Today we’d like to introduce you to Ava Smith.
Hi Ava, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My career started when I was 16 years old.
I was in high school, taking mostly college classes online. I wanted to go to school for a career in human behavioral psychology, and hopefully take the direction of working within the criminal justice system.
At the time, I was working 2 jobs as well, one in retail, and the other was at a frozen yogurt shop.
I spent a lot of my time inside and wanted to find a job in the springtime that allowed me to spend time outdoors.
I didn’t have any hobbies, or really do anything major with my time besides work and school.
I liked working, hence the 3 jobs, but it was mainly because I got to be social.
I found a listing for a job at a doggy daycare in Melbourne, called K9 Kampus.
They were looking for applicants willing to work in the outdoor park in the heat, with experience handling dogs. The pictures on their website were so cute, and it seemed like it was a lot of cuddles, playing, and fur.
Most jobs listed at the time that would have allowed me to work outside were blue-collar, men’s jobs.
Or jobs that likely wouldn’t have fit my set of skills, or weird jobs like parking attendants, or packing fish at the port.
In honesty, at that time I had never in my life owned a dog and had fairly little experience with them besides getting dragged down the street trying to walk one as a kid.
I didn’t have any special interest in them either. I wanted a dog when I was younger but that lasted maybe a month and I never thought much about it.
So, I applied for the job, and I bullshitted the online application about my experience with dogs. Not a ton, but enough to keep my resume in the pile.
They called me for a working interview, where I would spend a 4-hour volunteer shift with a current employee, and get a taste for the job requirements and they would evaluate me in the group of dogs.
I did not expect there to be so many of them. There was a solid 35 dogs in that park, big, little, some scary looking. With one human bearing a slip leash, a spray bottle, and a walkie-talkie.
I did a good “Fake it Til You Make It” the entire time, but what I didn’t realize until later is how naturally it came to me.
At the end of the shift, we had to talk to the owner of the business about our experience, and let her know if we still wanted to continue the application process.
I actually had a blast. The employee I was with all day gave me the review of “that girl had a smile on her face the entire time and I don’t think she even noticed it”
I was hired the next day and started working within the week. I spent the next few months, 8 hours a day, by myself, with a pack of dogs. In summary, I learned A LOT.
I worked there for almost 2 years, and within 7 months of being there, I had worked my way up to manager. I was also the youngest person working there, with keys to the building, and was managing a crew of up to 10 people, and a daily average of 70 dogs in house. All before I was even 18!
Spending so much time with dogs, learning about them in so many aspects and experiences, I didn’t even realize it had become my passion, because I was so busy just DOING IT! It was until I took a week vacation that I realized I felt like I had lost my pack by not being at work.
I loved those dogs so much and found myself becoming less of a people person, and more of a dog person. Really really strange for me looking at my social history.
Coming from a behavioral science background, I started to learn more about canine behavior, and that’s when my interest in training came about.
So, I looked for other trainers or schools where I could continue my training education outside of the daycare.
I was serious about my selection and refused to learn in any way except HANDS-ON.
I found a school in northern Orlando that offered a program like what I was looking for.
So, I applied, and met with the owner, and was accepted into the program. For 12,000$.
I did not have that much money, so I begged and pleaded with my parents to help me make the payments. They accepted but were not thrilled with my decision. They thought it was a dead-end deal, and didn’t think I was serious about it either.
After I told the owner I would be able to start the next month, my parents withdrew their financial help and told me to find something else.
It broke my heart, but it is what it is.
A few weeks later the owner called me and offered me something else. He said that I could work for my education, instead of paying. So, I took the offer, drew out my goodbyes at the daycare, and started a new chapter.
This facility was a 1.5-hour drive from me.
I would wake up at 5:00 every morning, be at work by 7, work until 5 pm cleaning kennels and feeding dogs, and be home again by 7 pm.
I did this for months, unpaid. I drained a good portion of my savings to afford the gas to and from and learned nothing about really training dogs. If I had downtime, I could watch the other two trainers at work.
