Radiant K9

05/19/2023

Hi everyone, BIG news and big changes for Radiant K9! Radiant K9 is CHANGING OWNERSHIP and will also soon be changing locations slightly.

I, Kirsten McKenzie, am handing off ownership to our current head trainer, Octavia Pizarro. Octavia is one of my best friends and one of best trainers I've had the pleasure of knowing. She's incredibly passionate about helping the dogs and families we work with and constantly continuing to learn and better herself as a trainer. I couldn't imagine handing my company over to someone better.

As for WHY? Due to health reasons I personally stopped hands-on training with clients about a year ago and have been managing and supporting my team from behind the scenes. Along with that, I'm going to be moving across the country in July, so it be practical to continue managing the company from afar. I've also been investing in my first love which is art, and will continue to focus on and grow that business after my move.

I've adored this company and the clients and friends I've made along the way! I'm so excited for the next chapter of life and so so thankful for all of the great people I've met these past few years. I'm also incredibly thankful for my team of trainers who have made Radiant K9 even better and been able to provide amazing training even when I couldn't.

Radiant K9s location will also be transitioning towards the Walnut Creek area in the near future as Octavia also makes a move! Please be patient with us as we make the transition and update our site, socials, and Yelp page.

And thank you again to everyone who has supported us! ❤️

.by.an.echo

11/17/2022

Radiant K9 is so excited to announce another new team member! A little late to posting but we're so excited to have Emma Carstens working with us! Here's a little bit about her:

"I’ve lived in the peninsula my whole life. Ive grown up in a very dog oriented community. We’ve had dogs in our house since I was about 3 years old and have never lived without dogs since. I grew up dreaming about becoming a vet, or running a dog rescue, or almost anything in the animal field.

In 2016 I began volunteering for a local animal rescue to help as many dogs as possible get into loving forever homes. Not long after I began fostering and have now fostered over 150 animals. To this day I still foster dogs for that same rescue. Back in 2019 I foster failed my first dog Toffee. After bringing toffee into my life I jumped head first into the dog training world starting with my own dog. After starting training with Toffee I began doing basic training and slight behavior modification with dogs waiting to be adopted through the rescue I worked with.

I had first met Kirsten through a friend who previously worked with her. But when I really got the opportunity to work with her I finally met someone who had similar training styles as myself. As well as the same goal which is to help you reach the goals you have for you and your dog, in addition to creating and or strengthening your relationship with your dog."

12/09/2021

The RadiantK9 team is growing! We're so excited to add Ember Sotnick as one of our trainers.

"Although I didn’t get my first family dog until I was 12, I have been a lifelong animal lover and became fascinated by dog training at an early age, when I saw a border collie performing incredible frisbee stunts and complex tricks on TV. Throughout my teen years I volunteered at my local animal shelter where I got to work on teaching basic obedience and nice leash manners to the dogs waiting to be adopted. During this time I also worked with my family dog on both fun trick training and what was once severe reactivity around other dogs.

When I did finally get my very own dog in 2017, a Border Aussie named Echo, I delved headfirst into the world of dog training and consulted every training resource I could. My goal had always been to train an adaptable and extremely reliable dog that I could take on adventures with me, so when my health began rapidly going downhill later that year and my doctors and I decided that a service dog would be a viable treatment option for me, our early training foundations really payed off! I immediately began training Echo various tasks to help with my different medical conditions and was blown away by just how much dogs can learn when you make the effort to establish clear communication with them. After countless hours of training, he ultimately made it possible for me to get through all of college safely, and continues to help me through my daily life. He has taught me so much not only about dog training, but about patience, persistence, and staying positive.

I first met Kirsten a few months into my service dog training journey when we started meeting up to train our service dogs together and bounce ideas off of one another. I had a deep appreciation for the training methods she used and found myself consistently on the same page as her, unlike many of the other trainers to which I had briefly gone in the past. I quickly fell in love with balanced training and the way it can be customized to benefit any dog. As I became more a part of the dog training community and eventually started shadowing Kirsten’s sessions, it grew clear to me that there is no one right way to train a dog; every dog is unique and needs an individualized training approach to flourish! In my opinion, that’s what makes dog training so much fun. I love to troubleshoot problems and come up with creative training solutions for every type of dog. My main intention will always be to strengthen the relationship and communication between you and your dog so that you can reach your training goals together!"

