Hi! I'm Gillian. I would love to help you with your dog.

Gillian's K9 Academy LLC was started in 2020 on the belief that

not all dogs are born equal. They each have their own unique traits and mannerisms, and therefore require their own unique and specialized training. That’s where we come in!

Whether it’s for basic manners or more complex behavioral issues, our trainers are focused on not only training your dog, but teaching you how to effectively communicate with them. This method of training is full of fun techniques that will give you and your pet a happier life together.

I have over a decade of experience training dogs. When I was younger, I was in 4H dog club and did dog obedience shows with my childhood dog, Winston. My dog training journey really got started when I got my dog Daisy. Daisy struggled with fear based reactivity towards dogs and was a pretty fearful dog in general. As her issues started to cause more of a everyday battle, I looked into training. I started shadowing under different trainers, taking a few online courses, and reading a lot of books in which I applied to Daisy. Overtime her reactivity and general fearfulness started to diminish, and I realized I had found my passion and love for dog training, specifically behavior modification. I ended up getting a dog training job at a local dog training facility to further my education. I worked there for a year before I branched out on my own and started Gillian's K9 Academy. My goal as a trainer is to bridge the communication gap between dogs and owners. I want owners to learn how to enjoy their dogs and live in harmony with them. Owning a dog should be an enjoyable experience, not one full of stress or anxiety.

At Gillian's K9 Academy, we offer the most effective training programs in Decatur, Indiana and the surrounding areas. Providing private lessons to fit your specific needs, we are equipped to help you achieve your goals. From impulse control and obedience to complex commands, tricks, service dog training, and behavior modification—no dog is untrainable.

HERE ARE TRAINING VIDEOS OF PREVIOUS CLIENTS AND PERSONAL DOGS. This link will take you to our YouTube channel, where all of our training videos are posted.

Click link: https://youtube.com/@gilliansk9academy?si=6X62B6Uwr8GCbzvM

EXPERIENCE AND CREDENTIALS

My dog training journey started with training my childhood dog Winston and competing at the age of 10 in 4H Dog Obedience Club in Adams County, which eventually led into competing at the Indiana State Dog Show. I trained 3 different dogs while in 4H dog club: Winston the West Highland White Terrier, Riley the Labrador Chesapeke Bay Retriever Mix, and Daisy the Terrier Cattle Dog mutt.

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4H EXPERIENCE

2013- 3rd Place at County (Winston)
2014- 2nd Place at County + Reserve Grand Champion at County + Drill Team Placed 2nd at State (Winston)
2015- 2nd Place at County (Riley)
2016- 2nd Place at County (Winston)
2017- 1st Place at County + Reserve Grand Champion at County + Drill Team Placed 3rd+ Placed 3rd at State (Daisy)
2018- 4th Place at County + Drill Team + Placed Second at State: Scored 199/200 (Daisy)

When I was 15, I started training family and friend's dogs, and also helped train dogs from a local rescue called PAWS of Adams County for free. I shadowed under 2 diffrent trainers for a year from 16-17. When I was 18, I graduated high school, and I did a paid mentorship at a local dog training facility for a year. I then started Gillian's K9 Academy.
I am a certified AKC evaluator, completed several online courses, read many dog behavior and training book, and gained the most experience through hands on training with hundreds of dogs.
I am always working on continuing my education and experience as a K9 Behavior Specialist.

In 2023, I become a Freedom K9 Coalition Member. We are a national group of professionals who are volunteering our talents to help increase access to PTSD service dogs for survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking. Freedom K9 Project is the first service dog organization in the United States to specifically train dogs for survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking. Survivors pay nothing for these extremely valuable dogs.