In this series, we’ll be chatting with every member of the KeenDog team. We’ll dive into their origin stories, their passions, and the experiences that have shaped them into the trainers you know and love. And maybe we’ll discover a few quirks, too!

Next up, KeenDog assistant trainer, Molly…

Tell us about your first dog!

The first dog I had full responsibility for (not family dogs from my childhood) was Eden!  She came into my life while I was in school to be a pastor. My goal with Eden was to train her to be a therapy dog. Happy to say she’s been a certified therapy dog for 7 years now!  When I was a pastor, Eden helped me in many aspects of my job. She was present during funeral preparation with families, grief counseling, visits to nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, and even Sunday morning worship. She is named after the Garden of Eden.

What inspired you to become a dog trainer?

It was something that has always tugged on me throughout my life. From wanting to be a police canine handler to having a dog as a partner in ministry, dog training has been in the back of my mind for years upon years. My journey training my own dogs, Eden and Bowser, inspired me to be a dog trainer.  I enjoyed learning as much as I could with both dogs, and I just couldn’t get enough. I wanted to dive deeper into dog training and continue to learn. I’ve pushed my passion aside for long enough and felt it was time to finally follow my dreams.

What is your favorite thing (behavior, sport, etc.) to train and why?

I haven’t been at it long, but I enjoy working with puppies and laying a good foundation. I especially like working at things in-home that can easily transfer to someone else’s life, like place work or holding positions around kids.  I have an excellent built in distraction (a toddler, and now a newborn), so training around tiny humans becomes more realistic… and my toddler loves helping out!

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new dog owners?

Have FUN while training your dog!  Training doesn’t always have to be so routine. You can hike and work on recall, you can scatter feed to mix up mealtimes, you can practice confidence building at Lowes.  Mix it up and have fun; it will keep you and your dog engaged!

What is one thing you wish dog owners knew or understood?

Young puppies don’t need to know sit, stay, down, heel, recall, and fancy tricks.  That all comes in time!  Focus on building a relationship with your dog through play and outings and confidence building… obedience can (and will!) come later.

What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had while training a dog?

I’ll never forget the first time I had my own dog, Bowser, off leash at Freedom Park (a busy park here in Charlotte). He held an off-leash heel like a champ around kids, dogs, bikes… and water!! He can be a crazy boy, so it was such an accomplishment to have him off leash. We have a lot of trust in each other, and it was fun to be able to see all our hard work pay off.

If you were a dog, what breed would you be and why?

Any highly food motivated breed, like a lab or golden. Food has always held a special place for my family. It is so much more than just nourishment for us. We love gathering around a table, whether it be at home or at a restaurant or around a picnic table at a park or at Grandma’s near the holidays… the food brings us together, but we stay for the stories, catching up, and making memories.  Something about food brings people together, and I’m confident that labs or goldens wouldn’t hesitate to gather around food with us!

If you could only have one dog breed for the rest of your life, what breed would you choose and why?

Golden Retriever! I’ll admit I’m a little biased but goldens fit my lifestyle so well.  They’re fantastic family pets with my two kids, have great demeanors, and are easy to train.

If you could train any famous dog from movies or TV, who would it be and why?

Shadow from the movie Homeward Bound, because that was my favorite movie growing up!  Maybe that started my love of Golden Retrievers?  Shadow is a wise, loyal golden who would probably be so eager to train and enjoy life with his human.

Tell us about your teammates!

Lilly and Jenna have been wonderful mentors for me!  They have so much patience for the millions of questions I ask and have been extra supportive of my growing family.  They’re teaching me so much! I feel so incredibly grateful to be able to work with them.