Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly.
Hi Kimberly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My dog training career started from as young as I can remember. My family always had pets, from cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, birds and pocket pets like hamsters and rabbits. As a child I would train all of the animals to do fun tricks. My beta fish was trained to jump through hoops, rabbit was potty trained, my bird could fly freely and come back when called, play basketball with a small hoop/net and my reptiles could be free outside and come back when I asked them to.
My first job was at the animal shelter where I really started focusing on training all of the dogs I would interact with as well as my foster dogs who often times came from horrible neglect/abuse cases and required long rehabilitation processes. Throughout my time at the shelter I worked in all different departments. Starting as a kennel tech, to adoption counselor and lastly a vet tech. During these different positions I was running a home pet sitting, boarding, day care and grooming business. All the while I was struggling with one of my personal dogs, “Trouble”. An 85lb american bulldog mix that lead me to hire trainers to not only train my dog but to mentor under and learn profesional dog training. He would pull me on the leash, bark at people and growl if you came near his food bowl. After shadowing numerous trainers and resolving these issues with my dog, I built the confidence to apply for dog training jobs.
While I was applying I continued furthering my vet tech career and started working at an emergency animal hospital. I gained tons of experience there and while working there I applied for a dog training job and finally got it! I left my vet tech career and took off with my new dog training career. Shortly after I opened my own business and have been successfully running for 5 years now alongside my fiance who left his job as a financial advisor to work together and build our business 2 years ago. With his help we have been able to offer additional services like personal protection or sport protection training. Everyday we continue striving to learn and grow while inspiring others do the same.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall it has been a smooth road with some bumps along the way as it should be. Learning to make your own schedule, navigate different personalities of the clients and their dogs, balance life and work while growing yourself personally comes with its necessary challenges. The struggles/hurdles are necessary for growth and self reflection. There will always be struggles, the goal is to not perceive them negatively and simply work with them.
As you know, we’re big fans of Kim Pawsibles Dog Training. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Our dog training business stands out because of our personalized approach and how much our personal dogs are involved in helping other dogs and their humans. Each dog and human are unique and we customize our training to our clients lifestyles and needs. We specialize in true behavior modification working with dogs who are overly fearful, aggressive or reactive. This means we entirely eradicate problem behaviors that stem from anxiety, insecurity or under socialization. We are known for our love for what we do, the fun that we bring into training and how much we pour into our KPDT family. We offer basic obedience services for puppies and dogs without behavior issues to prevent them from developing behavioral challenges as they age. We also offer behavior modification programs as mentioned before as well as K9 protection training for personal protection, sport protection or just as a fun outlet for dogs.
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness is given to us at birth, it is our birth right. Having access to clean water, food, fresh air and connection with animals and others is what brings me ultimate joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimpawsiblesdt.com/
