Yana Allport

Owner and Training Director

Yana’s experience spans across many dog training venues including basic and advanced obedience, personal protection, Search & Rescue, explosives detection, training service animals, tracking, and specializing in dogs with behavioral issues. Yana has trained hundreds of dogs, but makes sure to train each dog in front of her like the individual that they are, and ensures that both dog and owner get the personalized training and instruction that they need.

Yana has a lot of experience teaching other trainers as well as instructing K9 Guide clients. It doesn’t matter how well a dog is trained if the person on the other side of the leash doesn’t have the knowledge, skill, and confidence necessary to handle the pup, and Yana loves setting both dog and handler up for success! She is passionate both about dog training and educating others, and loves facilitating educational environments where dogs and owners can learn, have fun, and build a stronger bond together.

Yana is also a…

• Professional Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals
• Professional Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers
• An AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
• Certified in Pet Emergency First Aid through Pet Emergency Education (we recommend everyone take this thorough course!)
• Certified in Cat and Dog First Aid through the American Red Cross

Collin Young

Lead Trainer

Collin Young is the K9 Guide Lead Trainer and head of our protection training program. He is an extremely talented and multifaceted trainer with 15 years of professional dog training experience. He works tirelessly to perfect his craft, and after a decade and a half of training under some of the world’s best trainers, very few can come close to Collin. He regularly teaches at seminars on protection and competition obedience and has been commended for his instructing and training styles. We are very lucky to have Collin leading our team!

Collin specializes in pet training, competition obedience, protection, and multiple types of nosework. He places utmost importance in clear, concise communication between owners and their companions and loves helping people build a better relationship with their dogs.

Collin is currently training two dogs for protection and has a trained PSA and demo dog named Douglas. Our clients love seeing Douglas at our group classes!

Jimmie Turic

Dog Trainer

Before training dogs, Jimmie was a professional Chef for 20 years. Being a Chef has helped him refine a very technical approach to things: knowing not just the hows but also the whys. This approach to work has been a tremendous benefit in the world of dog training, as it’s just as important to know why processes do/don’t work as it is how to apply those principles.

Jimmie’s adventures in training started with a Meyer’s Parrot named Ucello. That experience gave him a strong understanding of how to use positive reinforcement to free-shape behaviors and build desire to work. Years later, Jimmie adopted his Pit mix Ginger. While he had a foundation in training animals, treats weren’t enough for Ginger. He sent her to a 2 week bootcamp for ECollar training with a national franchise. When she came back, while Ginger complied, she wasn’t happy to train. Jimmie took a step back with training her and focused his time and energy on learning everything he could about dog training, animal behavior, and the science behind training dogs so he could build more good vibes in Ginger and explore this new passion. The new bond they created is clear to anyone who sees Jimmie and Ginger work – he is her world and she shines at any opportunity to make him happy.

To further his education, Jimmie attended Highland’s Master Dog Trainer certification program where he learned to train pet dogs in basic obedience and behavior modification, as well as train dogs to perform service tasks for disabled owners, train police K9s in detection, apprehension, and man-trailing. After his graduation, he stayed on for an internship with the working dog department of Highland to learn more about training police K9s. He has a vast amount of knowledge and we’re lucky to have him be a part of our team.

Jimmie is training his German Shepherd Zoey for a bitework sport PSA and detection, as well as doing rally with Ginger. He works with our Board & Train dogs and does a lot of the follow-ups for the pups once they go back home. Jimmie is often seen doing decoy work for K9 Guide. He is detail-oriented, results-driven, passionate about educating, and prioritizes dog emotional and physical well-being above all else.

Wesley Tyers

Dog Trainer

Wes teaches our Rally and Alumni classes as well as helps in training the Board & Train dogs. He started his training career in 2006 in New England, where he apprenticed under a Master Trainer and Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist. Working primarily with rescues, Wes specialized early in behaviour modification and fearful dogs, getting them adjusted to their future home lives. He later spent over a decade working for corporate pet training, teaching dog owners of all experiences in group and private classes from puppies to foundation obedience to advanced skills. He holds his CPDT-KA certification as well as is a certified evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog programs.

Wes considers the relationship between dog and handler to be the most important thing in training and prioritizes fun and teamwork. As a disabled handler, Wes is adept at finding creative ways to train and finding solutions that fit each individual dog owner. He currently competes in conformation showing, Rally and AKC obedience, barn hunt, and PSA with his own dogs and enjoys introducing newcomers to all varieties of dog sports. He believes in the preservation of purpose bred dogs and responsible breeding and rescues. Currently, he lives with his two Belgian Malinois, Castle and Murdock, his retired German Shepherd service dog, Rogue, and four corn snakes.

Isabella Sprankle

Kennel Tech and Dog Walker

Isabella is a hard-working mama, and works part-time as our nighttime kennel tech and dog walker. We are so happy to have her on our team! Isabella goes above and beyond to ensure that all of our Board & Train dogs are comfortable, clean, happy, and get several walks in the evening and at nighttime.

This is no easy job – rain or shine, she’s out there at night to ensure all dogs are pottied and comfortable before bed. Kennel techs and dog walkers are vital to this kind of business, and Isabella is incredibly committed to the animals in our care. Her patience and gentle approach ensure that the dogs are getting handled safely and kindly, and her commitment to keeping our training space clean ensures that K9G trainers can focus on what we’re here for!