Claudia Howard
The passion and mind behind California Elite Family Protection Dogs
Claudia is a seasoned and highly successful major enterprise account executive working in the high tech sales industry for the past 20 years. Her accounts have included many well known brands (ATT, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Oracle...) while representing companies such as Hewlett-Packard, and a host of startup software companies. She brings her experience working with executives and skills of problem solving, listening, attention to detail, and most importantly professionalism and passion to her new company, California Elite Family Security and Protection Dogs.
She believes wholeheartedly that outstanding customer experience and customer service are critical when purchasing a product, service, or even a high caliber well-trained service dog. In her opinion, these are what differentiates the cream of the crop, the high performers, and sustainers in the industry.
Ever since Claudia was a small child, she was a lover of all animals, but she was especially drawn to dogs and horses. From her first German Schnauzer - Ludwig, to her current German Shepherd - DJango, her connection to her animals runs deep. Whether riding her horse up on Mount Diablo or training her current dog tn the sport of IGP, (formally known as Schutzhund), she believes that the training and care of her animals is a lifelong commitment and responsibility.
These are the core principles she lives by and all her partners working with or for California Elite Family Protection Dogs embrace as well. Her favorite saying is, “the devil is in the details”. It is what drives her to ask what some might think are a never-ending list of questions. She just believes in being thorough and un-earthing all potential opportunities and obstacles that can affect any situation.
In her spare time you will find her in the yoga studio, hiking in the hills and trails of northern California and spending time training her dogs with her sport club members in Livermore and San Jose, California.
Try to be the best at what you do. Be kind, give back, be honest, thoughtful, empathetic, determined and most importantly be able to laugh and have fun! These are her goals.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, she gravitated to competitive sports and excelled at tennis. Claudia headed west - first to Arizona State where she got her BS in Business Administration then continuing - to the mountains and the ocean of California recognizing the beauty of the state. Settling into Danville, in Northern California. Living in California has allowed Claudia to truly explore her passions and hobbies, especially training dogs and riding horses.
Claudia fell into this side of dogs over 20 years ago as a single woman owning a home. She quickly realized that the discomfort and uneasiness of being alone either on the trails or in her home was alleviated by having a companion German Shepherd dog trained in protection. She has competed and traveled in Germany and across the US. These experiences increased her awareness of how valuable and indispensable a highly trained family security companion could be.
In addition, her experiences over the years have included dealing with some of the less savory sides of the dog business and she has long wanted to do it 'the right way'. These experiences; the good and the bad, led her to create California Elite Family Protection Dogs.
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