Hi, I’m Katelyn!
Welcome to My World of Dog Training!
I’m thrilled to have you here! Dog training has been my lifelong passion, spanning over a decade. Since childhood, I’ve dreamed of being a K-9 handler, and I never imagined I would become a producer of those incredible K-9s!
My journey began in Louisiana and took me to Arkansas for a year, but I soon realized that home is where the heart is—back in the boot! For the past five years, I’ve dedicated myself to teaching dog training, building strong relationships with my clients that often blossom into lasting friendships. My background in Veterinary Medicine initially drew me towards animal health, but my heart always gravitated back to animal behavior.
As the founder of Best Pals, I’ve taken my passion further by becoming an evaluator for Therapy Dogs United. I am committed to expanding the number of therapy dogs in our community, as I believe in the profound impact they can have. Additionally, I’m a proud professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals.
I specialize in aggression and severe reactivity, having completed countless hours of online training and hands-on experience with challenging cases. I am also an evaluator with the AKC for S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Community, Urban, Trick Dog, AKC FitDog Club, and AKC FitDog Instructor.
My extensive experience with local strays and rescues over the last decade plus has shaped my skills and understanding of animal behavior. I’ve adopted several “fosters” along the way, and I currently share my life with seven dogs and two cats. My heart belongs to bully breeds, with German Shepherds coming in a close second.
While dogs are a significant part of my life, I’m also a devoted mom to two wonderful girls, aged 13 and 10, whom I homeschool. When I’m not training dogs—yours or my own—you can find me chasing my kiddos around or diving into their core subjects. I’m also always on the lookout for ways to further my education in animal behavior.
In my spare time, I embrace nature through kayaking and nurturing my collection of house plants.
I look forward to partnering with you and your furry family member on this incredible journey!
My Approach
I offer a gentle balanced training approach. I believe clear communication is key to successful dog training. But, how do we deliver clear communication? We must ask ourselves our true expectations of our pet and stay consistent. I will always encourage my clients to leave out emotions and focus on what their dog needs to be successful. Oftentimes “stubborn” dogs really want to do what we are asking but the communication is blurry. We must not forget we are different species and what makes sense to us naturally, may not make sense to them. Our first lesson will be packed full with information on how to properly communicate with our pooch.
Patience and Grace w/ ourselves
You will often hear me reminding you to be patient with yourself, to give yourself grace. Dog training is a skill and doesn’t come as natural for some. So often we focus on beating ourselves up for not being on time or saying the wrong thing and tend to lose focus on what will bring us success. We are human, we will make mistakes. I will be undoing generational habits. There may be times I ask you to do the complete opposite of something you’ve done your whole life. Throughout your program and beyond, I will be by your side reminding you to be patient and graceful with yourself.
Consistency for them
Dogs thrive on consistency and predictability. They learn very similar to us but because they don’t speak English, being predictable really helps them get things right! We will learn all about the different ways to bring consistency into your best friend's life while still strengthening skills in unpredictable everyday life situations.