Meet The Trainers
Kenzie
I have been training since 2016, and I own three German Shepherds, Draco (4 years old) and Envy (4 years old), and Valkyrie (2 years old). I started training after struggling with some serious behavioral issues in my first dog, Ellie. As I worked hard to tackle her dog reactivity and lack of manners, I started noticing a huge difference in our relationship. Training together helped us achieve the obedience that I was looking for, but it also unlocked a lasting, meaningful bond between my dog and I that I believe every dog owner deserves to experience.
When I'm not working with other people and their dogs, I love spending time with my own pups! Draco, Envy, and Valkyrie are all German Shepherds who I train and compete with in Schutzhund (IGP)- a working dog sport focused on tracking, obedience, and protection work. I am super passionate about working dogs, and there's nothing I enjoy more than being able to spend time with my dogs doing what they love! While IGP is our main focus together, we also have fun competing in other venues like AKC Obedience, AKC Rally, and dock diving. So far, Draco has earned his IGP3 title, his FH1 tracking title, his AKC CD and RA titles, as well as his CGC. Envy has earned her IGP3, AKC BN, and CGC titles. Valkyrie is still young and in training, but I am looking forward to trialing with each of them more as they continue to mature!
My goal has always been to help people learn to communicate with their dogs in a way that allows them to grow as a team, and it is so rewarding to be able to watch clients make progress with their pups! My favorite part of training is being able to help people enjoy life with their dogs again, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to do what I love every day.
- Mackenzie Goshorn | Owner/Trainer
Baldwin City, KS
Kenzie is taking private lessons & board and train clients for Puppy Foundation, Basic Obedience, Off Leash training, behavior modification, and competition prep in the Kansas City area!
Shanna
Shanna
I’ve been working with dogs since 2010, and actively training dogs since 2015. I have three dogs: an 9 year-old Yorkshire Terrier (Baloo); a 7 year-old Belgian Malinois (Banner), and a 4 year-old Golden Retriever (Bash).
I originally started competing in dog sports because of my Belgian Malinois, Banner. He is the dog who introduced me into the world of dog training and dog sports! With all three of my dogs, I have competed in AKC Obedience and Rally events, dock diving, barn hunts, FastCATs, CATs, conformation shows, frisbee leagues, and most recently: IGP trials. Banner and I also attended the 2018 Rally Nationals (Excellent level) and obtained 11th place out of 80 total competitors. Currently, Banner has the most achievements of all my dogs with all three Canine Good Citizen titles, AKC CD and RAE titles, and a Coursing Ability title. We are also active in our IGP club and he earned his BH-VT in the fall of 2020. Bash also has all three Canine Good Citizen titles, a CD, an RN, and an IGP BH-VT. He also dabbles in AKC conformation, and loves showing everyone how handsome he is!
My absolute favorite part of dog training is teaching owners to communicate with their dogs, and watching them learn to ENJOY their dogs and enjoy training with them.
- Shanna Simpkins | Trainer
Ankeny, IA
Shanna is taking private lessons and board and train clients for Puppy 101, Basic Obedience, Off Leash training, and behavior modification in the Des Moines, IA area!
Cynthia
I have been working with dogs for almost 5 years now, and my current passion for dog training was actually brought on by my very active involvement in rescue organizations! I have been fostering rescue dogs for years, which is how I originally met my first German Shepherd, Hera! I began fostering Hera in 2017 and quickly realized that she was meant to be mine. I officially adopted her shortly after, and from then began actively training with her in order to tackle some residual behavioral problems she had developed throughout her time in rescue. Training with Hera opened up so many doors for me and truly helped me fall in love with the process developing a healthy relationship with our dogs. I credit her for being my introduction to obedience training, behavior modification, and the world of dog sports! I now own two other German Shepherds as well: Hondo (a 2 year-old West German show line male) and Letty (an 8 month-old working line female).
Since adopting Hera, she and I have competed in several different venues together, and I have had so much fun learning about the world of dog sports with her by my side! At 6 years old, she now has her AKC CD, PDC, and RA titles, as well as all three levels of Canine Good Citizen certification and a TKI title. Hondo currently also has all three Canine Good Citizen titles, as well as his TKN. We are hoping to compete together in AKC Obedience and Rally as well in the future after he's had the chance to mature just a bit more! Letty is the baby of the family, and she is currently in the foundational stage of her training with hopes to eventually compete in both IGP and AKC venues.
I love being able to give back to rescue organizations, where I got my start in the dog world, by now providing training-related assistance in hopes of helping good dogs find great forever homes. I am so excited to continue down the road that I'm so passionate about by helping everyday pet owners learn to work with their dogs in a way that will grow their relationship and allow them to experience a cohesive and fulfilling life together.
- Cynthia Olson | Trainer
Ankeny, IA
Cynthia is taking private lessons and board and train clients for Puppy 101, Basic Obedience, and off leash training in the Des Moines, IA area!
Hailey
I have been working with dogs for several years now, and I got my start in the dog world by fostering for rescues, which lead me to adopting all three of my personal dogs: Samson (2 year-old male), Esther (2 year-old female), and Finley (1 year-old male). I originally began training after struggling with a lot of frustration involving my own dogs and their sometimes overwhelming behavior. I knew I needed to seek out the guidance of a professional trainer to help alleviate the conflict I was feeling with each of them on a daily basis, and once I stated I never looked back! Training with my own dogs gave me the knowledge and ability to enjoy my dogs to the absolute fullest, and I was so excited about how strong my relationships with all three of them became. As I continued on my path of working with my personal dogs and soaking up as much knowledge about the training process as I could, I knew I wanted to eventually help people experience the same feeling of success that I was able to achieve with mine. I truly believe that every dog owner should have the opportunity to unlock all of the potential they can- both in their dogs and in themselves. Every day I continue to learn and grow along with my dogs, and I want to share than same passion with other people too!
Finley and Esther have both earned their Canine Good Citizen and CGCA certifications, and I'm hoping to begin competing in AKC Obedience, Rally, FastCATS, and more soon! I'm also currently pursuing IGP tracking titles with both Esther and Finley, and I'm working towards a BH-VT title with Finley as well. I can't wait to begin trialing with them as they mature a bit, and I'm looking forward to gaining more experience in the competition world with them both.
My favorite part of training is watching owners learn the skills they need to be able to grow and adapt with their dog as they build a bond that will last them a lifetime.
- Hailey Cavenas | Trainer
Ankeny, IA
Hailey is taking private lessons clients for Puppy 101 and Basic Obedience in the Des Moines, IA area!