Our Trainers
Our Experience
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Over 25 years of combined experience training professionally in Minnesota
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Experienced training all sizes, ages and breeds/mixes of dogs
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The majority of our trainers are actively training & competing in Dog Sports
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We have taken over 100 in-person classes, over 50 online classes, and have attended many seminars/workshops in order to continually improve our abilities as trainers and to stay up-to-date with any new concepts in training!
N'Veda du Chenil de Prestige MR3, DE, AE, DDG, APJ, SPG, SPR, SPK, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, TKA
Mikaela Gustafson
AKC CGC & Trick Dog Evaluator DMWYD Trick Dog Evaluator Updog Judge Mikaela has always had a passion for animals. Growing up, she had pretty much all types of animals including but not limited to: dogs and cats, horses, freshwater and saltwater aquariums, and even more unique pets like chinchillas and sugar gliders! Growing up she had a German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and a Shepherd/Husky/Collie mix. As she aged, she developed allergy induced asthma, one of the allergens was animals. She chose to go the long process of allergy shots so she could be around animals. During this process, she looked into breeds that did not shed. Her “first dog” of her own, was a miniature schnauzer named Angel. She wanted to get more involved with training Angel compared to previous family dogs, something beyond basic obedience. After a lot of researching, she discovered the sport of Agility. Angel and Mikaela were very successful in their agility trials and Mikaela’s love for sport dog training began. During college, Mikaela acquired Chloe. Chloe was a reactive miniature schnauzer, barking excessively at people. This sparked Mikaela’s interest in animal behavior and behavior modification. Mikaela practiced behavior modification techniques and took a well-rounded approach teaching Chloe many tricks to boost her confidence, Chloe became a different dog! One who was much happier, and much more enjoyable to be around! Mikaela earned Trick Dog Championship titles with both Angel and Chloe. They were the first miniature schnauzers in the United States to earn this title! In 2014, Mikaela obtained her first “real” sport dog, a crazy fast Border Collie named Flash. She had to re-learn the sport of agility with a much faster dog who challenged her timing and mechanics, she also had to continue to learn behavior modification techniques to handle the typical over-arousal issues found in many sport dogs. Mikaela currently has a Border Collie and two Belgian Malinois. She enjoys training the high-energy, high drive dogs the most. Especially as her interests span many dog sports such as Agility, Disc, Mondioring, Dock Diving and Tricks. But she also has a soft spot for dogs that are great cuddlers. Over the 15 years Mikaela has been training and competing in dog sports, she has learned an expansive knowledge base through formal education of classes, seminars, workshops and through the experience of a variety of other professional mentors. Also, while working as the training manager at a large dog daycare facility, teaching many group classes every week, she is fortunate enough to have worked with thousands of dogs, gaining knowledge and experience you can’t find in a book. In the rare moments Mikaela is not thinking or talking about dogs, she enjoys playing board and card games, watching a variety of TV shows and movies, hiking at places with gorgeous views, and bonfires. Mikaela is an ambitious and dedicated trainer, constantly increasing her knowledge and experience to continually improve her abilities as a dog trainer.
Couch Potato- Advanced
Ethan Hilgemann
Certified Mondioring Decoy Ethan has always had a love of dogs. His first family dog was a rough collie named Sammy. Ethan remembers putting jerseys on Sammy to encourage him to play basketball! His family also had a border collie mix, named Quarter, and two dachshunds, Maddie and Ollie. After graduating from college, Ethan adopted a German shepherd that he named Odin. Odin sparked Ethan's interest in behavior modification. While taking training classes with Odin, Ethan realized how quickly dogs can learn. This interest grew while training with the National Guard to Romania. Ethan was amazed by the skills, focus and drive of the military working dogs. Ethan was hooked! When he returned Ethan adopted another German shepherd, Floki. Ethan plans to continue learning, and training to help other dogs with reactive and aggression issues, and to continue studying and exploring the psychology behind dog training. He loves training and working with the nervous and shy dogs and bringing them out of their shell. Ethan has been training dogs professionally since 2018. His interests include Nosework, Behavior modification and Decoying (getting in the suit) for protection dog sports! In his spare time, you can usually find him on a disc golf course, camping or somewhere in the outdoors.
