Not Just Dogs

Norka Rodriguez, aka Norka Dog Guru is a fantastic trainer based out of Florida. She has lots of experience and succes working with the tough cases that other trainers tend to turn her way. Her social media (specifically tik tok) content is an filled with tons of amazing before and after videos along with lots of educational content to help struggling owners. Norka uses her voice and platform to spread hope and awareness to dog owners around the world.

Evan Doggett is the head trainer and owner of Doggett Style Dog Training based in Halifax, Canada. He recently released a one of a kind online program for dog owners that covers just about everything the average owner needs to know in order to have the best life with their dog. I had a fantastic time getting to know Evan and chatting with him about his journey into training. I even shared some of my story that I don't generally share. This was a really great conversation that I think you all will love!!

Dan Hesch is the owner and trainer at 3CK9 Training based out of Howell, Michigan. Dan aka doodle Dan and I sat down for a great conversation about his journey into dog training, what he thinks owners can do to create a difference in the lives of their dogs and a whole lot more. I had a great time chatting with him and getting to know how he thinks about dog training. Hope ya'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Rachel is a trainer and co-owner of Training That Heels based out of Jackson, New Jersey. Her business partner and co-trainer, Kori started their business after training dogs together at a facility. We chatted about her journey going from a kennel staff at someone else's facility to running a full time training company to becoming a full time business owner. Rachel is very passionate about the human side of dog training and ensuring that the owners get trained just as much as their dog. This was definitely a fun and insightful conversation and it was a pleasure chatting with someone so passionate about what they do.

This was such a fun way to wrap up an extremely wild and crazy year! Jonas and I dug deep into some dog training ideas, what we look forward to in 2021 and had some real serious moments mixed in with tons of laughs. About two hours in we got to see a different side of Jonas than most people ever see when we started talking about how meaningful dog training really is to him. I had an awfully great time having this conversation  I think you all will as well!

Kevin is a dog trainer and owner of Full Circle Canine based in Nashville, Tennessee. We've known each other through social media for about two years and I've watched his business. We chatted about his journey into training, addiction and alcohol consumption and how sobriety works the same way was dog training, and my thoughts on 2020 and gratitude.

Matt is the owner and trainer of Cochran K9 Training based in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He is in the early stages of his dog training business and is totally killing it. We chatted about his struggles with finding his voice on social media, how Gary Vee inspired him to finally start posting dog content, the power of gratitude and so much more. I really enjoyed this conversation and had a lot of fun getting to know Matt a bit more and hearing about his new journey into the world of pro dog training.

Gonzalo is the owner and head trainer of The Human Dog Team based in San Diego, California. He has  a background in falcon, pigeon and hawk training. We chatted about everything from dog training, teaching people, running a very successful business, bird training and music. Gonzalo has a fascinating one of a kind story that was really great to hear. He has a beautiful way of tying together all his life passions and finding the common thread amongst them.

Lauren Sogard is owner and head trainer at All Dogs Balanced Dog Training based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. She has a background in pro horseback riding and has traveled the world doing shows and competing with her beloved horse Concerto. After struggling for a while with her own dog's aggression issues she dove headfirst into dog training and eventually switched from horses to dogs. We chatted a lot about the similarities she sees between working horses and dogs and how she uses her over nineteen years of experience with horses in her daily work with family pet dogs.

Josh Hurlburt is a balanced dog trainer based out of West Virginia. He is the head trainer and co-owner of Julie's K9 Academy with locations in Falling Waters, West Virginia and Fredrick, Maryland. His unique understanding of dog behavior is a true breath of fresh air. He has a background in the human service industry that allows him to have a deep understanding of behavioral psychology which helps him connect with dogs, train their owners and educate dog trainers. This podcast was unique as it was recorded in person while I was here doing a shadow week here to learn from Josh.

