Morgan Kirkham, CPDT-KA
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Morgan is the founder and owner of MK9 Dog Training and works in collaboration with other businesses, including Pet Intel. Her life-long obsession with dogs led to her leaving her job as an X-ray tech and pursuing working with dogs. Morgan is passionate about learning as much as she can about all aspects of dogs which has led her down a variety of avenues and experiences.
Morgan started as a balanced trainer. Overtime she came to feel that a LIMA & positive reinforcement model is more aligned with the type of trainer she wants to be. Her experiences give her empathy, understanding & respect to clients who are afraid of being judged for the tools or techniques they’ve used with their dogs. She meets clients wherever they are & helps them find a way forward, together.
Morgan is passionate about the emotional health of dogs & how the breakdown of understanding on both sides of the leash leads to problem behaviours, especially during the adolescent period! Morgan is passionate about preventing this breakdown & works hard with puppy clients during their critical socialization period to lay a strong foundation of communication & confidence. That being said, working with adolescent dogs who are struggling with big feelings is her favourite!
When working with Morgan she strives to provide information that is relevant, accessible & easy to follow. She firmly believes that when a learner (whether human or dog) is not succeeding in a lesson, there is always a way to break it down into smaller, easier steps. Every handler & dog pair comes to training with different levels of knowledge & capability. Morgan stresses to all her clients that the training journey doesn’t have a timeline & she is here to support them for the whole journey. Life gets in the way of our goals sometimes and Morgan is here to ride the waves with her clients.
Morgan currently competes in scent work through SDDA with her 2 dogs, and has hopes of playing in agility, IGP, and any other sport she has time to cram in.
Education:
CCPDT-KA 2024
Canine Foundation Training Academy with Honours 2024
The Modern Dog Trainer Academy 2023
Pet First Aid 2022
ABCDT with honours 2021
Bodhi Tree Yoga Teacher Training 2021
Canine Ripples - Canine Hydrotherapy Certification 2020
Medical Radiation Technology Algonquin 2016
Seminars:
Canine Foundations Board & Train Certification Level 1 2023
Canine Foundations Daycare & Group Play Assessment 2023
Canine Kinaesthetics Movement Markers Workshop 2023
Chad Mackin – Pack TO Basics 2023
Jay Jack / Larry Krohn / Joel Silverman 2023
Canine Fitness 1 → Lise Molgat 2023
Cassandra St. Pierre → IGP OB 2023
Cassandra St. Pierre → IGP OB 2023
Aggression Masterclass - Ted Efthymiadis 2022
IACP Conference Sept 2022
Play is The Way – Jay Jack 2021
Relationship Rememdy → Tracy Franken 2021
Webinars/Lectures:
Movement Puzzles - Confidence Building 2024
Location Specific Markers - Shade Whitesel - 2024
Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Circle Method - 2022
NEPOPO - Lauren Turner – 2022
Pet Summit Webinars - Ongoing
Classes:
Competitive K9’s Scent Levels (2022,2023)
Smart Paws Agility - Linda Howie
Training Dogs Online - Cher Wood & Melissa DeDekker
Certifications & Associations:
CAPDT Member
CCPDT-KA
Dog Sport Titles:
Bobby CGN, SD-S-SP
Mayhem - SD-S-SP, SD-A-SP
Related Experience:
Feb 2020 Lebanon flight partner with BETA & Rocky Road Rescue
Rocky Road Rescue Foster Coordinator
Rocky Road Rescue Foster
Book a Consultation with Morgan
Contact Morgan Directly at mk9dogs@gmail.com