Shadow & Mentorship
1:1 Mentorship for Dog Professionals
A Mentorship Program Beyond Obedience
Most trainers understand how to teach “commands.”
Far fewer understand how to truly influence behavior, rehabilitate emotional instability, build regulation, or understand why behavior is happening in the first place.
Obedience and behavioral fluency are not the same thing.
Working With Dogs Is Never Just About Dogs
It’s about:
nervous systems
psychology
communication
emotional regulation
environment
leadership
relationship dynamics
human behavior
Most people think they’re hiring a dog trainer.
In reality, they’re often hiring someone to help navigate overwhelm, inconsistency, emotional reactivity, lack of structure, relational tension, unrealistic expectations, and years of misunderstanding.
That requires far more than obedience knowledge alone.
WHO THIS IS FOR
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WHO THIS IS FOR *
Obedience Trainers
Trainers who feel confident teaching commands, but want deeper behavioral understanding and more confidence handling complex cases.
Aspiring Trainers
Individuals looking to develop stronger behavioral fluency, communication skills, discernment, and foundational understanding.
Established Professionals
Experienced dog professionals wanting refinement, perspective, growth, and deeper understanding of both dogs and people.
Rescue Professionals
Fosters, rescuers, and placement advocates wanting stronger understanding of behavior, compatibility, nervous systems, and ethical placement dynamics.
This Is Not Cookie-Cutter Training
This mentorship is not designed to create robotic trainers who memorize scripts and apply the same formula to every dog.
It’s designed to help people:
think critically
develop discernment
understand behavior deeply
read nervous systems
improve communication
understand relationship dynamics
recognize patterns
create individualized solutions
Because dogs are individuals.
And effective behavior work requires understanding the dog in front of you — not forcing every dog into the same framework.
Topics May Include:
Behavioral case review
Reactivity and aggression
Fear and anxiety
Nervous system regulation
Reading body language
Human psychology
Client communication
Rescue and placement dynamics
Business growth
Burnout and emotional sustainability
Brand positioning
Ethical decision-making
Relationship-based behavior work
Sessions are individualized based on your goals, experience level, and areas of focus.
WHAT WE CAN WORK ON
Meet Kimberly Artley
Behavior specialist. Author. Mentor. Educator.
Kimberly Artley has spent nearly two decades working in dog behavior, rehabilitation, rescue, human psychology, communication, and relationship dynamics.
Her work centers on the belief that behavior is information — and that true transformation requires understanding both ends of the leash.
She is the author of several books, including The Human End of the Leash: Dog Training’s Missing Link, Director of Pet Health & Longevity at Long Run VIP Pet Care, founder of Dog Mom University, and the founder of You Had Me At Woof. Smarter matches. Better lives.
Let’s hear from a few others who went through the program...
“Almost 6 months ago I signed up for PackFit's Shadow and Mentorship program. I had no real idea of what exactly I wanted from this, but I did have goals I wanted to accomplish.
Growing my business is and has been so exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. With so many ideas and things I wanted to learn, do and implement.
Kimberly has been my hero! From being a personal growth coach, my cheerleader, shoulder to cry on, and my confidant, I never realized how much of my business was about my own personal growth and journey of understanding all I bring to the table, past and present. My journey is just beginning and is far from over, as I still have so much to do and learn; but Kimberly’s guidance has been invaluable. She gave me a step-by-step process to help me improve managing my time, bettering my communication and client exchanges, streamlining my business' processes, and implementing it all from a more empowered space.
I don’t think I would have gotten this far this fast without her. If you want to grow your own business, you yourself have to be willing to grow; but don’t worry. Kimberly is right there with calm, confident, patient energy to help grow your self-value, self-acceptance, self-love, and self-respect.”
~ Andrea E.
“Where do I begin? I can’t say enough great things about Kimberly! She is compassionate, understanding, genuine, kind hearted …and I could keep going! She is passionate about what she does and pours her heart into her work, full throttle. Just like the services she offers her clients, her Shadow and Mentorship Program is very well thought out, detailed, and customized to individual needs. Kimberly is a wealth of knowledge – all things dog behavior, effectively relaying information to clients, business structure, branding, nutrition (dog and human), and even personal growth – she is fully committed to helping you accomplish your goals.
This program exceeded my expectations and has helped me take my business to the next level. I am overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. Thank you Kimberly for giving me guidance and shining light on my situation when I felt like I was stuck. A truly empowering and even emotional experience. I now feel like I have the tools and that I can do this! Thank you Kimberly for playing an integral part in my personal growth and business development. If you can’t tell already, I highly recommend this program!”
~ Michelle K.
“Making the cross-continental trek to Virginia from the west coast of Canada to be mentored by Kimberly was one of the wisest decisions I’ve made for myself to elevate my current dog business and expand my repertoire of knowledge and skills.
Kimberly delivered on all levels I had hoped for (beyond just dog training), helping me see the importance of more consistent self-care, providing useful assistance on website content, design and flow, and coming up with creative ideas for service offerings (she’s even been known to shoot off emails in the night when awakened with inspirations!) to name a few.
I am most grateful for her care and patience in answering my many questions about specific dog behavior cases I had been seeking greater understanding with, recognizing that clarity can be found in all situations when one is educated on the importance of meeting instinctual needs and learning what it means to provide sound leadership in the eyes of the dog. Kimberly is masterful at teaching this, and while under her wing, I was lucky to have observed several client consultations (IBACs) and training sessions to see her in action, which was invaluable to say the least! Being a witness to how remarkably well she relates to people, shares her wisdom with grace and confidence, and gently teaches practical techniques and approaches is not only empowering for the humans she is working with, but equally so for anyone who is observing these impressive interactions.
Kimberly is crystal clear in her mission to empower people and change the lives of both ends of the leash, and anyone who decides to learn from her will be richly blessed with her authentic wisdom and much needed perspective in the world of ‘dog’ training.
I left from my time with her feeling radically equipped and ready to start impacting more lives, and would not hesitate to recommend spending some quality time with this quality lady!”
~ Erin N.
A Note About Mentorship
If you work with me, I’m going to tell the truth of things.
Not to shame.
Not to judge.
But to help people grow.
Because growth often requires accountability, awareness, difficult conversations, and the willingness to honestly examine what’s contributing to a situation.
Dog training is deeply psychological and emotional work.
And the more behaviorally complex the case, the more that truth becomes apparent.
How It Works
1 : Connect.
Send an inquiry email expressing your interest in mentorship.
2: Complete the Mentorship Questionnaire.
You’ll receive a more detailed mentorship form to complete so I can better understand your background, goals, experience level, and areas of focus.
3: Begin the Work
From there, we’ll determine whether mentorship is the right fit and what structure would best support your goals.
You are unlimited.
And I know — with absolute certainty — that if I can do this, you can, too.
If you feel a pull for something more… if you’re not content with simply being content… if you long to be of deeper, greater, and more impactful service — the world needs you.
It needs more people willing to be courageous enough to follow that nudge. That whisper is there for a reason. Trust it. And let me help you give it life.
