Frankie Jackson
Certified Dog Trainer & Behavior Consultant
I, Frankie Jackson, am the owner and behavior specialist at Canine Counseling. My love for animals started when I was just 1 year old, when my family welcomed our first puppy into the home. Over the next 15 years, my family would care for two dogs, three cats, and multiple guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and rats.
After leaving home at 18, I studied Zoology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in northern England. There I discovered a passion for ethology, the study of animal behavior, as well as a keen interest in medicine, nutrition and healthcare.
After graduating I immediately began working as a veterinary assistant and, over the following 5 years, gained certification as a registered Veterinary Nurse with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
I continued to work as a Veterinary Nurse for the next decade, working in various environments including general practice, emergency & critical care, wildlife rescue and referral hospitals. I continued to study canine ethology in my spare time and began to offer behavioral consultations alongside my nursing duties. In 2019 I gained a postgraduate certification in Animal Behavior (Canine & Feline) and another in 2020 in Puppy Development & Behavior.
In 2015, during my years as a nurse, I adopted our dog Rook at 10 weeks old. Finding the training process both fascinating and challenging, I took a great interest in puppy coaching, which was quite different from the problem-solving that behavior modification required.
Due to a number of attacks by off-leash dogs, Rook developed severe reactivity by the age of 3, forcing me to shift my focus to fear, stress and anxiety-based behaviors.
In 2021 I (and Rook) moved from England to Atlanta, GA. Instead of re-certifying as a Vet Tech, I decided to fully embrace my passion for helping dogs (and their owners) overcome behavioral issues.
I started working at a local training company which specialises in force- and fear-free, positive reinforcement training.
During my time here, I honed her skills further and in 2022 earned CCPDT certification as a Canine Behavior Consultant, one of only 12 in the state of Georgia. This certification is reserved for trainers who have demonstrated broad technical expertise and a dedication to positive-reinforcement methods and scientific principles.
I am LIMA certified, meaning I will never use force, fear or pain to 'correct' your dog, nor do I subscribe to the (widely discredited) 'alpha dog' or 'dominance' theories. I continue to study the ever-changing subject of canine ethology and use only kind, compassionate and science-backed training methods.
In early 2025 I completed Mike Shikashio's Master Course in Aggression, which provided me with extensive knowledge and skills to work with dogs displaying aggression towards both humans and other dogs.
I now live in Smyrna with my husband, Bubba, our dog, Rook* and our rescue cat, Noodle. Rook is a ten-year-old mixed breed. His Embark DNA results tell us that he's a mix of mostly German Shepherd and Alaskan Malamute, with some Akita Inu, Dutch Shepherd and Siberian Husky thrown in!
Rook's favorite things to do depend on whichever persona is in charge that day. When in Malamute-Mode he tends to drift between sleeping spots, rousing only to eat, stretch and receive belly scritches. When he wakes up on the Akita side of the bed he picks fights with squirrels, bees and his nemesis, the robot vacuum. His GSD and Husky sides however, love drama more than anything else and will happily create it if it fails to present itself.
I am a self-confessed dog dork and take every opportunity I can to learn more about how their minds work. I also enjoy playing bass guita, listening to music, exploring the natural world, discovering local restaurants and watching Tottenham Hotspur FC play (and, most likely, lose).
*Rook, sadly, passed away in March 2025 after a brief battle with cancer. Rook was an enormous part of our lives and is deeply missed. Please be patient with us as we navigate our grief and learn to live without his enormous presence.