Nochum Russell (Russ) is joined by Menachem Poznanski, a dog owner who went through the training process and is part of the Kalm K9 family. Menachem is a psychotherapist, lecturer, and host of the podcast Consciously. His unique perspective into the training process and raising a dog brings a deep spiritual meaning into it that most owners don't think about. During our conversation he describes how Lucy, his French Bulldog has led him down a personal development journey that he never thought would come about through dog ownership. He spoke a lot about the parallels between dog training and human development and how this has helped him become a better person, husband, father and therapist. These ideas really mean a lot to me and definitely hit home. On Menachem's podcast which is available on all podcast platforms he has two episodes dedicated to diving deep into the lessons he's learned through having Lucy in his life.

Becca Woods is a mom, dog owner and dog trainer. She runs a highly successful balanced dog training business out of her home in West Virginia called Almost heaven K9 Training. She was inspired to start training dogs after struggling extensively with her own dog, Max. After stumbling upon some online dog training videos she found hope for her dog and now brings that same hope to countless struggling owners through her training and free online content.

Julie Starns is a balanced dog trainer and owner of Good Decisions Dog Training based out of Ashland, Nebraska. She works with dogs of any breed, age and behavioral issue. She has a great no bs attitude and is as real as it gets. We had a great conversation about dog training, her journey into training, the state of balanced training and more.

Katie is a balanced trainer and co-owner of Last Journey K9 in Nashville, Michigan. She specializes in behavioral cases such as aggression, anxiety and fear. Her perspective and approach to treating dogs like dogs while still being their friends is beautiful and a breath of fresh air to hear. Through her background with horses she has a great understanding of animals and proper communication that allows her to truly connect and rehabilitate the really tough cases.

Bre is a dog trainer and owner of BC Canine in Victoria, BC. She has a beautifully inspiring story of going from struggling, helpless and hopeless owner to a trainer that now works with dogs and empowers owners who are struggling similarly to how she once struggled. Her story and journey with her Siberian husky, Maverick brings hope to owners who think there is none. She is a true testament to the power of change in the dog-human relationship. I had a great time chatting with her and we definitely could've kept going forever.

Peter Ciancarelli is a dog trainer and expert on dog's health, nutrition, holistic/alternative healing and the use of cannabis oil to improve the lives of dogs. He has an absolute wealth of fascinating information that can benefit the lives of dogs all around the world. Peter has a Facebook group called Allie's Canine Cancer Crew that he uses to share, teach and educate dog owners on a host of different subject pertaining to their dog's health. As a dog owner and trainer, Peter's approach to truly looking at the whole dog not just one or two aspects of it's life really resonates with me and I'm extremely intrigued by all he had to share.

Sara Quelhurst is a balanced dog trainer in Western Australia. She is one of the few balanced trainers in her area. Along with training she also does structured dog walking during which dogs get both physical and mentally exercised. This was a fantastic conversation covering so many topics. We chatted about dog training and personal development and how the two are so intrinsically connected. This was a really fun conversation that could've gone on forever!

Raquel is a dog trainer in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She hosts her own podcast , talking to trainers all around the world, runs workshops and seminars along with her very active dog training bussiness. Raquel is the leading dog trainer in Brazil and is one of the first people to bring balanced training and pet training in general to the country. She built a huge fan base by being extremely transparent with her training style, answering tons of questions on her weekly q&a and putting out a ton of free content. Raquel has changed the dog training industry in that part of the world and it was an honor to have her on the show.

Nachum Russell aka Russ is joined by Hillary Ratcliff for a fun, engaging and insightful conversation. Hillary is the owner and trainer at Good Wellesley Dogs in Wellesley, Massachusetts. For over 25 years she was a preschool teacher and is now training dogs full time. We spoke about how being a teacher has helped her as a professional trainer and given her better  skills for communicating with the owners she works with. Hillary kind of specializes in little and fluffy dogs. Her training and her cute little pack are breaking the stigma and stereotype of small dogs being not trainable.

Russ and Natalie sit down for a fun, engaging and insightful conversation. Natalie Dobkins is owner and trainer at Canine Performance based Holly Springs, NC. She has an amazingly unique way of explaining dog training in a clear and easily digestible manner. We chatted about dog training, personal development, social media and a whole lot more. I highly recommend following Canine Performance on Instagram for some of the top Instagram dog training content out there.