Fool Me Once at Wildrose MR1, CGC, TKA, ORT
Megan Peterson
AKC CGC & Trick Dog Evaluator Canine CPR & First Aid Certified Megan had always dreamed of working and training dogs since she was young! When she got her Border Collie mix, Burton, in 2018 she took as many classes as possible! Eventually her dedication to training caught the eye of the training facility at which she took the majority of her classes and was offered a job! Megan began training dogs professionally beginning 2019. She continues to increase her skillset by branching into training and competing in a variety of dog sports such as Rally Obedience, Disc Dog, Agility, Dock Diving, Nosework, Tricks and Mondioring. Megan enjoys any dog who naturally loves to work or is easily food motivated. Megan currently has three dogs, a Belgian Tervuren named Psych, a Border Collie mix named Burton, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix named Willow. She enjoys training and competing with her dogs, going to outdoor restaurants and breweries, as well as hiking and camping with them! Megan is an old soul who likes to wake up early in the morning, read in her spare time, crochet blankets, and play board games. Megan has surrounded herself with other trainers, learning different techniques and skills to become a better dog trainer.
CGC, TKI
Heather Breen
Starting with her first family dog, to the kitten she tried to sneak home from a friend’s farm, to the horses in the Equine Science classes in college, Heather has always had a love of animals. After working at a large dog daycare and boarding facility, as a receptionist, and even picking up and dropping off dogs with a doggy school bus, she knew she was on the right track towards a rewarding and enjoyable career. After a few years, she realized she would like to become more involved in the training aspect of dogs. In 2019, she added Dolly, her second Shih Tzu to her family! Heather has enjoyed taking numerous classes with Dolly, and obtained her CGC and AKC Intermediate Trick Title! Heather enjoys going for walks, hiking and just enjoying the company of her two Shih Tzu's Dolly and Carmen. Although heather has not caught the dog sport bug, she enjoys learning more techniques to train basic obedience and tricks to help the average pet dog become a fun and enjoyable member of the family!
Norma Jean vom Quellwasser MR1, OBJ2, CGC
Jess Lund
Jess has been training dogs professionally since 2017. She currently has 3 dogs: Atticus (Standard Poodle), Norma Jean (German Shepherd), and Wendy (German Shepherd). Most of her time is dedicated to training her shepherds in a sport called Mondioring. Norma has 3 legs of her MR1, has competed at Nationals, and just received her first leg of her OBJ2. Wendy will be competing for the first time fall 2022. When she is not spending time doing dog things, Jess loves to read, travel (She has been to 20+ countries), and work on classic cars (She has restored a 1966 Mustang). She also enjoys trying new restaurants and cooking at home. Her shepherds are absolutely insane, so her favorite type of dog to train are the crazy ones. In Jess' book, the crazier the better!
Arthur is a Ragdoll Cat
Ragdoll Cat
Dan McBride
Dan has always had a passion for animals from a young age. From the frogs to the salamanders he used to catch in his neighborhood's window wells to the wide array of dogs, cats, fish and reptiles he cared for at home growing up, animals have always been a major part of his life. He previously worked in Home Health Care for ten years before beginning his new position with Courteous K9 the beginning of 2023. It has been a welcome change and he looks forward to developing his knowledge, skills and techniques as a dog trainer. In his free time he enjoys playing disc golf, bicycling, and attending live music events. You can also frequently catch him playing a number of video games, his favorite being The Legend of Zelda. Currently he doesn't have any dogs of his own, he does however have two Ragdoll cats (Arther & Ellwood). He is married and is excited to expand his family to include both children and dogs!
Emma Grobe
Emma has always loved dogs. Growing up she had a Border Collie mix in her family. She would always be the one person hanging out with the dog(s) at family events instead of people! In 2020, during the pandemic she rescued her black lab, Dolly. Dolly has taught her so much in regards to dog training, and she has loved every adventure and learning experience! Emma worked at a local humane society for 3 and a half years before learning that she wanted to pursue another aspect of the dog world, dog training. She has always admired dog training, but in mid 2022 she knew that dog training is what her dream was. She loves seeing how smart dogs actually are and how fast they can catch onto things. She currently has two dogs. A black lab named Dolly and a Catahoula Leopard Dog mix named Kona. They both learn so differently from one another, so she has learned that one training method does not work for every dog! Emma loves to go hiking and swimming with her dogs and hopes to get into dog sports. In her free time, Emma loves riding ATV's, going on the lake and spending time with family. She has surrounded herself with amazing dog trainers that teach her something new every day and loves continuing her education!
Flash
Head of HR (Human Resources) and DR (Doggie Resources).