Just like other professions, dog trainers specialize in different areas of training: i.e., Puppy Socialization, Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dogs, Agility, K9 Nose Work®, K9 Fitness, Reactive Dog, and others. When you train with us, you’ll receive instruction from some of the best educated and highest credentialed trainers in their areas of specialty. Providing the most up-to-date, effective, and fun training is our top priority. For this reason, all instructors are committed to continuing their education in canine cognition, training, and behavior. And to top it off, by training with us you’ll also have more class options than any other training facility in the greater KC area.
Meet our Instructors
LAURA HILLS
Teaches: Behavior and Training 101 and K9 Fitness and specializes in working with blind, deaf, and blind and deaf dogs.
Credentials: BA, Karen Pryor Academy graduate and Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA), Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP), Certified Canine Fitness Trainer (CCFT), Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI); Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator, Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer (VSPDT), NADAC Certified Agility trainer, Victoria Stilwell Academy Faculty Advisor and Mentor, Catch Trainer’s Academy Mentor and Animal Behavior College Mentor
About: Laura is the founder and owner of The Dogs’ Spot – Dog Training Center. Laura has been teaching people how to train their dogs since 2004.
Laura lives with five dogs: Fiona, Louis, Poppet, Dublin and Hamish, four cats: Leopold, Peaches, Angus and Kira, and one very supportive husband: Kirby.
LEANN HISEROTE
Teaches: Intro Competition Agility, Novice Competition Agility, Intermediate Competition Agility, Advanced Competition Agility, Crating and Connection, Handle With Care, Trial and Tribulations and Video Review and Discussion. She also serves as an Assistant Instructor for Puppy Prep and Surviving Adolescence.
Credentials: NADAC Certified Agility trainer
About: LeAnn is our longest tenured instructor. She has been a valued member of the training staff since 2012. Through the years, she has helped teach virtually every class we offer.
LeAnn is our staff Agility Expert and Lead Agility Instructor and is at the heart of our agility program. She and her team are constantly evaluating how they can help students, human and canine, develop their skills, while ensuring all are having fun. In addition to teaching agility, LeAnn also serves as a lead Assistant Instructor for Puppy Prep and Surviving Adolescence classes and helps train all of our new instructors.
LeAnn is an avid agility competitor. She and her dog Bear have been active in agility since 2012. They have competed nationally and have earned their NADAC Agility Title Champion (NATCH).
Bear, who is now 15, is retired from agility and enjoys doing K9 Nose Work®. LeAnn is training her new agility partner, Sage, who has big paws to fill but is showing a lot of promise. We can't wait to see how far they go!
TRACY MARTIN
Teaches: Puppy, Adolescence, Senior Dog and K-9 Nose Works®
Credentials: MS, Academy for Dog Trainers graduate earning her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC), Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT), Fear Free Certified Professional (CCFP), Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI), Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator
About: Tracy has served the pets of Kansas City since 2006 as a pet sitter and dog walker and since 2012 as a dog trainer. Tracy holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Anthropology and a Masters in Experimental Psychology.
Tracy is an honors graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers, a two-year, intensive program where she increased her knowledge of animal learning theory, applied animal behavior, behavior modification and counseling. She is one of only two graduates (CTC's) in Kansas.
In addition, Tracy is certified through Malena DeMartini's three-month, landmark Separation Anxiety course for dog trainers, where she learned the specifics of applying behavior modification techniques to the canine disorder of home alone distress. Tracy is the only Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Tracy is certified from two prestigious UK-based scent work organizations to teach pet dog scent work and is a Certified Nose Work Instructor® with the National Association of Canine Scent Work.
Tracy shares her life with three black and tan Littles: Doc Holliday, Maybel, and Herrick, all who are helping her learn about the world through the dog's nose.
K.J. THIES
Teaches: Puppy, Adolescence, Reactive Dog, Reliable Recall, Tranquil Treks, Excellent Engagement and Puppouri
Credentials: Academy for Dog Trainers graduate earning her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC). Fear Free Certified Professional (CCFP); Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator.
About: KJ had 10+ years of experience with the animal care industry, animal training, and behavior before joining The Dogs’ Spot – Dog Training Center in 2020. Since then she has graduated from the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers. In addition, KJ was just named Sniff Spots 2023 Top Reinforcement Trainer in Kansas City and Third Best Trainer in Missouri.
KJ specializes in our Reactive Dog classes as well as being an instructor for Puppy Prep, Surviving Adolescence, Excellent Engagement, Pupourri, and other special topics classes. She has a soft spot for dogs (and their people) who need help navigating big feelings and emotions.
