Kelly Gordon

Kelly made her mark in the dog world as a dog walker when she was twelve years old. She then became a pet sitter for family friends, gaining experience in handling cats, reptiles, amphibians and various sizes of dogs. She knew this was her calling and her love for dog training blossomed from there. Her first Australian Shepherd, Matisse, came into her life when she was seven years old, sparking her interest and love for dog training. He was the most biddable, sweet dog and taught her so much. Her second Australian Shepherd, Lucy, arrived about a year later and she quickly realized that dogs could easily outsmart their people! Lucy would open doors if one was locked out, retrieve items and was fiercely loyal to her family. She knew Lucy had taught herself certain behaviors and Kelly couldn't wait to see what else dogs could learn. When she was in her early twenties, Kelly began a job at PetSmart working with customers and their dogs as well as caring for boarding dogs and cats in the PetsHotel. It was during this time she acquired her third Australian Shepherd, Cody, with whom she enrolled in every class that was offered. Cody learned everything she taught him in such a quick manner that Kelly knew she had to get him into dog sports right away. At ten years old, he currently holds seven titles with various first and second place ribbons to go along with them. Cody is a wonderful ambassador of the breed and accompanies Kelly to her dog training job as a helping hand with dog aggression, socialization and he's just the cutest distraction for dogs learning basics with the challenge of another dog! Cody currently holds titles in Canine Good Citizen Program, AKC Trick Dog, Barn Hunt, Agility, Competition Obedience and Rally Obedience.After leaving PetSmart after a few years, Kelly moved on to intern with My Best Friend Obedience owned by Karen Reardon-Taylor. She interned for 3+ years with Katherine McGuire as her mentor before signing on to be a professional dog trainer. She earned her CPDT-KA and maintains her certification by attending numerous seminars yearly on positive reinforcement training. Her training methods are science-based and humane, ensuring the comfort and happiness of every dog she works with. Kelly currently owns her fourth (but surely not last!) Australian Shepherd, Rowan, a beautiful red tri-color male who is smart as a whip. Born November 20, 2018, he currently holds four titles to his name and along with his titles in Canine Good Citizen, AKC Urban, Rally Obedience, Competition Obedience and AKC Trick Dog, he will be competing in Agility and Barn Hunt.Kelly specializes in training puppies and adult dogs dealing with basic obedience/manners to behavior modification and aggression. Her heart will always gravitate toward herding breeds but she has worked with a wide variety of dogs from each group.