Welcome to SMART DOGS!

Life with Dogs

Life Skills & Relationship Building for People, Puppies & Dogs. It All Starts Here!

Therapy Dog

Training & Testing for Therapy Dog Certification. Share your Dog's Happiness & Love!

Dog Sports

Agility, Dance, Freestyle, Obedience, Parkour, Rally, Treibball & More. Beginner to Advanced. Join Us!

Behavior Modification

Aggressive, Anxious, Fearful, or other Stress-Induced Behavior? We can help. Force-free, pain-free.

Online Learning

Reading, Video Tutorials, Discussions. Grow your knowledge in our Online Classrooms, Workshops & Learning Groups!

and More!

Conditioning, Body Awareness, Nutrition & Wellness, Trick Training, Seminars, Movie Nights, Field Trips & More!

Committed to Education & Excellence

Professional Dog Trainer & Life Coach

Located in Van Buren, Arkansas, SMART DOGS is the creation of owner Mary A. Gilbreth, Ph.D., Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and Certified Holistic Life & Stress Management Coach (CHLC).  Committed to education & excellence, Mary was the first trainer in the state of Arkansas to earn a CPDT and  has continued to bring numerous other firsts to the people & dogs of AR.  In addition to sharing her own knowledge & skills, Mary has hosted several internationally known trainers – Kathy Cascade (TTouch), Theresa McKeon (TAGteach International), and Kay Laurence (Learning About Dogs).  A Specialist in preventing & modifying aggressive and fearful behavior, Mary is well-versed in canine and human behavior, relationships, training, wellness & nutrition.  Mary is an avid clicker and positive reinforcement trainer and teaches a wide range of topics, activities & Dog Sports to her students  and also the Plumwood Posse – her dogs and cat.  To date, Mary & her dogs and cat hold titles in Agility, Freestyle, Freestyle Tricks, Hoopers, Obedience, Parkour, Rally & Triebball, and certifications in Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog. Through education, behavior change and a whole lot of fun, Mary promotes better behavior at *both* ends of the leash.

…Outside of the many classes and skills Mary has taught us, I am more so appreciative for the sense of community and connection provided at SMART DOGS. Mary herself has always gone above and beyond to provide information and resources that have advanced my understanding and overall care of my pets. When one of our pets was diagnosed with bone cancer, Mary was at the ready no matter what questions I had and connected us with the best lifeline we had during the process. I really cannot express how grateful I am for the life lessons and resources provided by Mary and the SMART DOGS family. She ha… Read more

Kelly Kastel, Angel Jager & Lola VBSFayetteville, AR

347 W. Plumwood Road Van Buren, AR - 72956

*By Appointment ONLY

479 - 474 - 1825

NOTE *EMAIL* is the way to reach me at this time. Thanks for your understanding.