Our Staff
Get peace of mind with our qualified, experienced, dog and cat behavior professionals.
Our professionals treat many complex behavior issues with compassion.
We treat you and your pets with kindness and understanding. We have been in your shoes. We know that if you are contacting us now, you are struggling with your pet’s behavior and you want the best for your pet. So do we. We are trained in the most caring, force free and practical methods to help your pet without creating fear. We specialize in transforming your life with your pet to bring peace to your home.
Treat
LOMA Behavior Professionals treat many complex behavior issues, from puppy socialization to growling and biting.
Train
LOMA professionals are certified by the most reputable organizations in the field. They can train your dog whether your puppy is attacking your ankles or your dog bites someone.
Transform
LOMA behavior professionals are specialists in transforming your dog’s behavior. We use only fear free and force free training methods.
“I have no doubt that LOMA Behavior and Training is the best dog and puppy training organization in San Antonio. The programs are well-organized and personalized to provide the information and techniques needed for individual circumstances and problems. The trainers all have the highest qualifications in the field. They are true professionals. I highly recommend them for any kind of dog or puppy training.”
— SuEarl McReynolds, 2022
Our Qualifications
Finding a dog training professional can be very difficult. People get into this field in many different ways. Yet there are no licensing, education or experience requirements to work as a dog behavior professional. No government agency monitors what it means to be a “certified” trainer. So we’ve made your choice simple by only hiring trainers who adhere to the highest ethical and behavioral standards in the industry.
LOMA dog training is different from most training companies in San Antonio. ALL our trainers pursue certification through the most reputable organizations: the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the Karen Pryor Academy, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and Fear Free Pets. We currently staff the MOST trainers in San Antonio with the Fear Free certifications and the only behavior consultant (Non Veterinary) in Texas who is a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.
LOMA is also committed to ethical business practices. Our staff make livable wages, have access to health insurance and successfully pass a background check. We give you consistent, quality customer service and training by relying on employees, NOT subcontractors.
Meet Our Professionals
Dr. Lorraine Martinez, Ph.D, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional, AVSAB affiliate
Lorraine Martinez Ph.D., owner of LOMA Behavior and Training LLC, has been helping dogs and their people since 2002. She is a dog behavior consultant (non veterinary) member with the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Dr. Martinez came into the animal training field after earning her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Washington-Seattle, one of the best schools of behavioral psychology in the country. After adopting a dog showing aggressive behavior to other dogs she sought dog training help. That’s when she learned the field was filled with misconceptions about how animals learn and how behavior is changed. Dr. Martinez decided to use her knowledge of behavioral psychology to help pet owners get easy to understand information about dog training that relied on the long history of research in the field, rather than the myths that were so common.
She went on to graduate with distinction from the rigorous Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program. As part of the Greater St. Louis Training Club, she developed the first specialized program for dogs showing fearful and aggressive behavior. Dr. Martinez worked as the Behavior and Training Department Supervisor for the Humane Society of Missouri and served as a consultant with the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team, assisting with rehabilitation of dogs rescued from dog fighting seizures.
Dr. Martinez has a special spot in her heart for pit bulls. She adopted Dolly from one of the largest dog fighting raids in history - called the MO 500 dogs. Dolly was one of the most playful puppies from all the 500 dogs seized. She continued to be one of the funnest, happiest, and most loving dogs throughout her life.
