Meet Kayla Smith | Dog Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
People can tell how much I love their dogs and how passionate I am about what I do. I get excited about seeing a dog overcome challenges and grow in confidence and I also love helping the bond between a dog and owner grow.

All the dogs who come through my programs and home leave with a smile and receive loving care.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Something that sets me apart from others is my background in socialization. I have experience working with dogs in a variety of group settings. This allows me to read their body language and set a dynamic for them to interact safely together and enjoy the benefits of interacting with other dogs, such as emotional and mental fulfillment, exercise and body coordination and awareness, bite inhibition, and improved social skills.

Additionally, I greatly enjoy training dogs to a level where they are confident in public and can be brought anywhere a dog is allowed. I can train a dog to behave in a mall, restaurant, park, store, etc. This is something that I started practicing with my personal dog even before I started training professionally and we both grew to love it, and now I love being able to train other dogs in this capacity as well.

My love for dogs and their owners motivates me to share my knowledge in order to help dogs have the best possible quality of life while allowing their owners to not be stressed and enjoy their companions.

I became a dog trainer after years of working with dogs through fostering, doggie daycare, working for other training companies, and finally branching out on my own and starting my own business. While it has its challenges, it felt like I was guided to where I am now and that I am living my purpose.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my favorite things to do in Surprise is take my dogs out hiking when it’s cool enough. I love exploring all the unmarked trails near my house as well as the beautiful White Tanks nearby.

My favorite restaurant in the area is Bonfire, where I’m known as “the dog lady” because I always bring dogs to train on their dog-friendly patio. I love the poutine fries there! I also love State 48 Brewery and its dog-friendly patio as well.

If I had a friend staying for a week, we may take a day trip up to Sedona to enjoy some hiking in the beautiful red rocks. I would also add another day at Lake Pleasant going swimming and kayaking. For those who like shopping, I enjoy going to Tanger Outlets as they are pretty dog-friendly as well and I end up finding good deals and enjoying my time there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mentor, Sara Baker, who has been above and beyond supportive to me throughout the years. Also to my dogs, Mayzie Gray and Batman, who have taught me so much and love me unconditionally.

Website: https://www.thunderbirddogtraining.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thunderbirddogtraining?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074258580192

Other: Google: https://g.co/kgs/p76uwS