Jennifer Cattet Ph.D., founder, and principal instructor at the Center for the Study of Medical Assistance Canines.
Jennifer Cattet Ph.D. has been training dogs professionally for over 35 years. Her work with service dogs started in a prison program where she was the instructor to the inmates/trainers. She has since started Medical Mutts, a service dog organization specialized in the training of rescue dogs as medical assistance dogs. With her scientific background, she is involved in studies in canine medical detection and has contributed to proving that dogs can detect the smell of hypoglycemia and seizures.
Jennifer Cattet has taught hundreds of trainers about service dogs. She enjoys helping organizations and professionals start new programs to help more people with disabilities. She is an expert in the field of diabetic alert dogs, seizure alert dogs, and psychiatric service dogs, but she also has experience with training dogs for other conditions, such as mobility issues, autism spectrum disorder, etc.
Jennifer Cattet Ph.D. is also the author of over 100+ blogs and has published books and training videos. Her approach to dog training is systematic and practical. She believes that when it comes to service dog training, efficiency and standards are essential. But what’s equally important is making sure dogs are treated as partners along the way. Her methods are based on collaboration and trust. The dogs are never forced but are instead rewarded when they willingly offer the desired behaviors. Her latest book is called: “Selecting and Training Your Service Dog: How to succeed in public access work.”
Born in the US, but having grown up in France where she spent 30+ years of her life, Jennifer is perfectly bilingual and can teach in both English and French. She travels between the US and Europe several times a year to coach trainers on both continents.

Background
- Doctorate degree from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) – Ethology, Experimental and cognitive psychology. Dissertation: “Spatial navigation in dogs: an exploration of strategies involved in cognitive mapping.” (L’orientation spatiale chez le chien: exploration des stratégies impliquées dans l’élaboration de la carte cognitive).
- Assistant professor for the Department of Ethology at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Geneva (Switzerland).
- Founder of Animalin, L’École du Chien, first professional dog training school offering clicker training in France.
- Director of Training for the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN), prison-based service dog program in Indiana (USA).
- Consultant for the development of hi-tech training and enrichment devices for pets and blogger for Smart Animal Training Systems.
- Consultant for several service dog training organizations.
- Founder and Executive Director for Medical Mutts Service Dogs Inc.
- Biomedical detection in dogs (lab research).
- CPDT-KA certified.
Publications
- Selecting and Training Your Service Dog: How to Succeed in Public Access Work. Dogwise. 2021
- Dogs demonstrate the existence of an epileptic seizure odour in humans, A. Catala, M. Grandgeorge, Jean-Luc Schaff, H. Cousillas, M. Hausberger, Jennifer Cattet, Scientific Reports, 28 March 2019.
- Dogs Can Be Successfully Trained to Alert to Hypoglycemia Samples from Patients with Type 1 Diabetes, D. Hardin, W. Anderson, Jennifer Cattet, Diabetes Therapy, 6, pages509–517(2015).
- On the Nose. Before purchasing a diabetes alert dog, read these pointers, Jennifer Cattet, D. Hardin, Diabetes forecast, 1 November 2014.
L’Orientation Spatiale Chez le Chien: Exploration des Stratégies Impliquées dans l’Élaboration de la Carte Cognitive (Omn.Univ.Europ.) (French Edition) Paperback – December 2, 2014
- Blindfolded dogs relocate a target through path integration, Jennifer Cattet, A. Etienne, Animal Behaviour, Volume 68, Issue 1, July 2004, Pages 203-212.
- Path integration in dogs, V. Séguinot, Jennifer Cattet, S. Benhamou, Animal Behaviour, Anim. Behav., 1998, 55, 787–797.