Our Trainers
Our Experience
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Over 50 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!
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.
ORT, CGC, TKA, NW-TEAM 1
Ethan Hilgemann
Certified Mondioring Level 2 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, Canicross, 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.
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 four dogs, two Belgian Tervuren's named Psych and Jedi, 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
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 has a son named Atlas. He is excited to expand his family to include both more 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!
Bri Nelson
Brianna has lived with dogs since she was a baby and has always loved being around them. Growing up, you could always find her learning everything she could about dogs, whether it was watching shows, documentaries, or studying dog breed books. One of her favorite shows growing up was Animal Planet's Pitbulls and Parolees, a docuseries following the journey and emotions of Villalobos Rescue Center, located in New Orleans, rescuing dogs from neglect and abuse. After seeing the amazing bonds between humans and canines in Pitbulls and Parolees, she knew she wanted to turn her love for dogs into a career. Brianna began by volunteering in the rescue industry in 2017, and was hired by a local humane society in 2020. This gave her valuable insight into the needs and personalities of individual dogs. In 2024, Brianna decided to switch careers so she could learn more about dog behavior. After doing a lot of research and learning as much as she could on her own, Brianna joined the team at Courteous K9! For Brianna, the most rewarding part of her job is helping dogs transform from unsure and untrained into the best dog they can be! Brianna currently has two dogs, a German Shepherd named Kaiser and a Flat Coated Retriever named Jettson. Brianna hopes to do both agility and dock diving with Jettson, and he's always excited to work and learn with her! Aside from working and training her dogs, Brianna enjoys hanging out with her friends, listening to music, watching tv, watching football, and is usually found spending her summer weekends at Deer Creek Speedway watching stock car racing!
Erin Grout
Erin grew up on a farm surrounded by animals, and dogs were always her favorite. She frequently competed in her local 4-H club's Dog Agility and Obedience trials with her Shetland Sheepdog and Australian Cattle Dog. Working with a gentle Sheltie and a crazy Heeler taught her that not all dogs think alike! Later, she showed Australian Cattle Dogs in AKC conformation and Jr. Handler events, where she enjoyed some success and learned a lot. As a teen, Erin helped raise and train service dogs with Can-Do Canines, known as HSDM (Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota) back then. Three dogs that she raised and trained- two labradors and a standard poodle - graduated and went on to assist individuals in need! Now that she has finished eight years of military service, Erin returned to the world of dog training and dog sports. Her German Shepherd pups, Rio and Mimic, have both earned their AKC Novice Trick Dog title and Mimic earned her CGC when she was only 6 months old! Erin is currently taking as many dog training classes as she can! When she's not working with her own dogs, she enjoys reading, hiking, learning from other trainers, and working on home and yard improvements. Erin loves training all dogs, but especially enjoys working with herding dogs and big dogs. She is passionate about teaching dogs to help people, whether through therapy work, scent work or as service dogs!
MACH Fourwinds Jumping For Joy MXB, MJB, XF, T2B, FCAT, DDG, DDSE, TKA
Jen Sorum
AKC CGC and Trick Dog Evaluator Jennifer's childhood dream was to become a horse trainer. She spent her early years riding and showing horses but sold her last horse before heading off to college. She married and had 3 children and was a stay-at-home mom working a variety of part time jobs as her family grew. In 2018, she began professionally training dogs. Agility and trick training are her true passions, though she's always eager to learn something new. She loves working at Courteous K9’s, where she gets to train and interact with a wide variety of dog breeds. Watching them grow and master new skills is truly rewarding. Growing up, she had Scottish Terriers and Cocker Spaniels. Shortly after college, she got her own Scottish Terrier. Later, she welcomed Laila, a poodle/golden retriever mix, into her life. Laila was the dog who sparked her passion for training and introduced her to the world of dog sports. Laila earned multiple titles in both tricks and agility and competed in several national agility competitions. Now retired, Laila still enjoys going for walks, showing off her tricks, and soaking up plenty of cuddles. She has also been modeling for a few large retail stores in her retirement as well. Jennifer's younger dog, Revel—a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever—competes in agility, disc, and FastCAT. Revel holds multiple titles in tricks, agility, FastCAT, and disc, and has participated in numerous national agility events. In July of this year, Revel earned an AKC Master Agility Champion (MACH) title and attended two national competitions. When Jennifer isn’t training or competing in dog sports, she enjoys watercolor painting, crocheting, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Jada Haugen
CPR & First Aid Certified for pets I grew up loving all animals and wanted to own all of them, but my parents only allowed me to have 1 cat, 2 lizards, a chinchilla, and a few fish throughout my childhood. I was very lucky to grow up around neighbors that owned all kinds of animals, including a lot of dogs. I always loved taking care of the neighborhood pets when their owners went on vacation! A lot of the neighborhood dogs became my "surrogate" dogs as my parents were adamant that was the one pet I could not get. Some of my neighbors let me help train their dogs and that’s when I really became interested in working with animals as a career. I knew I not only wanted to work and play with animals, but I wanted to help them too. Growing up I thought being a vet was one of the only ways to work with animals but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that so I sort of gave up on my dream of working with animals. It wasn’t until the end of high school that I realized there are so many more options out there and that dog training can be a career too! After high school I did an online program to learn more about dog training, and not long after I completed that course I was hired at Courteous K9! I still dream of owning many dogs but they don’t fit my lifestyle right now. I currently have 2 cats Jorge (George) and Violet. Violet is a lazy attention lover and Jorge is a more energetic trouble maker. Since I don’t have dogs of my own to practice training with at home I decided to work with Jorge to give his crazy brain something good to do. Jorge currently knows sit, spin, is learning to be leash trained, and we are both learning nosework. When I do own dogs of my own I would like to do nosework and potentially some protection dog training. I love to travel in my free time, I also enjoy playing pool, gardening, and being outdoors.
CGC TKN TKI TKA BCAT DDB DBBE DDS DDSE DDG DDGE DDP DDPE DDU W-AFD RATI RATN RATO RATS FTN DCAT DJ CA Wch-FD CL1-H
Arran Horner-Watt
UpDog Head Judge & Freestyle Judge CPR & 1st Aid Certified for Pets Arran has been active In the Dog Industry since 2019! Her background includes working In Management and as a Dog Handler in places like Daycares, Boarding Facilities, Dog Breweries, and even the Humane Society. While her main love is on the Sport Dog side of things. Her 3 Year Old Border Collie, Bucket Introduced her to Dog Sports In 2023 completely changing her life and opening doors. Arran and Bucket thrive on traveling all over the country competing In various Sports such as Disc Dog (Frisbee), Agility, Dock Diving, Lure Coursing, Barn Hunt and perform at venues like The Minnesota State Fair and Rochesterfest! The most rewarding part of this Industry is constantly learning new training perspectives, Ideas, methods from peers and building relationships and celebrating successes with clients. Arran also has 3 cats- Hamitlon, Charlotte and Norah (Ages: 7yrs, 7yrs, 4yrs)
Flash
Head of HR (Human Resources) and DR (Doggie Resources).