Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Kiefer
Hi Dylan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My love for troubled dogs began when I was just a year old. I crawled into my grouchy Shiba Inu’s kennel and she bit me in the face! I’ve been hooked on difficult dogs ever since. The first dog of my own, a rescued border collie named Figgy, came to me with psychological scars from a history of neglect, and she did not trust the world around her. She was aggressive and reactive with people, dogs, windshield wipers, skateboards – everything! I knew I had to dig deep in order to help her. I sought the help of professional dog trainers, conducted my own research on the ancient bond between humans and dogs, and worked for an 8-10 dog pack walking service in San Francisco. Over the course of a few years I watched an insecure, reactive shelter dog turn into a confident social butterfly all thanks to my commitment to our relationship and wellbeing. People noticed the change, and I started helping friends with their dogs. When COVID hit I graduated college into a desolate job market and opened Kiefer Kennel Club during the surge in pet adoptions, officially taking private training and pack walking clients. I’ve added several other rescue pups to my pack since then, and they’re all a testament to the transformational power of canine-human understanding. When we learn to communicate with our dogs in a way that’s natural to them, so much more becomes possible. Whether I’m called to work with aggression or over-excitement, there’s nothing I love more than helping people live fuller, more connected lives with their dogs!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Haha, is this a rhetorical question? Of course it wasn’t a smooth road! I only had a couple hundred dollars to my name when I started my business, not to mention all the mental blocks that showed up because I was deviating from the “normal” path of my peers. The beginnings of my business were full of personal work around doing scary things and working with imposter syndrome. I was also going through a lot of trial and error with the dogs I worked with. You can study and learn about dog training to your heart’s content, but nothing will teach you more than working with dogs in real time. That being said, in a completely unregulated industry it’s hard to find guides who know what they’re doing and have your best interests at heart. I didn’t have the most experienced guides in the early days, though I thought otherwise. I learned the hard way with the dogs most of the time – leashes getting ripped out of my hands, breaking up dog fights, attempting to change a dog’s personality for the sake of “training,” the consequences of putting too much pressure on a dog too fast, dog bites, and so on and so forth. Of course trial and error is part of learning, and I wouldn’t change anything about my journey since it led me to where I am now, but there was a lot of challenge in the beginning that looking back on, I realize I could’ve avoided using the methods I use today. There’s always more to learn about dogs though, so who knows, I may still say the same thing in another 5 years.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kiefer Kennel Club?
My business provides private dog training, pack walking, training retreats and dog behavior rehab services with relationship and energy-based methodology.
I’m known for walking packs of up to 12 dogs and working with intense behavior cases!
What sets me apart from other dog trainers is my specialization in pack work, utilizing a dog’s instinctual pack drive with myself and other dogs to build confidence and influence behavior. I also base my methods in energy work with the understanding that dogs are constantly reading our energy and it can greatly influence how they move through the world. Dog training and rehab becomes so much more potent for the dogs and owners with the addition of these components.
I’m super proud of being one of the only fully accessible, sliding scale dog training services in the midwest. Dog training is expensive but necessary for so many, and too many folks in the industry exploit its demand for profit. Of course I need to make a living, but I’m not here to drain bank accounts for promised results that aren’t delivered. Unfortunately that’s super common in this industry.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Of course it’s helpful to find an experienced guide when you’re first getting started, but what’s more important in this line of work is to learn from the dogs. Don’t be like me and take on anything you aren’t experienced enough to handle yet, you’ll save yourself some scars, but go to a shelter and work with dogs approved to be handled by volunteers! I love the APA and Stray Rescue for this. Go slow and be quiet with them. Notice their movements, breathing patterns, how quickly or slowly they’re moving through the environment and take some deep breaths with them, noticing how they respond. This is where the trial and error part of learning really kicks in, and the dogs are the best teachers.
As for looking for other trainers to work with and learn from, I have some tips for weeding out the ones who aren’t what they say they are. Look for at least 5 years of professional experience, photos and videos of them handling dogs, and ask lots of questions about how they would work through certain situations. Trust your gut. There are LOTS of ways to train dogs, so go with the one that feels right for you, and run far away from anyone who says their way is the only way!
Pricing:
- Private training sessions: $150-200 sliding scale
- Pack walks: $50/walk, monthly packages available
- Rehab and training retreats: Inquire within, price unique to each client
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kieferkennelclub.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kieferkennelclub/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kieferkennelclub/
