The Best Dog Trainers in Central Indiana

In 2013 I decided to take my dogs at the time in for professional training. I had never really seen or witnessed in person what it was like to have a dog that would actually listen to specific commands given by an owner. I was hooked! My time quickly went from just coming into my scheduled class times, to hanging around the shop and watching. The instructor at the time noticed my dedication to training and offered me the opportunity to take an apprentice program under her to train dogs. I immediately agreed.

Over the next two years I spent about 7 days a week there training in all levels of obedience, tracking, scent detection and protection work. Although I loved what we were doing there at this particular facility, I felt like I had plateaued in my ability to learn more. This led me to pursue other jobs in training around the area. I worked at several training facilities, competed in dog training sports, and attended all the seminars of dog trainers who are considered the top dog trainers in the country that I could. I had hit a plateau again. Everyone I met visited and worked with was just repeating the same information over and over again. The excitement was beginning to dissipate.

While scrolling through YouTube I happened to come across a video of a man named Fred Hassen. This video was unlike any other video that I had watched. He was talking to a family that had an aggressive Pitbull. He asked the family in the video to walk the dog around the room in a safe manner so that he could see and demonstrate the level of aggression toward the dog possessed. After the family demonstrated the behaviors, Fred asked if he could take the dog and work with the dog. The family agreed. As a trainer I was studying the process, I watched him work with this aggressive Pitbull that was not a low case of aggression. This dog was committed to his attempt to bite. No more than 5 minutes into this video, Fred had this dog moving right beside him with no aggression. He had the Pitbull around the same dogs that just 5 minutes earlier, he was trying to attack. The look on my face had to match the same look on the family’s faces as they watched in amaze.

When Fred gave the dog back to the owners, he asked them to go around the same room they did when they demonstrated their dog’s aggression. He wanted the family to see what it would be like having their same dog act civilized in a situation they were normally stressed and afraid something bad would happen. Being in the dog world for as long as I had been at the time, this was the most impressive training session I had ever witnessed. Not only was the transformation beyond impressive. He achieved it in record time and by doing everything I had been conditioned not to do a trainer in my career working with others. My curiosity meter was through the roof.

This put me on a three-year plan to purchase a franchise and become a franchisee with Sit Means Sit. My wife and I opened our own dog training, boarding and grooming center called Secure K9. After three years I flew out to Las Vegas to attend the Las Vegas Police K9 Conference. I contacted Fred and set up a meeting to talk with him at the hotel I was staying at. Once I met with Fred, I knew for sure that this was what we needed to do!

I went to school in July of 2015 and we reopened in August of 2015 as Sit Means Sit Dog Training. We received the “Rookie Of Year” award with only four months left of 2015 and we have been in the “Top Ten Franchise Single Locations” every year since. As an individual who has been in the training world for a while, I have had the opportunity to see all the training methods available. All I can say is that this is the only training method that has zero limitations in advancing dog obedience and helping any dog behavior. I love what I do, and I love sharing the knowledge with others!

Diet has always been a priority to me when it comes to our dogs. And while experience and research had taught me a lot, I wanted more. This led me to the American Council of Animal Naturopathy (A.C.A.N.) where I chose to pursue certification in Carnivore Nutrition Consulting and Small Animal Natural Health Coach. This has helped to be able to better help guide families with dogs suffering from disease become families with dogs that are no longer just getting by but that are thriving. I absolutely love educating and empowering families to take control of their pet’s health and wellbeing and the results are priceless.

Although my primary focus is helping dogs be well, I enjoy training just as much and love being able to assist my husband, our trainers, and clients in any way possible. So, whether it’s in nutrition consultation or in group class, I look forward to meeting you and your dog(s)!

After graduating from Butler, I was selling real estate on a team at Keller Williams Realty. Though this was a successful career path, it wasn’t one that I was passionate about. When looking for other job opportunities, my friend told me that Sit Means Sit was looking for a dog trainer. I had seen the impact Sit Means Sit had on her relationship with her dogs and how much of a positive experience she had, so the job definitely piqued my interest. I didn’t have any experience training dogs but I figured playing with dogs all day couldn’t be too hard.

The job turned out to be so much more than what I was expecting. Since working here, my relationship with my own dog has changed. I am able to take him everywhere I go off leash, where prior to working here, I never even took him out of the house because he was so human and dog reactive. I love having the opportunity to build that same obedience and confidence that I have instilled in my dog in other dogs’ room. Giving people the ability to enjoy their dogs to the fullest extent is what makes this job so fulfilling