I’ve been an animal person for as long as I can remember. Like a lot of animal-obsessed kids, my first career plan was naturally to become a veterinarian—and if there was a dog involved, I was interested. I grew up loving everything from Scooby-Doo to Blue’s Clues, and somewhere along the way, that childhood love for dogs turned into a genuine curiosity about how they think, learn, communicate, and connect with us. Turns out, I didn’t become a vet—but I did find a career that lets me spend an unreasonable amount of time talking about dogs, so I’d say little me would be pretty happy.

My love for dog training began with my own dog and grew into a fascination with understanding why dogs do what they do, how they learn, and how we can communicate with them more clearly. Over time, the dogs who have shaped me, my faith, and the support of the person beside me gave me the courage to turn that passion into something more—and helped me understand exactly what I wanted The Heeling Canine to become. What started as a personal journey with my own dog ultimately grew into years of learning, hands-on experience, and opportunities to work with dogs in many different roles.

Over the years, I have gained experience with everything from companion dog training and obedience, to service dogs, working dogs, and professional detection work. Each experience has given me the opportunity to work with dogs of different breeds, temperaments, drives, and purposes—and has helped shape the way I approach training today.

My professional experience includes working alongside some of the nations top obedience trainers, completing a service dog training apprenticeship with Canine Companions for Independence, becoming an AKC Canine Good Citizen Approved Evaluator, earning multiple certifications through the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) and the Transportation Security Administration, and working alongside local law enforcement K9 teams. I've also had the unique experience of developing and handling my own explosives detection dog, Ivy—from her early training foundations through certification and professional detection work.

Working with dogs at this level taught me far more than how to teach behaviors. It taught me how important timing, motivation, communication, clarity, adaptability, and the relationship between dog and handler really are. And through all of those experiences, one principle has continued to shape the trainer I am today:

Train the dog in front of you. No two dogs are exactly alike. They have different genetics, temperaments, histories, motivations, sensitivities, strengths, and challenges. Their families have different lifestyles and goals too. That's why I take a balanced, individualized approach to training rather than trying to fit every dog into the same system.