Sean D

Sean has been at the Off-Leash K9 Colorado Springs location since early 2021, having previously worked at an Off-Leash K9 Cincinnati training center for a year. He is tenured in not just training, but Off-Leash K9-specific training as well!

Before working with our team, Sean volunteered at a no-kill animal shelter in Cincinnati for ten years. In that role, he assumed general responsibility for the care of the dogs, including minor training responsibilities, and spent a lot of time bonding with the animals and trying to find them their forever homes. Additionally, Sean went through training with Off-Leash K9 in Cincinnati with his own shepherd, so he has hands-on experience of the training process from a customer perspective.

When working with a new client, Sean’s goal is to establish a relationship and make sure they get real, tangible value from the training experience. He knows firsthand that attending classes or dropping your precious pup off for weeks at a time with someone you are unfamiliar with can be an uncomfortable or scary experience. Because of this experience, Sean knows that establishing trust is crucial so that a client feels confident that their dog is safe and that he knows the gravity of his responsibility: to make sure they meet the goals they have with their dogs in a fun learning environment for all involved.

Sean also acknowledges that every dog/parent combo is different and finding ways to connect to them takes patience and awareness. One thing Off-Leash K9 has taught him is how to read a dog’s body language. Most of the time,dogs are excellent pupils, but sometimes they are closed off and need a little push to further their training, and others still are afraid, nervous, or happy but submissive, etc. Sean is fully versed in the importance of stepping away from the training side of a relationship when necessary to spend time with a dog, working through their issues, showing them that they are safe, and letting them be themselves—all of which has inherent value in the training. Which, for a dog, means more freedom, trust, and involvement with the family as well.

In his free time, Sean makes sure to always stay busy with some sort of activity. He enjoys hiking and going to the park with his German shepherd and hound mix, as well as exercise for his own well-being. When the crew aren’t feeling so active, you can find the pups snoozing by his side while he relaxes, reads, or works on his degree. In his own words, Sean says, “I’m passionate about psychology both in dogs and humans and this career path