Welcome to the team Ember!

12/07/2021

Puppy class this past weekend was a huge success! We had a big group of about 6 puppies, ages 7 months to 4 months. Everyone had a great time! With 3 trainers there to help monitor everyone, it ensured that the puppies can have a safe, productive play experience. Where we can help step in if there's any puppies that are getting a little too rambunctious or overwhelmed. Having these safe social environments for puppies is SO important to help them learn proper social interactions with dogs for their adulthood.
It was so fun seeing rambunctious puppies better boundaries and more unsure puppies growing confidence and engaging more by the end of the group. In between play time we also work on recalling our puppies for treats, having leash time to learn to disengage and calm nicely, even when your new friend is close by. We finished with some fun confidence building on some agility/playground equipment and then rewarded everyone for good obedience again by letting them play a bit before leaving ❤️ So thankful for my team helping me run these classes and being awesome with our clients! Y'all rock.

11/17/2021

We had our first adult group class this past weekend and it was a blast! Super duper proud of my team and our clients and how they're all progressing! 👏
This means that we officially OFFER GROUP CLASSES. If that's something that is interesting to you, ask your trainer about it or feel free to message us here it through email.
Great job everyone! ❤️

07/04/2021

Radiant K9 is extremely excited to announce that we're officially adding a new member to the team!

Octavia Pizarro has been working with and shadowing me for around 6 months now and is a superb handler and trainer and has become a great friend! I couldn't be happier and more thankful to add her to our team and see how she's helping clients already. Here's a little more info about Octavia:

"Growing up on a farm in small New York town brought out my love for animals specifically dogs. When graduated high school I started working at a boarding/daycare facility in which helped me gain knowledge on different canine behaviors. After rescuing my first dog Marley who is a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix I decided to take a step into the dog training world. I started shadowing Marley’s trainer and eventually started working with her. After making the move to California I decided to work back in the veterinary field as a Veterinary Assistant. This was an amazing opportunity to retain more knowledge on animal health and behavior. Although I loved this opportunity, I missed training. My other dog Bentley was a rescue with severe reactivity issues. When I met Kirsten, she not only showed me a new approach to training but inspired me to step into the balance training world. My main goal is to help you build a better relationship your dog. But also providing you with the knowledge and confidence to reach higher levels of success."

Give her a warm welcome and follow over at !

04/18/2021

A dog is never too old for training!

Hero is a great example of an old dog that can have his life turned around just by a little extra guidance and structure.

He's also a great example of keeping many tools in your toolkit, and thinking outside the box. As a small, older dog, he's a bit fragile, moves slower, and Hero in particular has a weak trachea, so we wanted to avoid using any pressure on his neck. Typically with reactive dogs I like to use a bit of neck pressure to more easily communicate and interrupt reactive behavior, but not with this guy. After trying a few other methods that were either to firm on his little body or just not effective enough, we decided to try ecollar with him.

On just a level 4 and 5 he would completely disengage from Kal when he felt the desire to react, and was easily redirected onto his handler and rewarded with treats! After our session I put the ecollar on his owners to let them feel and tapped the button a few times, to which they said "I don't feel anything". That's exactly the reaction I expect from those working levels on the Mini Educator! I don't feel the Mini at all until level 10 or 12, where the majority of dogs work between a 4 and 8. It's a great testament to how gentle and effective these collars are! ESPECIALLY for more physically frail or sensitive dogs.

Stoked for this pup to start being less stressed on walks so he can get out more with his family in the nice Spring weather 👏

04/15/2021

Exposure =/= Socialization
Part 2 of 2

So HOW do you do 'socialization' properly then? Before 5 months of age is a very important phase of a puppy's development for exposure and socialization to many different things. Teaching a puppy how to safely interact with the world and it's inhabitants. This does NOT mean throwing your new puppy out in the 'wilds' of the dog park or your neighborhood kids who want to swarm the cute puppy.
Here are some safe, helpful socialization situations to help your new puppy.

1. Find a STRUCTURED puppy play group or group class. Letting your puppy play with other young puppies of similar age is a great and safe way to help your puppy learn important social skills. This shouldn't be a puppy free-for-all, though. It should be closely monitored to give puppies breaks when they get over stimulated, set boundaries with puppies that tend to be bullies, and advocate for puppies that are more timid. If done right, this group can be beneficial for puppies of all temperaments! An added bonus if this group counts as an obedience class as well, with intermittent play time and training time, so they learn how to play but also how to engage and train around the distraction of other pups.

