Meet your dog’s new best friends.

(she/her)

Katherine knows how frustrating it can be to have a dog you LOVE while their behavior drives you bananas! Not only has she been where you are now, but she finds her career as a dog trainer to be extremely rewarding since she’s helped so many families be happier in their day to day lives. Helping dogs is an awesome extra benefit, too!

More than twenty-five years have passed since the fateful first dog training class that she took with her dog (story below), and since then Katherine has worked with more than a thousand dog owners just like you!

Katherine’s obsession with dog training started at a young age. After seeing the sport of dog agility on TV and begging her parents, at the tender age of eleven she enrolled her family’s naughty English Springer Spaniel in an obedience class.

From the very first lesson, she was hooked. In the years that followed, she learned how to take Tessie from a hamburger snatching, couch-chewing, motorcycle-chasing hooligan to an obedient best friend.

After working closely with some talented dog trainers and behavior consultants, she and Daniel started Crossbones (first “Spring Forth Dog Services”) in the Boston suburbs in 2010, then relocated to Providence in 2014.

After bringing home a fear-aggressive puppy in 2012, Katherine discovered firsthand how important early socialization and training is for puppies. She saw how her puppy’s early experiences shaped his personality and affected his training progress. As a result, she became obsessed with finding the best way to provide positive early experiences for young puppies and their owners — especially first time dog owners — to prevent problems from starting in the first place.

In 2014, she launched our Puppy Day School program to teach puppies and their people how to navigate those precious early months of a dog’s life. A decade later, more than 650 puppies (and their families!) have graduated.

Beyond her work with training clients, Katherine competes internationally in the sport of dog agility. Preparing her dogs to compete off-leash in these high distraction places gives her insight to teach her clients’ dogs to be well-behaved no matter the circumstances!

Katherine also breeds health-tested, multi-champion Shetland Sheepdogs. The experience of raising puppies from birth to ten weeks old, then seeing them flourish in their new homes, has given her even more insight in the best ways to raise and train young puppies.

As part of her commitment to being an excellent dog trainer for her clients, Katherine is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA since 2022) and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP since 2010; CTP of the Month in June 2013). These independent, third-party certifications require passing initial testing, participating in regular continuing education, and following a code of ethics.

Katherine’s dedication to the field of dog training extends to teaching new professionals as well. In addition to coaching the team of trainers and behavior consultants at Crossbones, she has also worked as a mentor for Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior.

She has also contributed to many industry publications and programs, including articles in PETS+ and Clean Run magazines and course content for Susan Garrett’s AgilityNation program.

Katherine’s Personal Dogs

AKC MACH GCH CH  / USDAA ADCH / UKC UWPCHX URO2 BIMBS GRCH Allaround Majestyk Strike Anywhere CD RE HT FDC MXS MJG PJD MXP2 MJP3 MJPB MXF T2B CGC TKA VCX – “Spark”
AKC MACH Hellfire’s Time Bomb RN MXS MJS PJD MFB T2B2 DCAT DE DM HDM CGC TKA – “Ska”
Foxglove Kaskia I Wanna Riot! BCAT – “Riot”

Gone but not forgotten…
UKC UWPCH UCD Sunrise Sweet Tess TT SR SJ AD JH-E NAJ NA CD RN OFP AXP AJP – “Tessie”
AKC MACH2 PACH / UKC UWPCHX URO2 Belcroft In A Sweet Dream BN RE HT MXS MJS MXP3 MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX OF CGC – “Strata”

Katherine with Tessie, the dog who started it all, in 2010!

(he/him)

Dan is the other half of Crossbones Dog Academy, and his gentle, patient approach makes him a beloved figure among our clients and their dogs. With over a decade of experience working full-time in dog training — initially as a professional dog walker for five years — Dan has been dedicated to helping dogs and their people thrive since co-founding our business in 2010.

His quiet nature and endless patience have a magical way of bringing even the most reserved, shy dogs out of their shells. His calm demeanor, paired with his signature goatee, makes him quite the “puppy magnet” — a true testament to his natural ability to connect with dogs of all temperaments.

Dan’s first competition dog, Anthem, has taken him from novice levels to the big stage, including making national finals in AKC, USDAA, and UKI. In August 2023, Dan and Anthem represented the United States in England as part of the IFCS Agility World Team USA. Later that year, they were selected as an alternate for the AKC European Open 2024 team.

He has also begun competing in agility with Anthem’s son, Wick, and is excited to see what this promising young agility star will accomplish next. While Wick and Anthem are related, they have very different personalities! This has given Dan a deeper understanding of how to adjust his training approach for each individual dog.

His skills translate into top-tier training for dogs of all ages and skill levels — whether for basic manners, competitive agility, or anything in between!

A proud graduate of Norfolk County Agricultural High School, Dan is also Pet First Aid certified through the American Red Cross. He holds a TAGteach Level 1 certification, which reflects his ability to break down training goals into simple steps and clear instructions. He shares his life with Katherine and their seven (yes, seven!) dogs.

Daniel’s Personal Dogs

AKC MACH2 / USDAA ADCH / UKC GRCH Kaskia Foxglove Handwritten RN MXS PAD MJG PJD MFB TQX T2B2 BCAT TKI – “Anthem”
AKC CH Incendio Foxglove Burn After Writing FDC MX MXJ MJB XF BCAT CGC – “Wick”

(she/her)

PJ’s passion for animals has shaped every step of her career. After earning her degree in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut, PJ dove headfirst into the wild world of zookeeping. For nearly twenty years, she cared for everything from primates and reptiles to birds, invertebrates, and a menagerie of mammals. PJ worked at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Houston Zoo, and locally at Roger Williams Park Zoo!

But in 2018, PJ’s journey took a new direction—one that led her straight to the world of dogs. Her spark for dog training ignited when she became a puppy raiser for Canine Companions. As a puppy raiser, PJ takes on the rewarding challenge of nurturing and training puppies until they’re about 20 months old, preparing them for their future roles as service dogs for people with disabilities. This gives her lots of experience teaching puppies to be calm, confident, and reliable in all kinds of public situations.

Raising service dog candidates has given PJ a unique, hands-on perspective on socialization and training—skills she now brings to every dog and family she works with at Crossbones. Before joining us in 2020, PJ led a dog training program in Massachusetts, helping countless dogs and their people build better lives together.

PJ’s commitment to her craft is backed up by credentials: she earned her Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) certification in 2019, and her Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA) certification in 2022. Obtaining these certifications requires comprehensive exams, ongoing education, and following a code of ethics. Beyond these qualifications, PJ enjoys guiding and supporting aspiring dog trainers as they begin their careers at Crossbones.

We’re absolutely thrilled to have PJ as part of our crew! Her wealth of experience, compassionate approach, and infectious enthusiasm make her an invaluable resource for every dog and human she meets. At home, she’s kept company by her dogs Watkins and Nester (the cheerful retrievers in her bio picture), plus a puppy being raised for Canine Companions!