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“We have greatly appreciated Lorraine and the team at Loma. They take tremendous care to ensure our family has all we need to encourage a safe and loving environment for our fur baby and toddler. We began working with Lorraine when our son was a newborn. The progress has been tremendous. We are grateful for Lorraine’s expertise, guidance, and care.” — Tanya Eustace, 2020
"Highly recommend training with Dr. Martinez and her staff at LOMA Behavior and Training. My two dogs Panda and Baylor had started fighting each other after living together for two years and we needed professional help to keep our dogs together. ...She patiently trained Panda, Baylor and me on techniques that would work to improve their relationship as well as making them more obedient to my commands. I am very happy to report that my dogs are now getting along and back to being friends...Dr. Martinez accomplished all this with pain free and ethical training techniques. If you are having discipline or aggression problems with your dogs I highly recommend Dr. Martinez and her staff at LOMA." — Saad Al Aziz, 2020
"Our experience continues to be nothing short of fantastic. LOMA has made every step from first contact, scheduling and regular training simple and effective. Without doubt LOMA Behavior & Training is the best investment we’ve made for our dog." — Dee Braaten, 2020
"I am extremely grateful to both Lorraine and Robyn. They showed me how to teach Olivia the basic commands... But more importantly, these two ladies taught me about the “special needs” of my puppy. Olivia is extremely fearful of almost everything. (She has vision problems and was probably a product of a puppy mill!) There was a time when she was so fearful that she would not even go outside to go on a walk, and ran away whenever she heard a loud noise such as the garbage truck. Lorraine, through patient instruction, and Robyn, through outstanding demonstrations, showed me how to not only identify my dog’s fear but also how to help her overcome those fears. Now Olivia looks forward to her walks, and even enjoys encounters with new people. Noise does not send Olivia into a fleeing panic. Most importantly, I am no longer constantly afraid that Olivia will bite someone because of her own fears. Whatever your dog’s needs, from simple to complex, these two special ladies can help you." — Phylis Weathermon, 2019
Dr. Megan Hoffman, Ph.D., Fear Free Certified Professional, AVSAB affiliate
Megan Hoffman, Ph.D., is an animal behaviorist who has been working with animals professionally for over 19 years. Dr. Hoffman earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Georgia State University in 2012. Her area of concentration is comparative psychology - the study of behavioral and cognitive processes across species. She is a dog and cat behavior consultant (non-veterinary) member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. She also is a member of the Animal Behavior Society and is a Fear Free Certified Professional.
Her research focused on learning and memory, but she also developed a strong interest in animal welfare, as a result of working closely with animals.
She came into the field of applied animal behavior as a natural extension of her doctoral training. After completing her training, Dr. Hoffman expanded to doing applied research with a variety of species in zoos and sanctuaries. She also began behavioral consulting work, applying her knowledge to improve animal lives - both domestic and exotic. One of her most fulfilling experiences was working on a project to teach American black bears to voluntary participate in receiving inter-muscular injections for veterinary care. She has experience working with a wide range of species including rodents, lagomorphs, ungulates, carnivores (felines, canines, bears), and primate species. Although today she focuses her consulting on domestic dogs and cats, her experience with other species helps her think outside of the box and draw from a large body of experience.
Dr. Hoffman has served as faculty at colleges and universities where she has taught a wide selection of courses on animal behavior, learning, cognitive science, research methods and behavioral analysis. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Animal Cognition, Journal of Comparative Psychology and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes.
Helping humans understand and communicate with their animals is her passion. She has a special place in her heart for animals that are fearful or anxious. She loves working on dog behavior cases, but also has an affinity for helping cat clients with behavior issues.
