Dog Training In Arvada, CO

My story began when two moments came together around the same time 20 years ago. I was working as a recruiter, feeling burned out and in need of a change. My dog, Jasper, was about 4-years-old, had been through two retail store training programs, a leash training program, and had done agility training that included clicker and treats. He was an awesome rescue dog and hiking partner. While raking leaves one day, Jasper was happily chewing a stick until he spotted a coyote and bolted across Colfax Avenue, close to Sloan’s Lake! He didn’t get hit, but it scared the heck out of me, and I knew it was time for a change. I found SMS, Dave Skoletsky and Fred Hassen, and my life and career changed forever.

Over the years, I’ve experienced the many facets of dog training, and have developed a keen aptitude for teaching clients and other trainers the tools of the trade. I’ve been a certified Franchise and Seminar Instructor, a frequently invited speaker, and participate on our Franchise Working Group support team. I also helped create the SMS Franchisee and Dog Training Manual and Code of Ethics. Perhaps most proudly, our location has helped 7 clients go on to become Franchise Owners themselves – paying it forward!

There are more success stories than I can recall now (buy me a beer, I’ll tell you more), but one client story especially embodies why I love what I do. A 9-year-old boy named AJ came in with his dog, Tyco. His aunt rescued the dog for AJ when he was 8, but by the time he was 9, AJ couldn’t walk or control Tyco, so she brought him in for training with us. At his first lesson, his mom and aunt made it clear that I was training AJ, not the adults. It was amazing – he listened intently, asked questions, and adjusted when directed to do so. That first night, he was proudly walking Tyco next to him, dragging the leash behind, while my dog was chasing frisbees back and forth across the room! I will never forget the smile across his face or the joy and results we could deliver with our system. I’ll never stop driving to deliver that result for the families who entrust me with training their dogs and family.

With my patient wife and two daughters, it’s a thrill to share in the lives of the dogs and clients we train, and I love passing the family atmosphere and community impact along to my kids. My girls have been heavily involved in training. We bought our own facility in 2016, which has given us an even stronger platform to develop a fantastic team of trainers and staff, allowing them to grow, and providing us with the opportunity to service our clients and dogs even more than before. Thank you for your time, I look forward to meeting one day!

After getting Pepper as a new puppy in 2016, I followed her down the road to Sit Means Sit. I have always had dogs, and have always been envious of owners with highly obedient ones! In 2017, I joined the SMS family to pursue a more fulfilling and meaningful career.

I have 3 children, Savanna, Olivia and Isla. In my free time, I enjoy golf, movies, comedy, and pickleball, and have been known to sing 80s songs, show tunes, and heavy metal songs while playing the air guitar to entertain my team members.

Since starting my career at SMS my dog training knowledge stepped up to a new, much higher level. My boss has invested so much into my new skill set and I could not be more thankful. Not only have I grown as a person here but the lifestyle I’ve been able to create with my own dogs has been mind blowing. I’m an outdoorsy kinda girl and having off leash dogs with me on the mountain or cruising on my paddle board with them is the Colorado dog lifestyle I have always dreamed of. All I want to do is help my clients build that kind of fun and adventure with their own pups!

I showed Miniature Schnauzers for 4 years, then went into the doggy daycare business for 15 years. I have always liked learning about the many different dog breeds in the canine world, from the common to the unusual.

I am now here at Sit Means Sit, working and caring for the dogs training with us and I love it! I especially enjoy getting to know each and every one of our Day Train and Board and Train dogs and bonding with them while they work and stay with us. I look forward to meeting you and your dog!

Prior to joining Sit Means Sit, I started my consulting business after being part of the corporate marketing world for over 12 years. It’s rewarding to work with small business owners and know I play a part in their success. My husband and I have two littles and enjoy spending most of our time watching them grow into amazing (silly, fun and confident) human beings. We also have two 4-legged family members, Bella and Skittles who are 15 and 13 year old dachshunds. I’ve always loved animals and have been a dog owner all my life. Now seeing our children love and cherish each animal they encounter brings that love full circle. I really enjoy what I do and strive to maintain happiness and balance in life.

I have really enjoyed being part of a smaller business where I can see firsthand what makes Sit Means Sit such a successful place. I love watching and hearing about the transformations that take place here and meeting all of the dogs that make their way through our front door (my favorite part of the job).
I grew up in Arvada and have lived in Colorado my whole life. I have four boys, ages 12, 15, 17, and 19 and spend much of my time watching them play soccer, baseball, swimming, and singing in choir, as well as refereeing their interactions. I enjoy running and swimming with friends and gardening, and am still working on walking by dogs without stopping to pet each one!

I also love horses, and will start retaking horseback riding lessons in September of 2018. My first pets were Stella, a German Shorthaired Pointer, Jasper, a Black Lab mix, Phaneuf, a Border Collie, and Wrigley, a cat.

I officially started working here last year, but I cannot remember a day in my life where I wasn’t around a dog. There are even videos of me training dogs in diapers! My dog Finn is 2-years-old (in human years), and we are going to breed him with our neighbor’s dog, and keep one of the puppies. And, my dog Phaneuf is 12, and she LOVES water.

I am 12 years old and I love to snowboard at Loveland, Monarch, and in Crested Butte. I start 7th grade in the fall of 2018 at Compass Montessori. My little sister’s name is Lenyx and we are 22 months apart. When I grow up, I want to train service dogs because I want to help people.

Thanks for reading this and I hope to see you soon!

At first I was kind of unsure about it, and then he started looking for buildings and found this one. It was perfect so he bought it, did some renovations, and now we are moved in here.

Ever since then, I’ve wanted to come more and more, so I started coming and helping out. One day, Addison and I decided that we wanted to work and actually get paid, so we asked our dad for an interview. It went successfully and we’re still working here. My family has 5 pets – Finn and Phaneuf are my 2 dogs, Auggie is Addison’s fish, Diez is my snail and Priscila is my tortoise that I got for Christmas. We are also going to breed Finn when he turns 2. My dad does not want one of his puppies, but if we’re going to breed Finn, we’re getting one of his puppies! I also love horses, and I do horseback riding lessons and summer camp, but I can’t convince my parents to get a horse.

Horse or no horse, dogs will always be a part of my life and I love them, so come in and I can’t wait to meet your dog!