"We Believe in Seeking Adventure Together"

Our Positive Training Philosophy

We believe in cultivating positive, life-long friendships with dogs using motivational, reward-based training.  We believe in using scientific learning principles that promote happy humans and happy, healthy dogs.  We believe that by building a relationship founded on trust and friendship, dogs and their humans can have better adventures together.  

Sarah Stiles \\ KPA-CTP

Associate Trainer

Sarah has been an animal lover since childhood - she was one of those children always dragging animals home asking “can we keep it?”. Her specific interest in training and behavior started when she co-founded A Soft Place to Land in 2010, a rescue helping breeding dogs from commercial breeding facilities. The special attention these dogs needed prompted Sarah to learn as much as she could about positive reinforcement practices in training As ASPTL became known as a rescue that would take less-than-easily adoptable dogs with either medical or behavioral needs, Sarah fostered dogs of all shapes, sizes, and behavioral challenges. Sarah is a graduate and Certified Training Partner of the Karen Pryor Academy.

Services: Level 1 & Level 2 Group Classes, Basics Private Lessons

Melissa Bishop \\ KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA

Associate Trainer

Melissa began training dogs as a teenager, first in junior showmanship/conformation, and then in obedience. While living in Europe after college, she found and fell in love with the sport of dog agility. In addition to competing with six different dogs of her own over the last 20 years, she has enjoyed teaching other people and their dogs about agility, rally, canine manners and tricks.

Melissa believes that good communication is the key to good dog training, and helps dog owners learn to “read” their dogs and figure out what dogs are telling them through their body language. This can improve the relationship and encourage a sense of teamwork between people and their dogs. Melissa is a Certified Training Partner of the Karen Pryor Academy and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed through CCPDT. She has a TAGteach Level 1 certification (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance), and recently finished a 21-year career as a member of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C. She is fortunate to live with four great dogs: Georgie Girl, Ruby, Maybe and T-Rex, who range in age from five to fourteen.

Services: Level 1 & Level 2 Group Classes, Basics Private Lessons, Agility & Tricks Classes

Emily Jacobs

Administrative Assistant

Emily has worked in animal welfare professionally for nine years, and has always been committed to connecting humans with the tools they need to build a mutually-beneficial bond with their pet. Her previous work, including running a trail ride and horseback instruction program and coordinating adoptions at a Denver-area shelter, has centered on communication and dignity in human-animal interactions.  She is certified in Animals & Human Health, and her dogs, Tuvia and Dally Girl are her best companions on trails and road trips.

Serving Summit Students Everywhere!
Services: Email & Phone Communications and Scheduling Magic!

Ready to Have an Adventure with Us?

Are you an Aspiring Dog Trainer?  Check out our mentorship program here.

Why Certifications Matter

At Summit Dog Training, we place a high value on achieving and maintaining industry-recognized certifications for our trainers.  The dog training industry is unregulated, and thus anyone who has trained a dog (and even those who haven’t) can call themselves a “dog trainer.”  Because of this, we consider it very important that our trainers have industry credentials to assure our clients that the training services they receive are based on current industry standards and scientifically-sound training principles. In addition, these certifications require periodic continuing education in order to remain certified, thus ensuring that our trainers are always learning new things about dogs in order to better serve our clients.  

Certifications of Summit Dog Trainers

Continuing Education

These are just a few of the continuing education seminars, conferences and workshops that we have attended in recent years. This list doesn't include the hundreds of hours we spend each year reading books & blogs, listening to podcasts, and brainstorming with other trainers to continuously expand our knowledge about science-based training techniques. 

ClickerExpo Norfolk 2013
BATting 2000 Seminar 2014
Smart Reinforcement with Ken Ramirez - 2016
ClickerExpo Portland 2017
WorkedUp Workshop with Sarah Stremming 2017
ClickerExpo St. Louis 2018
Set It & Forget It with Hannah Branigan 2018
Wilderness Canine Care Training 2018
ClickerExpo Portland 2019
Living & Learning with Animals Course with Dr. Susan Friedman - 2019