About the Trainer
Because loving your dog should feel like a partnership, not a power struggle.
Hi, I’m Cal—the trainer behind Calamity K9.
I work with dogs that are a little too much and people who care a whole lot.
If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place!
I specialize in helping high-drive, high-intensity dogs and their people work toward calmer, more collaborative lives together. Sometimes that means building focus and structure. Sometimes it means slowing things waaayyy down. But it always means paying attention.
Why I Do This Work
There’s something special about listening to someone describe their dog in detail. It paints a portrait of their relationship—the challenges, the joys, and the gaps that still need a little work.
The way people describe their routines, frustrations, and little inside jokes gives me a window into the team they already are—and the team they could become. Everyone connects with their dog a little differently, and those differences matter.
I’m here for the people who love their dogs deeply, even when it’s not easy (especially when it’s not easy!). I help people shift from “I love them, but I don’t always like them” to “I love them, and I really like who we have become as a team.”
Because when the chaos starts to feel manageable, it’s not just your dog who changes—it’s your whole relationship.
My Path Here
I started this journey training my own service dog.
My first one? Easy. My second? Chaos on paws.
Andie is a high-drive field Lab with the energy of a hurricane and the opinions to match. Shaping her into a working service dog was like learning to drive a Ferrari through school pickup traffic—not illegal, but certainly ill-advised.
But I learned. She taught me to balance brakes and gas, structure and softness, patience and precision. People started asking me for help with their own intense dogs, and—one thing led to another.
Now, I train professionally with the same heart I started with: partnership first, with just the right balance of power and precision.
My Guiding Values
Effective training is a conversation, not a monologue.
Behavior is communication. If you’re not listening, you’re not training.
Behavior is morally neutral.
Good and bad are human judgments—dogs just do what works for them.
Dogs are individuals.
There’s no one-size-fits-all method. Every dog, and every human, learns differently.
You can’t train away pain.
If something hurts, no amount of treats or corrections will fix it. Rule out medical issues first.
Feeding a fearful dog doesn’t feed their fear.
Emotions aren’t behaviors, and kindness isn’t weakness. Compassion builds confidence, not cowardice.
You can’t out-train genetics, but you can channel them.
Every dog brings something to the table. Your job is to work with it—not against it. Don’t try to turn a couch potato into an Olympian—or vice versa.
These aren’t rules for perfect dogs—they’re principles for better relationships.
My job isn’t to mold your dog into something they’re not, or force them to behave. It’s to help both of you understand each other, solve problems together, and build a life that actually feels good—even if it doesn’t always look polished.
Who I Work Best With
If you love your dog, but feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or unsure what to try next—I’m here for you.
Maybe you’ve tried every training tip on the internet and nothing has stuck. Maybe your dog is brilliant and relentless, and you’re stuck somewhere between awe and burnout. Maybe you feel like you’re doing everything “right” and still not getting anywhere. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it just means you need a plan that fits you and your dog, not someone else’s checklist.
I work especially well with people who want to:
- Understand their dog’s behavior, not just fix it
- Channel intensity into cooperation and connection
- Ask questions, reflect, and learn
- Build something that works in real life—not just in training sessions
- Show up with curiosity—even if you didn’t do the homework (I get it—life gets messy sometimes!)
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to learn—with your dog, not against them.
My Dogs & My Team
I’ve trained and lived with multiple high-drive working dogs, including service dogs, sport dogs, and detection dogs. Three of them are now retired, and one—my Malinois—is my current working partner.
They’re not just dogs. They’re my teammates, and we work like a well-oiled machine.
They’ve taught me that softness and structure aren’t opposites. That rest matters just as much as drive. That independence and cooperation can exist in the same dog. And that clarity makes everything easier—for all of us.
That’s the energy I bring to every team I work with—yours included.
