About Your Trainer

I (Kristi) am a dog behaviorist and the owner and founder of Canine Composure. I grew up in a dog show family and began to train and show dogs at the age of 8, I won my first dog show in 4-H with a rescue dog at age 10. Since then I have handled and worked with all breeds in a variety of dog sports. I have been a professional dog handler and titled several AKC Champion dogs in confirmation, titled dogs in AKC obedience trials, titled dogs in Agility, worked at certifying seminars for Canine Good Citizen (CGC). I’m active in therapy dog activities by taking dogs to nursing homes, group therapy sessions, and training dogs for people suffering from PTSD. I own GoGoGeese where I train and use my border collies to herd geese off of commercial properties. I also own Secured K9 Searches in which I train narcotics detection dogs and bed bug detections dogs.  I was a dog groomer for 8 years as member of the National Dog Groomer’s Association and also put on dog grooming seminars and developed a grooming apprentice program for a national franchise.

There are two main areas of training within Canine Composure. Canine Composure works specifically with VERY difficult behavior dogs. We take on the most severe cases of dog behavior and work with owner to develop a plan of action for the dog’s future behavior. We rehabilitate, and give the owners the knowledge and tools to transform their dogs. We primarily do private lessons and board and train.

My real love for helping owners train their dogs came along when I saved an ex-fighting dog…..Bruno. Seeing all the rescue dogs that had severe behavioral problems and where in need of stronger owners / pack leaders, I put my focus on training rescue dogs. My real passion is creating a strong relationship of trust and respect between dog and owner. It is so great to watch the development of a strong relationship between dog and owner. What sets me apart from the other trainers is my ability to change unwanted behaviors long term. I am honest with clients about the abilities of their dogs and I always put all of my experience, heart and education into each dog to ensure your dog will become the companion you’ve always wanted. I will develop a highly personalized training plan that is realistic and attainable for you and your dog. My passion and expertise is with dogs that struggle with tough behavioral issues. The loyalty that a dog will give you is beyond explanation and we owe it to our dogs to give them a balanced life.

The second area Canine Composure is comprised of is therapy dogs. We train therapy dogs for two different industries. We train therapy dogs for funeral homes who are looking to add a dog to their business as an emotional support system for their clients. We also train therapy dogs for people who are suffering from PTSD and are seeking a therapy dog. We work with healthcare providers to ensure that clients are getting a dog that best suits them and their needs. Please read more about Emotional Support Therapy Dogs for Funeral Homes and Service Dogs!