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“IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT CHOOSING THIS BEHAVIORAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOUR PET ... DO IT !!! The virtual training is well worth the price ! my dog is 5 years old and has had anxiety and fear problems that come off as very aggressive behavior issues . My dog made a lot of progress during the six session pack , he went from tolerating a stranger from about 6 feet away to being able to tolerate them being closer than such ... although his problems have not completely disappeared he is much more comfortable now around people . We also chose to work on muzzle training and came a long way as well , when before he didn’t find it exciting or payed interest or even got frustrated when working with the muzzle to now enjoying practicing commands with it on and being comfortable wearing it for long periods at a time. Whatever the problem there might be you want to help fix with your pet , choose LOMA :) They help every step of the way in such an organized and easy way you and your pet will enjoy the journey to becoming an even better friend and pet in no time.” — A. Cruz, 2021
"Dr. Hoffman and LOMA Behavior and Training has truly been a critical part of our life over the past few months and we couldn’t be more thankful to have found them. Our household has three dogs, two being rescues, each with their own concerns we needed to work on. Specifically, we had a very high anxiety and fear reactive dog that was making life in our household very unpredictable and we have had to keep our dogs separated because of it. Dr. Hoffman has been a true advocate for changing emotions with positive reinforcement. She has helped us work with our veterinarian in order to put our rescue, Nori, on anxiety medication that has helped tremendously. Before she didn’t want to leave her bed, play with her toys, or go outside. Her life was ruled by fear. With each training lesson, in combination with medication, she is acting more and more like the sweet and playful girl we know and building up her confidence. We are slowly working on reintegrating all of our dogs and I feel certain that we are doing it the RIGHT way under Dr. Hoffman’s instruction. I urge any pet parent, who is struggling with issues that may seem insurmountable, to contact LOMA Behavior and Training and request Dr. Hoffman. This is your opportunity to invest in the health and well being of your pets and receive professional and high-quality training. I can’t recommend LOMA and Dr. Hoffman enough!!" — Jessica Bijonowski, 2020
"We have had the best experience with Loma! I reached out after our older dog had passed away and our younger dog Dexter started exhibiting some behavior and stress issues. Working with Dr. Megan Hoffman has helped us learn more about our Dexter than I ever knew. We are learning ways to help Dexter manage his stress and compulsive behaviors, to help him live a happier and healthier life. We also foster for a local rescue and working with Dr. Hoffman has taught me to recognize so many behaviors that I never realized were stress related and how to help our fosters cope so that they will be more well adjusted when adopted. Everyone we have worked with at Loma have been the utmost professionals, Lorraine, Quinn, Sarah, and Megan. Thank you all for the patience and care for our babies. Some days I admit, we are the ones being trained more than the dogs! We have had nothing but amazing interactions with the entire Loma team and continue to refer them to anyone looking for help. Best of all, all of the animals in our cafe absolutely adore Dr Hoffman and the entire team!" — Brandy Tilley, 2019
"Megan came over for a consultation. I am a first time dog foster and have an extremely fearful and anxious dog. Megan was very knowledgeable and kept total composure with my dog barking aggressively for the entire hour. She explained to me how to help Nahla learn how to trust people and taught me how to handle situations that stress my foster so I can set her up for success. " — Roxy Suarez, 2019
Sarah Spencer, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional
She is a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed and Fear Free Certified Professional. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Biology minoring in Psychology from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in 2014 and plans to attend a graduate-level program at the Animal Behavior Institute next Fall.
Sarah has been passionate about working with all types of animals since childhood and never missed an opportunity to train any creature she came across. Her career began with pet sitting and training her neighbors’ cats and dogs, which led to leading horseback riding tours in the summer, evolved into working with dogs in shelters, and training and caring for large fish and reptiles (including sharks, alligators, and octopus)
With over a decade in animal training and husbandry, she has experience with a variety of species, which gives her a solid understanding that every single animal needs individualized training and care.Her ultimate career goals are to become a behavior and enrichment consulting specialist and travel to zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, etc. to create individualized training and enrichment plans to better animal welfare.
Sarah has been with LOMA since 2018 and has accomplished a great deal in that span of time. She has created two unique programs that foster LOMA’S goal of preventing fear and aggressive behavior. These programs allow puppies and their owners to thrive and learn in a safe environment. Sarah is the lead trainer for our Mutts with Manners and Adventure Academy group classes. She loves to help families learn to communicate with their pets and help them know that every animal can learn.
