Kaitlyn's Dog Training

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Kaitlyn's Dog Training

Kaitlyn's Dog Training offers affordable private dog training lessons, board-and-train, and more! After graduating, I moved back to Michigan.

Thank you for your interest in Kaitlyn’s Dog Training (and Daycare and Boarding and Board-and-Train and Socialization & more)! I’m Kaitlyn Shamery, a certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a graduate of Bergin University of Canine Studies with my degree in Assistance Dog Education. Bergin is the only accredited university in the world to offer degrees related to service dog training, and I ha

d the privilege of learning from many highly experienced dog trainers and also directly from Bonnie Bergin, the woman who first created the concept of the service/mobility dog. I worked at Allegan County Animal Shelter before accepting a position as the Senior Dog Trainer for the Holland Petco, where I worked for three years leading every level of training class and ultimately training hundreds of people along with their dogs. In addition to my dog training/boarding, I also run Service Dog Seminars, LLC, where I help educate communities and businesses on service animal legislation. My methods emphasize positive reinforcement, as these methods have been shown by extensive research to be most effective, in addition to the benefit of making training fun and enjoyable for both you and your dog! I’m happy to work with any age puppy or dog on a wide range of things, including puppyhood socialization, basic commands, jumping, pulling on the leash, barking, destructive chewing, etc. For those interested in training their own service dog, I’m also happy to help you through that process. In addition to obedience training, I also offer numerous options for socialization and supervised play times as well. Most private lessons begin with me meeting you at your home. Those interested in more advanced training can arrange to meet with me in more high distraction environments, such as local pet stores or parks. I serve the general Jenison area up to a 15 mile radius from my home (located next to Maplewood Park). Clients outside that radius may pay an additional small travel fee. For more information and pricing, the best way to reach me is via e-mail at [email protected], although I could also be reached via text or phone call at 616-212-8411. To learn more, visit: www.kaitlynsdogtraining.com

15/01/2026

I’m always training something, even when there are no dogs. Last vacation I found some pigs to train, but this time I upgraded to dragon!

I’m back from vacation (Toothless was great, but I definitely missed my girls) and am working on catching up on e-mails, and also preparing to send my upcoming availability to all current clients so we can schedule additional training.

The vacation was much-needed, especially after losing my dad, but I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. As always, thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to do what I love!

04/01/2026

***ON VACATION THROUGH JANUARY 15***

Thank you for all of your kind condolences in regards to my dad passing away. I’m almost caught up on my backlog of e-mails. Thankfully Travis and I had already planned a vacation together, so it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ll be enjoying some relaxation and fun in the Florida sunshine and won’t be responding to new messages until after the 15th.

I’m working on my January/February availability and will be sending that out to all current clients as soon as I have it ready to send.

Thank you all again for your patience and understanding, and thank you as always for supporting this one-woman-show of a small business 💕

22/12/2025

I have some really sad news to share, which is that my dad passed away this morning. We’d been preparing for it for a while, but naturally his death still hits hard. Because of personal and health issues on top of the holidays and now my dad’s passing, I apologize for my delays in responding to messages. I’ll do the best I can to keep up, but please understand that my communication and responsiveness will be a bit sporadic and delayed for the next few weeks. Thank you for understanding and for being supportive of my small business. 💕

03/07/2025

Looking for a group class? I highly recommend checking out Captivated Canine, LLC and exploring their upcoming group class options at Cascade Hospital for Animals. 🐶

19/05/2025

You can find the most AMAZING dogs in shelters! Puppies are a TON of work and they’re not ideal for everyone. Many people I’ve worked with would have been better off getting a dog at least 2 years old. Sure, some shelter dogs have “issues” (although let’s be honest; even most people who get their dogs as puppies still end up unintentionally creating “issues”). But you’d be shocked how many basically perfect dogs end up available for adoption.

There are significant pros and cons to consider when choosing to purchase from a breeder or to rescue. But do yourself a favor and at least meet and consider some available dogs at local shelters and rescues—especially slightly older ones who likely are potty trained and probably have a bit of training already—before deciding to bring home a tiny little untrained menace with no manners and wicked sharp teeth who needs constant supervision and causes nearly nonstop trouble.

Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE those little furball menaces we call puppies. 😈 All I’m saying is that they’re not right for everyone.

P.S. I adopted Kiara from Pound Buddies in 2019 and found she was already potty trained and very well socialized with other dogs. 🥳

07/05/2025

☀️🌸🐶
‘‘Tis the season for group playtimes! See Events descriptions for info!

16/04/2025

I'm back from a wonderful spring break trip and am excited to get back to seeing all of you and your pups! Now that the weather is starting to get better, keep an eye out on this page, as I'll soon be posting upcoming group playdates!

05/04/2025

*** ON VACATION THROUGH APRIL 15***

My husband decided to see if Ellie would help us pack for our spring break trip.

The answer was no. She was not helpful. But we love her anyway.

I’ll be on a family trip for spring break enjoying some time with my family and my beloved little nieces. I’m very excited! I’ll be able to respond to messages after my return on April 15. Please give your pups extra belly rubs from me until I get back! 🥰

22/03/2025

This is Mac. Mac is trained to respond when his owner experiences a fainting episode by licking her face and then laying on top of her, providing deep pressure therapy until she comes to. But Mac doesn’t wanna be bored. So he detours to grab his own entertainment while he waits. 😂😂😂

21/02/2025

Johnson was the first successful service dog I’d ever helped to train, back in 2014. I still frequently talk about him with clients.

He was the dog who built such an amazing retrieve that he could literally pick up a dime from a hardwood floor and drop it into my hand. He was the reason why I learned that fake credit cards should be used when teaching a dog to hand my credit card over to the cashier. (My card had a nice bite mark dent for months before I got it replaced.) And my favorite story: At one point he was so good at Leave It that he just tried to vacate the premises of the Leave It item, which was fine until the day I took him to a movie theater and told him to leave the popcorn on the floor, and he was like, “Ok, guess we’re not seeing a movie, let’s go byeeeeee” and tried to pull me out of the theater 😂).

He was incredibly smart but also an absolute goober. The few months of training with him is still one of my proudest accomplishments because many people thought he’d not graduate as a service dog, but I poured my heart and soul into working with him and taking him on training field trips every single day, and he later graduated BUCS to be a service dog for a veteran with PTSD.

Lucky for me, his veteran actually created a page for Johnson so I could stay connected to see all his adventures and the great work he was doing over the years.

My heart is breaking a little today for the dog who was part of the beginning of my service dog training journey. Twister Johnson, BUCS, you will be so dearly missed. Thank you for everything you helped to teach me while I was the one supposed to be teaching you. I’ll never stop honoring your memory by sharing memories of your intelligence and ridiculous antics with my clients. Rest in peace, friend. ❤️

04/02/2025

I’ve had an influx of service dog clients recently, so I figured it’s a good time to re-share this video where I discuss the 5 different types of people I encounter in public.

A couple honorary mentions that didn’t make it into the video:

1. “Poor dog, having to work!” (Service dogs LOVE their work. If your dog doesn’t WANT to work for you, I will not be training them for service work.)

2. *after reading the giant “IGNORE ME” vest* “Awww, you’re just too cute to ignore! I couldn’t possibly ignore you!” 🙄

3. “Oh, you have a (insert type of dog here)! You know, my cousin’s neighbor’s friend had a dog like that once.” 😆

Thankfully in the decade that I’ve been training service dogs, awareness is SO much better than it used to be. Now, instead of half the people not ignoring my dog, I would say it’s maybe 5% of people who don’t ignore my dog. But 5% is still too much. Remember: pretending an adorable dog near you doesn’t exist is kind of a superpower (I know it’s hard; we get it), but that level of restraint makes you a hero 🦸🏻‍♀️ So be a hero and ignore the working dog. Thank you!

06/01/2025

WEBSITE IS UP AGAIN: Kaitlynsdogtraining.com

Kiara and Ellie want to let you know the good news: my main website is back up and running! Almost every question about my training services can be found on my site. If you have questions not answered there, and/or you’re ready to move forward with scheduling, the best way to contact me is via e-mail: [email protected]

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Telephone

+16162128411

Website

http://www.kaitlynsdogtraining.com/

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