Meet the trainer: Kaitlin Evaston, CCDT
Kaitlin Evaston earned her certification in November of 2022 from CATCH Dog Training Academy and started her business in January of 2023. Before deciding to go back to school for dog training, Kaitlin started working in the animal care field as a receptionist at a shelter and then worked her way up to becoming a veterinary technician which is what she spent 10 years doing. Kaitlin is a member of the IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) and is an active trainer for Pets For Vets. Her methods are science-based, positive reinforcement and she does not use any pain or punishment tactics in her basic training or behavior modification. She is also certified by ProPet Hero for pet first aid and CPR and got a certification for completion in one of the most comprehensive courses on aggression in dogs by world renowned dog trainer Michael Shikashio. She has most recently taken a training course by Victoria Stillwell on how to better work with reactivity-based issues. She continues to expand her knowledge on all things dog training by attending conferences, online webinars, and working with her own pups at home!
Her passion is helping those dogs with reactivity or aggression issues AND helping people understand and communicate better with their dog to create a stronger human-dog bond.
Kaitlin lives in Conway with her husband and her furry family which consists of Finn (perfection incarnate), Fionna (problem child), Lil’ J (tuxedo hellian), Joey (life ruiner), and Jax (lazy dodo). In her free time she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, watching Bob’s Burgers, and listening to murder mystery podcasts.
Why positive training works!
Dog training can be very controversial and everyone has a different opinion on how dogs should be trained and what methods should be used. Kay’s K9s uses force-free positive reinforcement because it works! Positive reinforcement (or R+) is a reward based training that focuses on gaining a dog’s trust and obedience using only positive things like treats, play, and belly rubs! It avoids any type of painful reinforcements such as snapping the leash and batting the nose or pain inducing training items such as choke collars, shock collars, and prong collars.
Positive training has been scientifically proven to be more affective in the long term and creates little to no long term emotional or physical damage to your dog.
Contact us for more information on PAWSITIVE training methods or check out the Pawsitive Dog Blog!
“Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
— Confucius
