Life gets busy. At Atlantic K9 we understand time is precious and can interfere with proper training of your dog. Fortunately, that’s what we do! We are passionate about deepening the unique bond between owners and their beloved dogs. Our holistic approach explores the “why” behind a dog’s behavior. That’s where the magic begins. We take great pride in discovering the best dog training program that fit families’ individualized needs, resulting in a lifetime of happiness with their canine companions. Kathleen O’Connell James has been training dogs and teaching canine behavior to their owners for two decades. Kathleen’s success as a dog trainer stems from her profound respect for every canine she meets and her innate ability to immediately connect and communicate with them. Her passion for working with dogs comes from the perspective of motivating them to learn, not forcing them into specific behaviors. Kathleen’s unique ability to read and feel the energy of dogs, coupled with her expertise in teaching owners to communicate clearly with their dogs to get the behaviors they desire, enables us at Atlantic K9 to provide our clients a personal training experience like no other. In the early years of Kathleen’s career, she sought out world-renowned German trainer, Gottfried Dildei, to learn specific skills and training approaches to help her clients interact and communicate on a deeper level with their canine companions. Through Gottfried’s mentorship, Kathleen established groundbreaking and proven training techniques and effective training tools to address any kind of behavioral challenge. Kathleen continues to implement Gottfried’s training methods by utilizing and passing on the methods he uses in his Schutzhund training (a dog sport that consists of tracking, obedience, and protection) to her own clients to help work with and understand their dogs better.