2. Singular play dates with puppies or TRUSTED adult dogs. Puppy play dates have the same advantages of puppy groups, just smaller. Adult dogs can be great teachers to younger pups, but be careful to choose patient and gentle adults that will help the puppies have good experiences with older/larger dogs. Don't choose dogs that are overly rough, grumpy, or too harshly correcting, to avoid the puppy having scary or possibly dangerous experiences with dogs that could leave a lasting impact.

3. Socialization with PEOPLE is just as important as other dogs! Practice with trusted people, having them give food, handle, and play with your puppy. People of the world are good and not scary or sketchy. It's especially important to practice handling sensitive areas such as ears, feet, mouth, tail, ect, paired with treats. This will desensitize them to being touched by unknown persons or handled by groomers and vets.
(cont. in comments)

04/15/2021

Exposure =/= Socialization
Part 1 of 2.

A lot of people are probably going to disagree with this post, and that's fine. I've been seeing a new narrative in the balanced dog training world that says "Your puppy doesn't need to 'socialize' with the people and animals around the world, it only needs to be calmly exposed to them and be interacting just with you and your family." "Your dog is for you, not the rest of the world."

While I agree with many parts of this sentiment, I also believe that it leaves many gaps in a puppy's learning and development, doing a disservice to that dog as it grows. Without growing up interacting with other dogs and puppies, how is your puppy supposed to learn important social etiquette with other dogs? Learn how to express and respect cues for discomfort or space, learn to be confident with other dogs, or learn not to be a bully. Learning these things only with their litter mate is likely not enough time to gain and practice these skills. Even if you don't plan to have a 'social' life with your dog, you may add a dog to your family, socialize with family member's dogs, or have accidental run ins with other dogs along it's life.

And if your puppy is never handled and worked with by other people, how will it learn tolerate being handled by a vet, groomer, boarding facility, or dog sitter?

As trainers we see many people throw their puppies into overwhelming or bad situations like dog parks and the hands of uneducated children in hopes of 'socializing' their puppy. When done improperly like this, you can create more issues than you are helping.
But it seems in an effort to avoid these mishaps, many have swung the opposite direction of the pendulum and advise just 'exposure' training, in place of socialization and social interaction. In my opinion, there needs to be a healthy middle ground to help our dogs be as confident and well-balanced as possible.

I see just as many behavioral issues do to LACK of proper socialization, as I do for improper OVER socialization.

Check out part 2 for tips on HOW to socialize your puppy PROPERLY and safely.

01/22/2021

One of my favorite reviews and client turnarounds! Checked in with these guys last night as well and was so thrilled to hear how well they're doing still, advancing and improving even more! This is the type of stuff I live for, helping people and their pups build better relationships and have safer, more cohesive and happy lives together.

09/04/2020

MUZZLES ARE FOR SAFETY.

My long term goal when I put a muzzle on a dog, is to get to a point where the dog can safely live without the muzzle (in the majority of circumstances, at least). Just slapping a muzzle on forever will keep you, the dog, and other people and dogs safe, but will not fix the underlying issue if you have a dog that wants to bite people or dogs.

On the flip side, I've known people who are against using muzzles altogether. The rationale is that the dog knows when the muzzle is on, and when you take it off, it will immediately revert back to biting.
I disagree.

The point of doing behavior modification on a dog that requires a muzzle is that you are TEACHING that dog a new way to think, feel, and navigate life-- which results in the desires/triggers towards biting to be severely minimized.

If you're just correcting or working with a dog on a surface level, then a muzzle may just temporarily placate the dog, until it gets an opportunity to bite again. With a dog that is biting with intent, you have to work on a LOT of factors to modify behaviors and habits. Learn the source, triggers, and learn how to correct AND advocate and guide that dog properly. It's not a one-size-fits-all process.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a muzzle! They're incredibly useful tools for safety and allow for learning moments that would be otherwise impossible or unsafe to to facilitate. It's my first priority as a trainer to advocate for my own safety and the safety of my clients and other animals and people that may be working around this dog.

