Meet Our Teachers
All of our Dog Day School teachers are force-free certified dog trainers.
Emma is passionate about her work with dogs and pet owners and works to teach pet owners to understand and better communicate with their beloved pets. Her favorite moment in training is when a dog's eyes light up when he suddenly understands what he is being asked to do and she loves bringing that moment into the lives of the people and pets she teaches. That “aha moment” is priceless! Throughout her life she has always been around animals including growing up with chickens, dogs, cats and bees.
Emma is the General Manager of the Montessori and Grooming program at Patrick’s Pet Care. She resides in Northeast DC and has worked at Patrick's Pet Care since 2018.
Neville is the Program and Assistant Manager for Dog Montessori School and also supports both the small and large dog classes in an assistant teacher position at our Brookland facility. His favorite part about teaching is providing great customer service to not just the dogs, but to humans as well.
Neville's goal is to become an applied animal behaviorist. Before becoming a pet care professional, he spent several years working for his father’s catering company. A recent transplant from the suburb of Deltona, Florida, Neville is excited for all of the new doors that have opened since moving to the College Park area this past April.
Neville’s pronouns are (he/him/they/them).
Kimana teaches at our boutique, small dog facility at Columbia Heights. Her favorite part of teaching is helping dogs grow in confidence and become their best selves.
Over the last 4.5 years, Kimana has trained, groomed, and supervised dogs in both veterinary and dog day school settings. She's currently pursuing her degree in Veterinary Technology and has achieved certifications in Canine Cognition and Low Stress Handling. Her dream is to become an Animal Behaviorist and help our furry friends become their best selves.
Emily is the primary teacher in classroom one, our small dog class at our all dog facility at Brookland. Her favorite part of teaching is the one on one training periods of the day, when she helps dogs achieve personal goals.
Inspired by her own dog, Emily takes a special interest in separation anxiety cases and wants clients to understand that recovery is possible. If her dog can do it anyone can! Emily completed Peaceable Paws Level 1 academy in 2022 and can't wait to go back to learn more. She's currently enrolled in Victoria Stillwell Academy. Emily lives in Manassas VA with her two kitties, Knox and Poe, and the best dog in the world, Arrow, a pitbull/cattle dog mix.
Nikita Nikita specializes in puppy socialization and training, and is the lead teacher for our Puppy Head Start program.
Her passion is to help puppies get the best start in life and to deepen bonds between dog owners and their canine companions. In addition, she offers private lessons that cover basic manners, leash reactivity, family bonding and fun tricks and training to have fun with your dog. Nikita is originally from South Africa and now resided in Northwest DC. She has worked at Patrick’s Pet Care since early 2019.
Interested in a career in dog training?
Are you passionate about dogs, teaching, and people? What about good pay, great co-workers, and healthy work life balance? As a Dog Montessori School Teacher, we’ll pay for your training to become a certified force-free dog trainer.
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