Giene Keyes

Giene Keyes started working with animal behavior in 1990 when she adopted a Greyhound from the racing track. To date, he is the most severe separation anxiety case that she has seen, and he taught Giene about the psyche and learning process of dogs. In 1995, when she was training her little pot-bellied Labrador Retriever puppy, she became interested in discovering how dogs learn and how best to train them. Starting her small training business in 1997, she developed her own methods and ideas of positive reinforcement. By taking what she had learned from her Greyhound and from using positive-training techniques with horses, she created what is now the foundation of her training methods with chickens and other species.

As a six-time Madison Magazine Best of Madison Gold winner and Pet Age Magazine National

Best Business Award Gold winner, Giene has been a professional dog trainer and behavior specialist in southern Wisconsin for 25 years. Starting one of the first dog daycares in the Midwest, she is a pioneer in her field. She devotes her time to animal behavior and enhancing the lives of people and their pets. It wasn’t until she served on the board of directors for the Heartland Farm Sanctuary that she discovered a passion for pigs and chickens.

A seasoned public speaker, Giene routinely presents seminars on animal behavior, training, and operant conditioning. People flock to her chicken training workshops and dog behavior seminars, where they learn the principles of animal behavior in a fun and interactive environment. Giene is a regular guest on popular radio shows, newscasts, and podcasts, and she has been featured in local magazines: the Wisconsin State Journal highlighted her work with chicken clicker training, and she graced the cover of Wisconsin Woman Magazine. She continues to love sharing her knowledge about and the joys of training animals.

Giene is also a professional and ethical breeder of stunning Portuguese Water Dogs, and she shows her dogs in numerous AKC venues. When she is not working, you can find Giene at her farmette in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, spending time with her family, her dogs, cats, and pigs; and, of course, her clever chickens.