There's also nothing wrong with opting to return to a muzzle for added safety if you're going into new or challenging environments with your dog! Safety should never come at the cost of your ego or feeling guilty. If you're unsure, opt for the safer, more comfortable option for both you and your dog!

08/31/2020

DOGS ARE INDIVIDUALS.

And so are the households they live in! 1 exact method and mindset isn't going to work for every dog or every owner. And it's our jobs as trainers to read and get to know the dog, as well as the owners and what they're looking for in their relationship and what they want life to look like with their dog.

My dog Kal trains for the sport of Schutzhund, so for this we go get to be the students to a highly experienced trainer. One of my favorite things is seeing how differently my trainer handles each individual dog and handler, depending on temperament, what stage in training they're at, ect. Everything is very particular and intentional for THAT individual team to help them reach their goals.

In pet and service dog training it's vital that we do the same thing! If you have a 'method' that you try to fit every dog and client into first, you'll struggle. There are tools, strategies, and types of methods that will work for a large variety of dogs, but you must always know how to customize that knowledge to the particular dog you're working with.

And most importantly, help create a realistic plan of action and training for the household and owner as well! Trainers often have lofty ideals of what dogs 'should' be like, but everyone has different priorities and things that they need, or limitations in what they're able to do or manage with their dog. Some people don't need a perfect heel and to be able to take their dog everywhere and be bombproof, some people just want a polite dog that doesn't pull or jump and has a super solid Place command for when grandkids come over. We're here to help them reach THEIR goals with their personal dog and fit into their lifestyle, not ours. We are always here to HELP, not to make their lives overly complicated, and it can be hard to remember that sometimes. Always be open minded and ready to learn more and adapt to your dog's and client's needs.

08/27/2020

MEET THE PACK - - Raleigh

I wanted to take a couple of posts to introduce y'all to my personal pack, if you haven't met them already. Today I'll start with Raleigh.

Raleigh is a 6.5 year old mutt, primarily American Pitbull Terrier, Australian Cattle dog, and Australian Shepherd.

A friend of my husband's found Raleigh tied to a pole when she was about 6 months old and we came to meet and adopt her soon after (fun fact, someone else actually adopted her for a weekend and then returned her for being too unruly. This should have been a sign to us lol).

She was a high energy but mostly perfect puppy until after she hit a year old. THEN her dog reactivity and aggression quickly started to manifest.

I have learned a LOT because of Raleigh, I probably had the most trial and error with her, and she challenged me and forced me to learn more and become a better trainer to help her.

Not many people know that I USED to go to dog parks with Raleigh when she was young. All it did was encourage and escelate her already poor social skills and growing tendencies towards aggression.

I USED to be a pure positive trainer when we got her! We used all treats, I walked her on a flat or front clip harness. But none of these things worked to curve her growing reactivity and aggression.

So I searched out and learned balanced training. Anything to help our dog live a happier, more balanced, peaceful life with us. We couldn't take her on walks, we couldn't have her out around guests (because she was rude and over exciteabele), her life was boring and sad and highly contained.

Balanced training and intensive behavior mod and boot camp changed all of this! She listens to an understands my guidance, she trusts me, she can be out places with us with guidance, she can be in a full training room/facility with other dogs, we were able to safely add a SECOND dog to our family.

It's been a LONG process and she'll never be perfect, she will ALWAYS need proper management to be safe and controlled. Bur she's come further than I ever expected and she continues to teach me all the time.

08/26/2020

DOGS AND CHILDREN

Some of the proudest moments I have with my dog is when he's interacting with my nieces/nephew. These types of interactions have never happened on accident though! Since Kal was a baby, every interaction he's had with my family and children in general has been facilitated and shaped very intentionally! As a result, Kal LOVES kids, he basically sees them as automatic ball throwers, and this is perfectly acceptable to me!

We achieved this positive association and cohesive experience with kids by operating by many different "Do's and Don't' s", as I've shared here. This goes follows along my post about ADVOCATING for your dog perfectly! When Kal is interacting with children I am constantly advocating for him and teaching both he and the kids how to act appropriately.

My nieces/nephew are AMAZING at interacting with Kal properly and most IMPORTANTLY following my instructions on how to do that. If they or another child who wants to interact with Kal don't follow my instructions, it's my job to advocate for Kal FIRST and foremost. Kids won't listen or treat your dog well? Bye bye, me and my dog are leaving. It's as simple as that. Never be afraid to just remove your dog if things get too stressful or aren't going well. Put your dog between your legs, in a different room or crate, or walk across to another part of the park if you don't know them.