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“LOMA is the absolute BEST for pup training ! The staff has been amazing, especially Sarah Spencer and Catherine!! They are knowledgeable and were extremely helpful with our resource guarding, separation & anxious, and high energy husky pup. They gave us useful and practical tips, tricks and tools to get her confident and happy! We appreciate their guidance and service so much! We have made so much progress with the skills we have learned and positive reinforcement have made our sessions fun, exciting and enjoyable!” — Jackie Vasquez, 2021
"All of the staff at LOMA are very helpful and genuinely care about raising a healthy puppy. Trainer Sarah Spencer has helped us train and manage our puppy for several months. We couldn’t have done it without her. She is extremely knowledgeable and is wonderful with hands-on experience. Our 7 month old Shepherd mix has a lot of energy, and thanks to Sarah, we can manage it." — Amy Stovell, 2020
"Sarah has done a great job and would recommend her to anyone." — Suzette Beasley, 2020
"Everything that I have learned from Sarah Spencer has been easy, fun, very clearly explained, and applicable. She is very attentive and has quickly analyzed what my “sort-of-rescue” 15-month-old, adopted Beagle needs. I couldn’t be more pleased." — Mrs. Cox, 2020
"We had a phenomenal experience with trainers Beverly and Sarah. They really helped us understand our new puppy’s behaviors and how a dog perceives their environment/owners. It was really an eye opening experience even though we have had dogs in our family for decades. Wholly recommend this company! Huge thumbs up!" — Benito Moncivais, 2019
"I HIGHLY recommend LOMA for all your pet behavior and training needs. From my very first conversation with Christine, it was clear that the LOMA staff is knowledgable, patient and extremely caring when it comes to pets. Our trainer, Sarah, is the absolute best! She takes the time to listen to our concerns and has helped us make major strides with our fear aggressive dog. If you are searching for the best trainer for your pet, look no further than LOMA!:- Gina Cramer, 2021
Raven Taylor, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional, AKC Canine Good Citizenship Evaluator
Raven has been a dog trainer for 4 years. She started with LOMA in 2022 and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed and Fear Free Certified Professional. She is also an AKC Canine Good Citizenship Evaluator. Raven has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She plans to further her education towards focusing on animal behavior so she can help all types of species beyond dogs.
She began in the pet care department at PetSmart and fell in love with training. She has always had an intense love for animals and knew early on that she wanted her career to involve them. Growing up, she was the child bringing home strays and asking her family to keep them.
She has a 2 year old, 100 pound, American bulldog mix named Helix as well as 3 snakes, a leopard gecko, and a 7 year old cat named Ishizu.
Raven works with puppies, impulse control/obedience cases and leash reactivity clients. She is the lead trainer for our Puppy Social group socialization class. Her favorite thing about being a dog trainer is helping people bond and communicate better with their pets. Raven works under the supervision of Dr.Martinez.
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"Loma and our trainer Raven were amazing! Everything from ease of scheduling, dealing with a new nervous puppy momma, & answering all my questions. We had productive individual sessions where we followed the training guides but also Raven helped us meet our specific needs for the future adventure dog. We loved attending puppy social classes as well - we covered good topics and got to practice our play skills. We’ve already signed up for middle school mutts & more training with Raven!." -Stacey Ayers, 2023
Jennifer Rodriguez, CV-A, Fear Free Certified Professional
Jennifer brings a unique skill set to our LOMA team. She is a CV-A (Certified Veterinary Assistant) with 20 years of experience in animal health care and is a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. Jennifer is a Fear Free Certified Professional through the Fear Free Veterinary Certification Program.
Jennifer has taken special interest in animal behavior and pet rehabilitation. She owns a mini Aussie named Athena who was born deaf and Apollo who is blind and deaf. Both have been taught with hand sign commands. She also owns 3 cats and a tortoise.
In the clinical setting, Jennifer has worked with many fearful and aggressive pets, gaining their trust and being able to handle them to give medical care. She has a passion for teaching husbandry and is knowledgeable in both shelter and rehab medicine as she volunteers for several local animal rescue organizations. On the weekends, she works as an assistant to Dr. Chris Pinney at Mobile Petcare of Texas.
