# Breaking Barriers -  Inclusivity in Dog Training with Neika Smessaert

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/positively-dog-training-the-official-victoria-stilwell-podcast-400848/breaking-barriers-inclusivity-in-dog-training-with-neika-smessaert
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/positively-dog-training-the-official-victoria-stilwell-podcast-400848/breaking-barriers-inclusivity-in-dog-training-with-neika-smessaert.md
Podcast: [Positively Dog Training - The Official Victoria Stilwell Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/positively-dog-training-the-official-victoria-stilwell-podcast-400848)
Published: 2025-04-29T06:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2074339/episodes/17044640-breaking-barriers-inclusivity-in-dog-training-with-neika-smessaert.mp3
Audio file: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2074339/episodes/17044640-breaking-barriers-inclusivity-in-dog-training-with-neika-smessaert.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3076

## Resource

In this heartfelt and eye-opening episode, Victoria Stilwell speaks with Neika Smessaert, a veterinary technician, certified dog trainer, and trailblazer for inclusivity within the dog training and veterinary worlds. Neika shares her journey from working in small animal clinics to becoming a vital advocate for deaf and hard-of-hearing trainers. With humor and humility, she recounts how learning ASL during the pandemic led her to mentor VSA’s first deaf student, Leah, opening the door fo...

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## Transcript

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