About Us

Leighann, CPDT-KA

Dogs have interested Leighann since childhood, but without a family pet she had to get creative when it came to spending time with dogs. In 2001, she began dog-sitting to fulfill her doggie need. In 2003, a transition to boarding out of the family home meant she got to spend even more time with the dogs.
Thanks to years of boarding, Leighann has experience with many different sizes, ages, breeds and personalities. She also offers clients special expertise for transitioning new dogs into their home.

Training and behavior modification have also been long-time fascinations for Leighann. In 2009 and 2010, she had the opportunity to Foster Train for Service Dogs, Inc. Those months were pivotal stepping stones in her training career, and the private lessons she received from their staff of professionals launched her into the reward-based dog training world. Seven years later, she volunteered as a Puppy Raiser and spent three months getting an in-depth look at the world of making puppies successful.

Communication is at the heart of Leighann’s love of training. “There is something beautiful about taking a dog who knows next to nothing, and teaching them that certain words, signals, or scenarios mean specific things for his behavior.”
Leighann also cherishes togetherness, and desires to see dogs and their families spending as much time together as possible. She advocates for training because she believes that well-behaved, well-socialized dogs enjoy richer lives spent with their families compared to their uneducated counter-parts.

In her free time, Leighann enjoys cooking, singing with the Round Rock Community Choir, reading and watching suspense-filled TV dramas with her family. Leighann is currently taking clients for Puppy Prep School, Private Training, Day Training and service dog training in Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park and the surrounding area!

ZIÓN, Professional Dog Trainer

Zión has felt called to the Animal Kingdom since she was a young girl and views animals as truly sentient beings full of purity and wisdom. They are simply perfection at their core.

Regarding dogs specifically, Zión has immense respect for the canine family. She sees our dogs as gifts and beautiful teachers for us humans and she feels they can teach us so much if we will take the time to tune into them – truly understand them. They are always communicating; all we need to do is learn their language. After all, they are more than eager to learn ours and they deserve that level of care and respect from us humans.

Zión initially began her work learning about dog behavior and dog psychology when she was part of a rescue organization in Colorado in 2001. During her time there, she was able to really learn what makes dogs tick…why they do the things they do, don’t do things we may want them to do (they shouldn’t have to do everything a human might want), why they act the way they do in a variety of situations, how to create behavior that works for both human and dog, reshape the pups undesired behavior and maintain the pups desired behavior, look at things from the pups point of view and how their human and pup can move forward together, in partnership.

Thousands of trained clients and their dogs later, her views and passion have evolved to not simply training dogs to do/don’t do something but rather she believes in giving dogs as much autonomy and agency in their lives as possible to set them up to make the choices that serve both them, as well as the humans that care for them. Her goal is to have everyone living harmoniously together as a family unit. Building a relationship with our dog(s) that is based on trust, respect and fun with one another makes for a bond as strong as they come and as enjoyable as we all dream of having with our pups!

Educating the moms and dads on how to set their pup up to WIN is a passion of hers.

“Set Them up for Success” and “Train the Dog in Front of You in Each Moment” are her training mottos. She is currently taking clients for private lessons, Puppy Prep School/Day Training and Board and Train.

Karin, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP

Gentle, fun and effective are words that describe Karin’s approach to dog training. She uses rewards-based training to jump-start positive communication between pet parents and their four-legged best friends, giving them a valuable skillset that fosters a spirit of teamwork, collaboration and trust.

She is a graduate of the highly respected Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Training and Behavior, a rigorous program that focuses on positive-reinforcement training methods, learning theory and hands-on dog training. In addition to training, she has expertise in canine body language and basic behavior modification.

In 2000, she first witnessed the power of training while working with a trainer to address her own dog’s behavior issues. She quickly became a training enthusiast, attending Obedience, Tricks, Agility and Rally classes with her dogs and joining a canine drill team that performed at dog shows, nursing homes and parades. She also started volunteering at the Austin Animal Center – which is now the largest no-kill shelter in the country.

A desire to become a professional trainer began growing in Karin, and after much soul-searching, she decided to follow her heart and pursue a new career goal. Before entering the pet services field, Karin worked as a magazine writer and editor, a technical writer and a corporate trainer after earning a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Karin lives in Austin, Texas. Her pet family includes training superstar Squiggy (a skateboarding Border Collie mix who was adopted from the Austin Animal Center), Tillie (a lovable Lab who is a reformed leash lunger) and shy Brooklyn, a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix. Karin is currently taking clients for Private Training and Board and Train in Austin and the surrounding areas! She also leads our Reactive Dog Walking Meetup monthly. 

Caitlin, CPDT-KA

Caitlin, like many animal trainers, raised and cared for a variety of animals throughout her youth. But it was during her senior year of college that she began volunteering with a non-profit animal rescue organization in Tucson, Arizona. During this time, she realized one of her greatest passions in life: working to save and improve the lives of animals. She chose a path that would combine her love for teaching and her passion for helping dogs by accepting a position as a group training instructor. During that time, Caitlin gained extensive, hands-on experience and spent countless hours researching and studying the science of animal behavior and learning theory. Hard work paid off when in 2007, she earned her professional title from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. Not long after, Caitlin also became a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a certified evaluator for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program. In January 2008, Caitlin established her own training company in southern California, where in two years she helped hundreds of dogs become proud four-legged members of their families. These successes brought Caitlin to Austin, Texas in February 2010, where she could live and work in one of the largest dog-loving cities in the country.

Like many great teachers, Caitlin only continues to learn and grow in her profession. Regularly traveling throughout the country for animal behavior conferences, training seminars and workshops, she has received instruction and guidance from many of the world’s leading animal behavior and training professionals, including Dr. Ian Dunbar, Dr. Sophia Yin, Dr. Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor and British dog trainer Victoria Stilwell of Animal Planet’s TV series, “It’s Me or the Dog.” Caitlin is also proud to promote future generations of educated dog trainers by mentoring students in an internship program with Animal Behavior College.

Caitlin’s primary goal is to help people create and maintain the most happy and healthy relationship with their dogs as possible, using “brain-based, not pain-based” training methods as their formula for success. She believes every dog deserves a special kind of canine education to become better behaved, lifelong companions in their homes, as well as to safely live and thrive within their community.

Caitlin currently resides in Austin, TX and shares her life with two talented rescue dogs, “Rosie,” a 6 year old Shepherd Mix and “Maggie,” a four year old Border Collie, and her two cats, “Wyatt” and “Josephine.” Currently taking clients in Austin and the surrounding area for: Board and Train and Private Training.