about

Advancing Animal Care. Empowering Professionals.

InstinctIQ began with a simple realization: the education and support professional dog care teams need shouldn’t be disconnected from the work they do every day.

Built from firsthand experience in veterinary medicine, business leadership, and professional dog care, InstinctIQ brings together veterinary-led education, science-informed learning, and customizable tools that support the people caring for dogs.

Our purpose is simple: set the stage for dogs to thrive.

Small fluffy brown dog happily running indoors on a gray floor with one ear flapping.
Woman smiles as large dog licks her face while she hugs him and holds a green leash indoors.
Fluffy brown dog with curly fur reaching paws toward the camera on green grass.
Woman smiling and playing with a sitting golden retriever while another dog rests nearby outdoors.
Smiling woman wearing blue scrubs pets a serious black and white dog indoors.
Close-up of a happy French bulldog with a green leash looking up on a green background.
Woman smiling happily while holding a large curly-haired dog outdoors at a pet care facility.
Dee Dee Fasquel, Founder and CEO of InstinctIQ
Our founder

Built From Experience. Driven by a Different Vision.

Before founding InstinctIQ, I spent seven years working in veterinary medicine and more than a decade in corporate business. I was also a dog daycare customer for five years before becoming an owner myself in 2018.

When I stepped into ownership, I quickly discovered a disconnect between what professional dog care teams were responsible for and the education and support available to them.

The dogs deserved more. So did the people caring for them.

I invested years in continuing education, developing my team, and building systems that connected knowledge with daily care. Along the way, I brought together veterinarians, behavior professionals, credentialed dog trainers, and specialists from other disciplines to help create something I couldn’t find elsewhere.

That work helped transform Luckydog into a nationally recognized facility.

But the bigger realization was that other facilities shouldn’t have to spend years building these resources themselves.

That’s why I founded InstinctIQ.

EssentialsIQ brings together veterinary-led education, daily care tools, Reinforced Learning, and ongoing support in one customizable app—giving owners and their teams access to the kind of connected resources I wished I’d had when I started. It’s what my own team uses and values today.

Dee Dee Fasquel
Founder & CEO, InstinctIQ
Middle-aged woman with short gray hair in a black top speaking against a teal background.
Why InstinctIQ exists

Education Doesn’t End When the Lesson Does.

Professional dog care requires knowledge, judgment, communication, and consistency across the entire team.

EssentialsIQ connects four essential parts of that work: Education, Daily Care, Reinforced Learning, and Ongoing Support.

Together, they help teams build knowledge through veterinary-led education, carry it into the workday, revisit important concepts, and find support when they need it.

Where It Started

Built From Real-World Care

The educational framework behind EssentialsIQ was developed inside a nationally recognized professional dog care environment — informed by the full complexity of daily care and shaped by a team of veterinarians, veterinary behaviorists, certified trainers, and industry specialists.

It accounts for how care is carried out, including medication administration, general first aid response, group transitions, stress recognition, and situational judgment in fast-moving operational conditions.

When those fundamentals are carried out well, dogs are better supported, better understood, and more likely to thrive.

Smiling woman in blue shirt holding a black, white, and tan dog with large ears.

10,000+

Hours of direct, supervised playgroup leadership reflected in the educational framework.
Values

Our Mission

At InstinctIQ, everything begins with the dogs. We believe that supporting the people responsible for their care is one of the most meaningful ways to support their well-being.

Guided by positive reinforcement and force-free principles.

Our mission:
set the stage for dogs to thrive.

Smiling woman with short gray hair holding a white French Bulldog close to her face.
Dee Dee Fasquel
Founder & CEO · InstinctIQ
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Consistency
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Clarity
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Continuity
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Ethical Practice
team

Where academic rigor meets real-world experience — developed with professionals who bring both.

The contributor bench behind InstinctIQ reflects multidisciplinary collaboration across veterinary medicine, behavior science, operational leadership, and instructional design — built with professionals who bring not only credentials but direct experience inside professional animal care environments.

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Dr. Christopher Pachel
DVM, DACVB, CABC (IAABC)

Behavioral Science & Welfare Advisor

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Dr. Jill Franks
DVM

Medical Curriculum Lead

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Dr. Dean Beyerinck
DVM

Veterinary Health Guidance & Infectious Disease Consulting

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Stacey Lambert
KPA-CTP, Fear Free Certified

Education & Content Developer · 10,000+ hours of hands-on playgroup experience

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Jill Hunter
KPA-CTP, Fear Free Certified

Director of Learning Systems & Content

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Kari Campbell
CPACO

Industry Insight & Content Review

SETTING THE STAGE FOR DOGS TO THRIVE

Professional Care

Starts Here.

One veterinary-led educational foundation. One customizable app. Tools and resources that support the work your team does every day.

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