Jason is the owner and director of training at Canine by Design. He has worked with dogs of all breeds in both dog sport and behavioral training applications professionally for 10 years. He established Canine by Design to improve the experience for both pet owners and their dogs seeking training and pet services. Jason carries diplomas and licenses from the elite NePoPo® Silver and Gold Schools founded in Belgium and taught by Bart and Michael Bellon. He thoroughly enjoys training and working with dogs of all backgrounds, and his passion for life-long learning fuels his pursuit of mastery in the theory and language of modern dog training. In the area of competitive sport and working dogs, he is a training consultant with several local Police K9 units throughout Utah. He also competes with his own dogs in Schutzhund and is a certified trial helper in IGP (formerly known as “IPO” or “Schutzhund”) with 3 IGP organizations and is the training director of the Matrix Dogsport club. He is a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and is a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. In addition to working with dogs, Jason spends time educating pet owners, working dog handlers, and other canine professionals in the theory of modern dog training. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and enjoys the real-world applications of behavior theory in his work.
Jess was introduced to professional dog training in 2020 after seeking out professional training for her dog, a Giant Schnauzer x Poodle mix named Stevie. Watching Stevie go from an uncontrollable puppy into a driven dog that quickly earned her first AKC CGC title sparked Jess’ passion for dog training and dog sport. Jess joined the Canine by Design team in February of 2022 as office manager and she and Stevie are well on their way toward earning more titles in obedience and sport work. Jess holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies with a minor in Psychology and an Associate of Science in Humanities and Social Sciences from Utah Valley University. Jess resides in Salt Lake City with her 2 dogs; a Giant Schnauzer x Poodle “Schnoodle” named, Stevie; and a miniature “Bernedoodle” named, Bear. In addition to training dogs, Jess is passionate about ham radio and classic BMWs. She is also an amateur powerlifter and nationally qualified bikini bodybuilder.
Kaiya has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Utah. She lives in Sandy with her husband and their two dogs: a German Shepherd, Elka; and an Australian Cattle Dog mix, Mayzee. She is a graduate from Bart and Michael Bellon’s NePoPo® Silver and Gold Schools.
Kaiya has always enjoyed working with animals and first began with horses when she was nine years old. She competed in Three Day Eventing for many years before moving abroad.
She joined the Canine By Design team in June 2022 as a trainer. Kaiya is constantly developing her skills and knowledge in canine behavior and enjoys furthering her education by attending seminars and workshops.
Her dog, Mayzee, has earned novice scent titles in UKC nose work and her SR1 in GRC. Mayzee is working towards her SR2, advanced nose work, BH, and novice obedience titles. Her other dog, Elka, is currently preparing to earn a BH title in IGP (schutzhund).
When she is not spending time working dogs, you can find Kaiya planning her next trip abroad, reading an exciting adventure novel, or hitting the hiking trails with Mayzee.
Ashleigh was born into dog training and her passion for dogs has always been part of her life. Growing up, Ashleigh’s mother competed in IGP in the 1990’s which is where her love of dog sport originated. Ashleigh’s first personal dog was a black Schipperke that she got when she was 8 years old. She trained in AKC obedience with him and earned his CGC & CGCA.
Ashleigh purchased her first German Shepherd, Jetta, while in college and is currently working toward earning her IGP 1 and PDC titles in dog sport.
Outside of training dogs, Ashleigh worked 5 years as a veterinary assistant and has personally owned several German Shepherds. She also owns and operates a small hobby kennel for breeding health-tested, titled, and proven German Shepherd Dogs. Ashleigh loves hiking, boating, horseback riding, and traveling.
Lex is an avid dog enthusiast. In 2019 she purchased her first personal dog, a female German Shepherd, Raven, and began her education into working dogs and related sports. Lex began her introduction to dog training by completing the Introduction to Canine Training and Behavior Theory program at Dog Works in 2020. She and Raven are now focusing on furthering their sport training in schutzhund and other dog sports while training dogs full-time with Canine by Design. Lex is passionate about helping people who are experiencing the same challenges with pets that she went through with some of her personal pets growing up. Lex is currently working on earning titles for both her dogs Raven and Django in IGP and AKC Obedience.
Kota began training dogs in 2017. She got involved with dog training because of her Border Collie, Rigby. Kota has a background in working with pet dogs in multiple capacities including: running enrichment and group classes, conducting private training lessons, and board and train programs. The thing she loves most about dog training is assisting clients in strengthening their relationship with their dog.
Kota is a graduate from Bart and Michael Bellon’s elite NePoPo® Silver School. She is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), and is a certified American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen evaluator. She has earned accreditations from the Canine-Human Relationship Institute and has also graduated from Salt Lake Community College with an Associate Degree in Health Science.
Kota joined the Canine By Design team as a trainer in 2022. Kota is passionate about learning and finding the best way to communicate to both the dog and the owner. She is currently working to graduate from the NePoPo® New Gold School. She also plans to participate in AKC Obedience and scent work with her dog, Rigby.
