About Dina

Dina Zaphiris has been a professional dog trainer for over 30 years.

She was on the first American team of dog trainers to train dogs for federally funded studies involving dogs detecting early stage human cancer. Her work has been published in two medical journals.

Dina Zaphiris

Dina Zaphiris is a world-renowned dog trainer, behavior expert, and pioneer in canine medical scent detection. With over 30 years of experience, she’s worked with Hollywood celebrities, led mission-ready search and rescue teams, and trained dogs for groundbreaking cancer detection research published in medical journals. Her non-profit, In Situ Foundation, has trained dogs for early detection of cancer and infections in collaboration with institutions like UC Davis, Duke University, and Enloe Regional Cancer Center. A former Animal Planet host and resident animal expert on NBC’s The Bonnie Hunt Show, she’s also trained thousands of pet dogs, transforming the lives of both animals and their humans. Her approach is deeply intuitive—she doesn’t just train dogs, she changes lives. Dina Zaphiris is the author of The Behavior Savior and the newly released 101 Mistakes Humans Make to Mess Up Their Dogs.

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Dina Zaphiris was born and raised in the small town of Chico, California, an only child to
older parents. From the time she could form thoughts, she was obsessed with one thing—
dogs. But with white carpets and a mother who didn’t allow indoor animals, her dream of
having a dog had to wait. In the meantime, she filled her world with chickens, frogs,
horses, hamsters, and whatever she could keep in a cage. She even trained her chickens to
come when called and perform tricks, already showing signs of the gifted animal trainer
she would one day become. 

Her first bond with a dog came through a fence—feeding milk bones to the neighbor’s
dog, Fritz. One for him, one for her. She ate about a box a day, prompting her concerned
mother to call the doctor, who told her not to worry—it was 1976, after all.

At age nine, she got her first horse, Wee Willie Winkle, and kept him until college. She
attended UC Davis, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After
graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, where her lifelong passion met its first major
turning point. She rescued a Chow mix named Eugene, and soon after met her mentor,
Richard Vye—the only protégé of Rudd Weatherwax, legendary trainer of the original
Lassie. Richard became her teacher, guide, and friend for 30 years, and through him, she
learned true dog training—everything from aggression and behavioral problems to trick
training and obedience.

She excelled quickly. So much so that Richard started passing her clients, many of whom
were major Hollywood names. Tony Scott was first, followed by Nicolas Cage, Bruce
Willis, Al Pacino, and many others. She became the go-to dog trainer in the industry—not
because of a flashy persona, but because people trusted her. She got results.

At a time before TikTok, YouTube, and influencer trainers, she immersed herself in the
world of professional dog training, attending seminars around the country and learning
from some of the greats—Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, Susan Garrett—absorbing every tool,
philosophy, and method. She valued mentorship, real-world experience, and wisdom
passed down through doing the work, not just talking about it.

Her Hollywood years led to her own television show, Pet Finder, on Animal Planet. It
aired for a season and was all about rescuing animals. From there, she became the
resident animal expert on NBC’s The Bonnie Hunt Show for two years and appeared on
numerous talk shows, including The O’Reilly Factor.

But her career wasn’t just about fame—it was about impact. With her dog Django, she
became mission-ready and deployed through the LA Sheriff’s Department as part of a
search and rescue team. Then came an invitation that would redefine her path: she was
asked to join the world’s first study on training dogs to detect early-stage cancer in
human breath. That research was later published in the Journal of Integrative Cancer
Therapies and inspired her to found the In Situ Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to
training dogs in medical scent detection and publishing scientifically credible research.

Through In Situ, she trained dogs in collaboration with UC Davis to detect upper thoracic
cancer and worked with Duke University on a breast cancer trial. In Maui, she trained
dogs to detect E. coli in urine samples for individuals with disabilities—a study published
in the Oxford Journal of Medicine. She also launched programs at Enloe Medical Center
in Chico, where a trained dog named Enloe still resides today, offering comfort and
medical support.

Her career took her around the world—to China for pet conferences, into lecture halls for aspiring trainers, to medical conventions and across the country certifying students in bio-detection. Along the way, she never stopped training pet dogs, never stopped learning, and never lost sight of what mattered most: the human-canine bond.

She is the author of The Behavior Savior: The Enlightened Path to the Perfect Pet, and her newest release, 101 Mistakes Humans Make to Mess Up Their Dogs, dives into the spiritual and practical truths of dog training, championing balance, connection, and authenticity over trend and technique.

More than anything, she sees herself not just as a dog trainer—but as someone who transforms lives. To her, dogs are our mirrors. They reflect the best and worst in us, and when we take the time to understand their behavior, we uncover truths about ourselves. “I don’t train dogs,” she often says, “I change lives.”

A lifelong student and teacher, she continues to compete in agility, has trialed in AKC obedience, and remains passionate about helping the “ordinary” pet dog and the “ordinary” person. Because, as she puts it, “In being ordinary, we are all extraordinary— united by our bond with the most magical animal: the dog.”

Today, she rides horses, dances with her dog Splitty, and gives thanks every day to God— for giving us the dog.

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Click HereCancer DetectionDina is the founder of In Situ Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to training dogs to
detect early-stage human cancer and advancing scientific research. She has certified students
through her bio-detection dog training program and has lectured on canine behavior and scent
detection around the world.

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CollaborationDina has collaborated with institutions including UC Davis, Duke University, and Enloe
Regional Cancer Center to evaluate dogs’ ability and accuracy in distinguishing malignant from
benign cancer samples in blood, urine, and exhaled breath. She authored the first formal training
protocol for bio-detection dogs, which has been used across all her hospital and university
partnerships.

3

AppearancesDina is a published author and has been featured on numerous television programs, offering
expert insight into canine training and human-animal behavior. She hosted her own Animal
Planet series, PetFinder, and served for several years
as the resident dog expert on NBC’s The Bonnie Hunt
Show.

Play

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Click HereCelebrity ClienteleDina has trained dogs for a distinguished list of high-profile clients, including Al Pacino, Nicolas
Cage, Bruce Willis, Slash, Sylvester Stallone, Tony and Ridley Scott, Chelsea Handler, Barry
Manilow, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley (KISS), AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys), Fran Drescher,
Hans Zimmer, Patricia Arquette, Elon Musk, Ron Meyer (former president of Universal Studios),
and members of the Annenberg and Walmart families. These are just a few of the many
renowned individuals who have entrusted Dina with their dogs.

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Click HereUpcoming BOOKBOOKS: The Behavior Savior: The Enlightened Path to the Perfect Pet and coming soon: 101
Mistakes Humans Make to Mess Up Their Dogs.