ABOUT OUR STAFF

Founder
Nate Shephard started
Rediscover Your Dog in 2017 after almost 30 years of training thousands of dogs.
He has made it his life's work to create happy and healthy environments for his clients and their dogs. Nate started his training journey helping shelters train dogs that had behavioral issues and were on euthanasia lists. He has worked with some of the best trainers in the country and has cultivated a style of his own that he would love to share with you and your furry companion!

Coordinator
Hi! I’m Robin Wheaton.   If you contact Rediscover Your Dog to inquire about training or to ask questions or if you send in an assessment application, you’ll likely speak to me.   I handle most of the client contact and scheduling.   While I’m not a trainer, I’ve trained with Nate as a client after following him on Facebook for a few years and then adopting a new 10 week old puppy.  I knew his style of training and the way he explains living with a dog was exactly what I wanted for my new puppy.  At our initial assessment Nate quickly informed me of what I’d adopted a 13 week old feral puppy and so began our long road of training.   I learned so much as a client that I knew I wanted to work for RYD!  I wanted to help educate other clients like I had been helped & taught, and that’s what I’m doing! 
I’m still learning new things all the time and hope I’m able to use that information to help others, as well as keep our crazy schedule rolling smoothly.     

Trainer

Hi, I’m Tabby.
I’ve always been a huge animal lover. I spent a lot of time in my youth helping my aunt take care of cats and dogs. I’ve always felt a kinship with animals.

In 2010, I adopted a dog from a local rescue that was a handful. She had a lot of the same issues many pet owners face today. There was an incident including this dog that led me to reach back out to the rescue she was adopted from. They asked, “Do you want to return her or keep her?” I replied, “I want to fix my dog.” The response I received was, “give me a few minutes and I’ll call you back.” This phone call is what led me to Nate.
Things looked a lot different back then than they do now. I met Nate and his pack of dogs about a week later. This meeting was the catalyst that started my journey into learning more about dogs.
I not only wanted to help my dog but I wanted to help others. I started fostering dogs and volunteering with a local rescue. Nate had several foster dogs that were tough and I wanted to learn more about what made them tick. Nate and I kept in touch through the years and I would work with his fosters along with my growing number of dogs at home.
Through the years, I got further and further into the “whys” of behavior. I attended rescue conferences for several years and learned a ton.  I attended my first training workshop in 2015 and that sparked a fire in me that has yet to be put out.

Nate and I both worked full-time jobs and trained dogs in the evenings and Saturdays for a number of years until finally naming the business in 2017. We wanted people to learn about their dogs and why they do what they do. Hence the name, Rediscover Your Dog.
In 2019, I quit my full-time job to chase after a dream. The current location started with just Nate and myself. I started and ran our current daycare in 2020 and helped train dogs in my “off” time. 
In 2023, I moved completely out of daycare and into a full-time trainer at RYD

Scent Work Instructor
 
Dogs and horses have always been a huge part of Chris’ life. Previously an avid competitor in the equine world, Chris also always had dogs trained in basic obedience, but when she came to Nate for help with her reactive Cocker Spaniel, Black Beauty, she became exhaustively focused on expanding her knowledge of dogs and dog training. After working through Beauty’s behavioral issues, completing Roxann Lee’s Foundations in Obedience Course, and training Beauty to retrieve, Chris was still searching for an activity that Beauty could not only do well but would thoroughly enjoy.  Scentwork fulfilled that niche perfectly.
In addition to receiving full time mentoring from Nate, Chris has grown her general skills as a handler and instructor by regularly taking classes, attending frequent live and online seminars, and studying books and other resources around the clock.  She is a certified graduate of Bart and Michael Bellon’s prestigious NEPOPO Silver and Gold Schools.  She has studied regularly in Nosework with multiple certified instructors in addition to completing many courses online and is in the process of achieving the National Association of Canine Scentwork (NACSW) instructor’s certification. She enjoys competing in Nosework sports as well as volunteering at competitions to further her knowledge and give back to those who have helped her along the way.  In conjunction with Nate, Chris loves sharing her knowledge of scentwork with new students, both people and dogs, and watching them learn to be a team, gain confidence and enjoy themselves.

Instructor
Hi! My name is Kyleigh and I’ve been working at Rediscover Your Dog for four years now. It all started when we brought our behavioral family dog to Nate in 2017. After just a few training lessons, younger me could only dream of working at RYD. Several years down the road when I got my own dog, he presented a whole different set of genetic deficits I had no idea what to do with, but I knew exactly where I wanted/needed to go! Eventually, that led to a job in 2020 and I’ve never looked back. Since then I’ve attended several seminars on topics such as defensive handling, game play, puppy aptitude temperament testing and foundation course materials. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to have individual instruction in a confirmation course and the foundation course we offer to clients now. Pursuing a dog focused career has been one of the most rewarding and challenging things I’ve ever done, but I wouldn’t trade being able to help our furry friends for the world!Currently I instruct our Puppy Class with Sydney and work part time in our Doggy Daycare. Sydney and I also offer Puppy Aptitude Temperament Testing which is a short series of tests designed to give us an insight into how your puppy learns and perceives life. The PATT really sent my love for genetics through the roof and has brought me a new prospective on puppy raising! My goals moving forward are to title dogs in multiple areas/across multiple associations. I really enjoy confirmation and genetics, as well as helping people find the perfect dog for them whether that be a rescue companion or helping them connect with an ethical breeder! As a client turned employee, I hope to bring the same inspiration and support to our current clients that was brought to me when I came to RYD!
Special interests : Confirmation, Genetics, Puppy Raising, Matching people to their ideal breeds/needs in a dog, and breed specific Grooming!
 

Instructor
I started my journey at RYD seven years ago as a training client with a puppy that had genetic behavioral issues. I came back in 2020 and started taking notes in lessons every day after work and on weekends. After a year of observing lessons and daycare, I accepted a job at RYD and never looked back! I started out as a daycare attendant and training apprentice, and I have now been managing Daycare since 2022. I currently offer Day Training, which I began in 2021, as well as our Puppy Group Class that I
co-host with Kyleigh. Kyleigh and I also offer Puppy Aptitude Temperament Testing for breeders and/or prospective puppy parents.

My absolute favorite thing to teach is Game Play! I attended a seminar in 2020 and fell in love with building drive as well as teaching a dog emotional control and several other life skills through playing a game with them.
PATT testing would have to be my second favorite job. We attended a seminar in 2023 and I am continuously fascinated by how accurate the results are. It’s super cool to be able to test a puppy at 8 weeks of age and get a reliable baseline for their temperament as an adult.

Apprentice 
Hi my name is Ethan Holloway and I am an apprentice here at RYD. I came to rediscover your dog a little over a year ago, after two of my dogs got into a nasty fight when no one was home. I have always spent time in dog shelters ever since I was a little kid, so the love for training has always been there. After my first assessment with Nate I was hooked! There was so many things about behavioral work that I had never been told before and I just couldn’t get enough of it! Since then I have attended a seminar with the rest of Rediscover Your Dog where we learned a lot about obedience and the development process of puppies. I have also completed a novice obedience course with my dog Kaido and I’m soon going to take part in obedience competitions. As of April 2024, I became an official member of the RYD family and now work as a daycare attendant, while studying under Nate Shepard to become a trainer.

I really fell in love with obedience guided by social drive. For me personally, I feel it has built the best bond between my dogs and I! I spend a lot of my free time working on advanced obedience with my Akita, Kaido. We go for long off leash walks constantly practicing our recalls and commands at a distance. One of my favorite ways to finish off a good training session is personal play filled with lots of wrestling!