COMMUNICATION between both canine and humans is vital. You're teaching both dog, kid, and sometimes even the parents, how to do this safely and appropriately. This way everyone can have a fun and most importantly SAFE experience together.

08/24/2020

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR DOG.

Let's start this page off with one of my favorite and in my opinion, most important philosophies.
Advocate. For. Your. Dog. ESPECIALLY if you're already experiencing behavioral issues or insecurity with your dog.

There are so many ways you can advocate for your dog and scenarios where this applies, but I've listed a few easy ones for you! Above all, learn to read your specific dog, what they like, dislike, what makes them uncomfortable, ect. KNOW your dog.

I'll take a second to talk about a couple of examples with my own dogs though. Kaladin, my shepherd, is very neutral or sometimes aloof with strangers. When he was younger he would jokingly be called 'rude' and people often took offense to him not fawning over them like many dogs. Despite the 'peer pressure' I put my dogs mental well-being above the satisfaction of strangers wanting to interact with my dog. He trusts ME that I won't force him into an uncomfortable social situation. If I had forced him to interact and be more 'friendly'? There's every possibility he could become stressed and reactive in attempt to avoid or preemptively avoid those interactions. He's always required to be polite, but never interact if he doesn't want to.

A 2nd significant situation that included avocation for my own dogs is when I transitioned Kal into our home with Raleigh. Raleigh previously was a severe resource guarder. To create a safe and peaceful household, I knew already that I would have to advocate properly for BOTH dogs. Kal was NEVER allowed to steal or get too close to Raleigh if she had a chew or toy, and likewise, Raleigh received consequences for being a brat and trying to steal from Kal. With this pattern of advocating properly for BOTH dogs, we were able to achieve a safe and peaceful household. They both TRUST ME to take care of them and their needs.

Kal never learned or felt the need to 'guard' his resources, and Raleigh learned she could relax and didn't have to over react any time Kal got near her or a resource. We STILL enforce these rules, because training never ends. But we wouldn't have the safe household and pack we have now if I hadn't implemented this philosophy!

08/24/2020

We're LIVE! Welcome to my re-launched business, Radiant K9. After a long hiatus due to health issues, we're back and better than ever! Let's start with getting to know the head trainer, Kirsten McKenzie.

My name is Kirsten McKenzie. I have always been passionate about animals, particularly dogs. I grew up the majority of my life around them and, in early high school, started volunteer training and working with both local shelters and rescues, as well as with my family's dogs.

In 2014, my husband and I adopted our mixed breed, Raleigh. She challenged me as a trainer and required me to grow and learn at a much more advanced level so that she could have a better quality life and we could have a peaceful household. We wanted her to be a more present part of our family instead of being locked away or limited because of her behavioral problems. Whatever your dog struggles with, I can almost guarantee we’ve worked through some of it with Raleigh.

I learned and worked alongside my sister, http://lifedogtraining.com as she pursued her own dream of being a professional pet dog trainer. I assisted her with her clients and business whenever I could, and we often share training knowledge to help each other continue to grow and sharpen each other in our expertise. I also spent several years volunteering helping rescues near me train their dogs and mentored under a couple of other dear friends, professional trainers, and working with other training companies.

I'm a freelance illustrator as well, but after several years of doing that work at home alone, I knew I needed to find another career choice where I could be out and working with people and animals. Dog training seemed to fit perfectly with my passions and desires. Above all, I have a deep desire to help other people and bring peace and understanding between people and the furry companions they live their lives alongside.

We got our German Shepherd, Kaladin, in early 2017, and he has been both my loyal partner as well as my guinea pig in perfecting training behaviors that were new to me. Soon after getting him, my own health began to decline, and I found myself in need of an service dog, so Kal has become my daily life and training partner. He helps me function and live life safely to the best of my ability, and has helped me learn how to best help others in their journey of training a service dog to assist them.

Whether you’re here for pet or service dog training, my goal is to help you meet your personal goals, improve your bond, and make the household as peaceful and cohesive as possible. I want you and your dog to have a fulfilling relationship full of fun, trust, and respect.

08/23/2020

08/23/2020