Jennifer works with puppies and is an instructor for our Puppy Socials. She works under the supervision of Dr. Martinez and will be taking her CPDT-KA certification exam in 2024.
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"We used LOMA and Jennifer to train our new Goldendoodle. We were new dog owners and didn't know anything about dogs. Jennifer did an excellent job both training Riley (our dog) and training us. In fact, a lot of training was teaching us how to interact with Riley. Riley improved significantly with Jennifer's training." -Rick Anderson, 2023
Stephanie Leathers, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional, AKC Canine Good Citizenship Evaluator
With a professional animal career spanning over thirteen years, Stephanie is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, Fear Free Certified Professional and has been an AKC evaluator since 2018. She graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Psychology.
Stephanie has always had a caring way with animals. She started working at SeaWorld San Antonio where she worked with over 30 different species. It was always a passion to help the people around her learn each animal has a special purpose even if it was 'scary'; this is where her respect for the human-animal relationship truly sprouted. Working with exotics taught Stephanie to be adaptable, patient, and that every animal can learn if you give them a chance.
Stephanie then transitioned to working as a dog trainer, helping families understand and live more harmoniously with their dogs. She not only taught her own clients, but also mentored and trained new dog trainers in San Antonio. She joined the LOMA staff in 2023.
At home Stephanie and husband, Larry, spend much of their time being lovingly bossed around by their daughter and two Australian Shepherds, while their cat Shelly monitors the circus from her perch.
Stephanie is one of our behavior specialists and works with dogs that are reactive or fearful and assists with our more complex dog fighting and dog bite cases.
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"Stephanie saved my dog. My dog is a rescue I took off the street. Aggressive tendencies and frankly I was at the point of considering whether he should be put down. He fought with other dogs and I could not trust him around people. In 5 visits, Stephanie had him sociolizing with other dogs at my home and playing and being submissive with her! Please understand, before Stephanie, I was the only one who could feed and walk him. Only one other neighbor could even get near him! By the third visit, he was rolling over on his back for her. I did not think that was possible. When I say she saved my dog, I mean it. Loma was my last resort before having him put down. I have lots of work to go and by no means can I put my guard down but Stephanie showed me a different dog. One that can still be saved with the right training and knowledge." -John Petri, 2023
Helix, Helper Dog
Helix helps with dogs reactive and fearful of other dogs.
Helix is a 2 year old, American Bulldog mix. He is a rescue who's foster saved him 30 minutes from being euthanized when he was about 4 months old. He loves dogs of all sizes and people of all ages and he will do anything for a snack.
In his free time he loves to do two things. Play and sleep. He is a 100 pound lap dog, and majority of the day you'll find him taking a nap, but when he does decide it's time to play, he loves to play tug and fetch.
He is a lot of dog, but is definitely just a giant lovebug.
Athena, Helper Dog
Athena helps with leash reactive dogs!
Athena is a 10 year old Mini Australian Shepard that was born deaf or Hearing Impaired. She is a great representation of the many Double Merle dogs that out there and have been miss read due to their disability.
On her free time, she loves to play and snuggle with her housemates, 2 cats and her brother dog Apollo ( born blind and deaf.) She loves visiting family(humans and their dogs, kids, and going to the parks to get her zoomies on in a big open area.
Bean, Helper Dog
Bean helps with leash reactive dogs and puppies.
Bean is one year old, deaf dachshund. He loves to bask and lay in the sun. He lives with 3 cats.
In his free time, he loves to play and snuggle…and play and snuggle…and go to doggie day care…and play and snuggle. He is a total lap dog.
Buddy, Helper Dog
Buddy works with fearful dogs.
Buddy is a 6 year old rescue that is currently in foster care. Buddy lives with two cat siblings and is the perfect gentleman on walks.
In his free time, he loves to play with his cat friends, eat bully sticks and go for long walks!