a unique understanding of being a Team.

Award Winning writer and photographer

Owner -Border Farm Goat Dairy 

Youtube Channel

Instagram

Weston A. Price Chapter Leader

CCPDT Certified Professional Trainer

Natural Rearing Border Collie Breeder - est. 2005

AKC CGC Evaluator

AKC Fetch Judge

AKC Farm Dog Certified Judge

ABS Member

Dog Sport Competitor

Raw Food Specialist

Appeared on the Martha Stewart Show. 

NAPgA Member / 2026 Board of Directors

Paws & People, est. 2003 

World Treibball League, est. 2009 

Currently I live on our farm that is a blend of everything I do and love: working with dogs, running my goat dairy, training packgoats, biodynamic gardening, nutrition, and my natural rearing breeding programs. 

We have been biodynamic gardening/farming since 1997, and also practice natural rearing with all of our animals. We have created a farm that feeds the animals, that feeds the soil, that feeds our family, and now beyond. We are full circle, as nature intended.

Border Farm is now home to our - raw goat milk dairy, pastured duck eggs, and our produce and herb garden. We offer agricultural services/consultations, as well as our seasonal products. 

Besides my training services for dogs I now offer training and behavioral classes with our farm animals. Hands on work with our animals - skills, animal husbandry, ethology, midwifery, gear choices, training and behavior, mama and kid care, and seasonal considerations. All of my Farm Classes have now been approved for CEU's with CCPDT for professional dog trainers. We are super excited to share this with you all!

"To say I am impressed with Nancy Tanner, would be an understatement. Nancy’s skills as a trainer and instructor far surpasses most people I have crossed paths with. She has a natural ability to switch gears so fast and with humor which is a great asset in this business.  Most of us have an easier time training dogs but when it comes to the humans that is a different story. While the class participants were working she would help them achieve the goal and did it in a way that did not seem like a correction but made it fun and informative. Often Nancy interpreted what she felt the dog was thinking during the exercise and it was funny and drove the point home. During one of the videos of her working in the back yard with her dogs, I was sitting there thinking, “This is unbelievable.”  Debra