Our Pack, Our Family, Our Team

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Welcome Bienveniedos! 

My name is Lynn I'm a mother, wife, dog mom, entrepreneur and an animal trainer. My all-time favorite animals are dogs and marine mammals! My family is my life!  I come from humble beginnings, having been born in Chicago and raised in Little Village.  Growing up my aspirations seemed like distant dreams far beyond my reach.  “Your aiming too high", "get your head out of the clouds", "be realistic” were comments I heard all too often. Well, here I am today a college graduate and a small business owner with the love and support of a wonderful family.  I have accomplished so much, but still have so much more to offer. 

How did I get into dog training?  

Here's a little background... 

To start, all I ever wanted was to become a part of the John G Shedd Aquarium Marines Mammals team. This served as my inspiration. Something about that place always felt so magical.  From the educational atmosphere, to the incredible animals  and all the way down to the passionate staff.  The doubt from others regarding my dream fueled my perseverance and ultimately helped in achieving my goals. 

 I didn't know if my dreams would ever become a reality.  All I knew was that I needed a college education if I ever wanted to stand a chance. After a few years at Moraine Valley Community College I transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.  Home of the SALUKIS! Upon graduating, my next step was get my foot in the door at the Shedd. So, volunteer work it was!

Volunteering turned into an internship, it landed me my dream job. I had the privilege of learning from the best staff in the industry, and the opportunity to raise a baby sea otter named Luna.  The knowledge and experience I learned from those magnificent people set my training foundation in place.  After that I transitioned into dog training. I recognized the demand was much higher and like I said, “I Love dogs!”

In addition, my mentors and friends from Found Boarding and Training are the reason I am so proficient in what I do today.  Thanks to them I was educated, inspired, and  was pushed to new limits.  There was a time where I struggled, cried and broke down, but grew from every experience!  I will forever be thankful for their guidance and friendship. After that I found myself working close to home at a dog training facility for 5 years. 

Here we are today running a business from the comfort of our home. 

Credentials...

• Professional Animal Trainer since 2014
• Bachelors Degree in Zoology: Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Canine Good Citizen: Evaluator & Instructor
• IACP Professional Member 2022-International Association of Canine Professionals 
• IMATA Associate Member 2022-The International Marine Animal Trainers Association 
• July 2017: Ken Ramirez Seminar "Advanced Training Topics" Reinforcement Strategies, complex tools, social animals-working with groups, aggression reduction strategies. Ken was the former Executive Vice President of the Marine Mammals department of the John G. Shedd  Aquarium & the current Executive Vice President & Chief Training Officer of the Karen Pryor Clicker Training.  He was my very first inspiration and mentor in the world of animal training.  
• December 2019-Michael Elli's, Three Day Seminar Course called The Road to Leerburg: The Michael Ellis School for Dog Training
• January 2020-Pat Stuart's of Operant Canine, NePoPo Two Day Seminar Course 
• February 2021-Ted Efthymiadis E-collar Training Course. Further understanding of e-collar training, implementation & safety.

My husband is the backbone of our business he handles all the behind the scenes work. Caring for the pups, feeding, medicating, yard duties and much much more. My husband has been turning into a dog trainer by association. He's the best! It's thanks to him we are continuously growing. My husband is fond of many animals he believes all life is sacred a beautiful mindset. He has come to be known as the rescuer of flee infested kittens & turtles. For some reason they find him always. 

My son Matthias is 5 years old an animal lovers like his parents. When our son was born so did the idea of this family business. 

Matthias assists in the training of the pups that come through our home. Teaching our children and dogs to interact is a crucial component of training. 

Through out the years of great mentors and friendships no one taught me the most about myself or training than my first very first Canis Kid Sir Jay Jay Jenkins also known as Jaden🐾.  Jaden was my first born even before my human kid came into the picture. Along his side I gained the confidence to dive into training. We have failed and succeded together.  He is the best dog ever! 

 April the classic rescued pitbull! She was a rescued from the streets of Chicago, they found her pregnant. April was bounced from home to home because she was the classic resource guarding, dog fighting dog with little hope of finding a forever home. She took my training skills to another level! It is Jaden and April who you see on my logo and the original Canis Kidz. 

Later in life came Lexy the reactive German Shepard.  When I first met Lexy I was terrified of handling her! I couldn't get her out fo her kennel to say the least she was trying to eat me! Lexy had lost her owner in a tragic accident. Due to this tragic accident Lexy was a hot emotional mess! She was anxious, fearful, reactive to people and dogs she had lost her person. This dog turned out to be so amazing!! She is brilliant! Her past owner had done so much work with her, once we cleaned up our communication system we gain a deeper understanding of one another. Our relationship grew and I knew she was meant to be mine. We both over came our fears and gain a stronger and deeper understanding of the complexity of training mindset over obedience. 

Then came Appa my pain in the ass  Alaskan Husky. The dog that I always dreamth about as kid! I was set that my first ever dog was going to be husky!! THANK GOODNESS HE WASN'T! WOW talk about stubbornness, talkative, & attitude. He has been by far the hardest dog I've ever worked with he drives my patience so thin. Lucky for Appa he's beautiful and I love a new challenge. He has taught me the most about patience and perseverance.