KJ has shared her life with a super senior red heeler mix, Bug. These two have had fun dabbling in nose work, fitness training, and trick training.
GRACE SLATER-PINNICK
Teaches: Agility Fundamentals, Agility Fundamentals II, Beginning Teacup Agility, Intermediate Teacup Agility, Open Agility Practice, Beginning Weaves and Constant Contacts, Jumps and Barrels and Fun with Teeters
About: Grace has a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Zoology. She is currently taking an advanced canine behavior course through the American College of Canine Studies
Grace instructs agility classes. She has been competing since 2016 and has qualified for nationals multiple times. She and her agility partner, Storm, have earned an agility championship title. Grace has a great eye and coaching style to help her students improve their handling skills. In addition to agility, Grace participates in FastCAT and hopes to soon expand to other sports.
In addition to dog training, Grace is a figure skating coach who still actively competes herself. When she’s not doing agility with her two dogs, Storm and Solstice, she enjoys trick training and has earned a trick title with her cat, Star.
KAREN DiCOSTANZO
Teaches: Surviving Adolescence, Reactive Dog along with conducting private training specializing in helping people who have dogs with big feelings
Credentials: MS, Karen Pryor Academy graduate and Certified Training Partner (KPA CPT), Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP), Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator
About: Karen has taught numerous Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) classes, Control Unleashed, Dog Parkour, and specialty classes, along with a number of workshops. In addition, Karen was named a Sniff Spot 2023 Top Trainer in Missouri.
Karen has over ten years of experience as a fear- and force-free trainer. Having had multiple dogs who have been fearful, reactive, and/or aggressive, she specializes in helping families who have dogs with Big Feelings.
Karen is the pet parent of Zephyr, a handsome, sweet, smart, but highly anxious Golden Retriever. Zephyr is a recent adoptee, and Karen is helping him learn that the Big Wide World is generally safe and full of interesting, enjoyable things.
Natalie Perryman
Teaches: Natalie serves as our pinch hitting instructor. She leads or assists all classes as needed. Natalie also serves as part of the administrative team communicating with clients, planning and executing special events and other special projects.
Credentials: BA, Animal Behavior College graduate and Certified Dog Trainer (CDT), Karen Pryor Academy Foundations Course graduate, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator, AKC Fetch Judge
About: Natalie has been working in the in the pet industry since 2006 and has been a professional dog trainer since 2011. Natalie has a degree in Anthropology which included a semester-long ethnology of a local dog training class. She enjoys continuing her education in the field and is the go-to person for all the staff as she is a font of information.
Natalie currently shares her life with three black mutts: Ares, Grinner, and Sehetep. She and her boys enjoy road trips, hiking, and sniffing, along with the occasional seminar. They have tried their paw at agility, rally, lure coursing, drafting, water work, nose work, and other sports, as well as earning many Canine Life and Social Skills, Tricks, and Canine Good Citizen and Nose Work titles along the way.
Kaitlin Oliveira
Teaches: Surviving Adolescence, Assists Reactive Dog classes, along with conducting private training specializing in helping people who have dogs with big feelings
Credentials: Victoria Stilwell Academy graduate and Certified Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT), Aggression in Dogs - Master Course Completion, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Star Puppy, and Tricks evaluator
About: Kaitlin has been volunteering with shelters for 10+ years and has a passion for helping dogs that struggle with overwhelming feelings and fears. She also coordinates the enrichment program for the Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter.
Kaitlin shares her life with her reactive, senior Catahoula mix, Moose, and her high-anxiety Great Pyrenees, Mazikeen.
Jenna Miller
Teaches: Puppy Prep and Surviving Adolescence
Credentials: Catch Trainers Academy Certified Dog Trainer
About: Jenna has been serving the animal industry since 2002 in many capacities. She graduated with distinction from Catch Canine Trainers Academy in 2022.
Jenna's mission is to help grow the bond between dogs and their families through positive reinforcement training methods.
Jenna shares her life with her Miniature American Shepherd senior service dog, Chloe, her two Maine Coon cats, Lyric and Maestro, as well as her boyfriend's dogs; Belgian Malinois, Harley, and Chocolate Lab, Homie, and her new baby service dog in training, Golden Retriever, Freyja.
CAMERON LAFERLA
Teaches: Family Manners, Canine Good Citizen and Caring Canines
About: Cameron has been training dogs since 2015. During his last two years of high school, he had the opportunity to learn how to train Service Dogs. In addition, he has trained several Therapy Dogs and specializes in general occupational Therapy Dog activities.