I was the first real kennel person they had, and I was good, so I would finish very quickly. I would do this on purpose to spectate the training, and I also would take some of the dogs into the yard and try to do training myself, and it was kind of a secret. These weren’t the same dogs as daycare dogs, these were dogs with bite records. Some as protection dogs, and some as raw live bites. They were very different, but in the way that excited me. They didn’t want me to handle dogs alone like that until I had more experience. I said too bad! Not smart now that I think of it.
Long story short, owner’s son was my age too, and was one of the most incredible people I have ever met. We became great friends, and from here my training career started.
I cheated the system a little bit, I’d say, and got the most hands-on, personal, mentorship you could imagine. He was one of the most skilled trainers I had ever seen, literally, and I got to learn from him as if we were joined at the hip and the head.
Dogs and dog training were my life 24/7.
I was training sometimes 10 dogs at a time on a professional scale!
We were taking trips to Miami once a week to do classes with the owners of dogs, a good portion of which were Miami Dolphins players, celebrities, big engineers, music artists, etc.
It was a crazy dream life filled with nothing but dogs, love, and experience.
I woke up one day and realized I had accomplished so much but did it as a version of me that no longer resonated.
Within the week I had quit my job, ended my year-long relationship, and took off into the world with literally no idea what I was doing.
I spent 3 months traveling and healing and reconnecting with my family, and took time away from dogs. They reminded me of too much, and my energy was not right to handle them anyway.
After a break, a past client got in touch with me and offered me work with her, caring for her dogs and whelping her upcoming litter of puppies.
I took the job and had the opportunity to learn so much, got my head back on straight with training dogs, and traveled with her to different dog shows around the south. From Nov 2021 to Jan 2022.
I knew I had a very unique skill, backed with passion, and I didn’t want to let it die.
So, I got up one morning about 10 days before my 2oth birthday and said ‘Fuck It!” and decided I was going to start my own business.
Bad Girl K9 was born February 1st of 2022.
I have spent the past few months trying to figure the whole thing out, but I am off to a better start than I thought I would be!
I now train dogs from my home and have become an even better trainer than I was before. I get to connect with and train these dogs using my learned skills, and myself discovered ones. My foundation taught me who I did and didn’t want to be as a person, a trainer, a business owner, and a dog lover.
I spend a lot of time in the community, both local, and online, and am making a reputation for myself that I love.
I am happy, confident, and thankful for how I get to live and work, and I know that I have so much more time to develop in my personal life and career.
The dog business is half people with passion and half people with greed.
It is a very competitive industry, with everyone having their own style, beliefs, methods, and opinions.
I am focused now with my business on making only the money I need to be comfortable, really helping people and their dogs, and further expanding my education, experience, and opportunity.
I can’t imagine my life without dogs, and it is crazy how far I have come in my journey. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest struggles I have faced in my career has been underestimation.
Dog training at the professional level has always been seen as a man’s job, and for the most part, when I say I am a dog trainer, people think
“Tricks for Treats” “Petsmart” people-pleasing, training.
That a pretty girl couldn’t possibly, or shouldn’t, be handling police dogs, aggressive and dangerous dogs, or dogs that stand taller than me.
Another struggle was the doubt.
People are also the hardest part of my job. Their emotional feelings towards their dog, or the use of training tools, keeps most people from understanding how dogs learn, live, and act. Keeping them from fixing the problems they have.
The least challenging part? Proving people wrong. I learned to speak less and show more. When people see what I AM capable of, they do a total 360.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I train dogs. All ages, breeds, temperaments, problems, sizes, and difficulties.
There is not a case, dog, family, or situation that I won’t jump into head first. My absolute favorite part of my job is when I get big ass, scary-ass, crazy crazy dogs. I get bored with the doodles, goldens, and cute little guys. I like challenge, and I do my best work under pressure and stress.
My biggest draw is that I specialize in training dogs off-leash. I specialize in helping the dogs that other trainers gave up on, or said were a lost cause. I give dogs their confidence, security, and communication that they have previously lacked.
I don’t just train the dog; I train the humans too.
I practice science-based training, but also energy, holistics, and natural/spiritual-based methods.
Every single dog I train, I create an incredible bond with, and no skills, training, or method can help you to successfully train a dog if you don’t build a solid foundation of trust, respect, and love. Some will tell you it is skill, but it is energy. You can’t fake the funk with dogs, they always know who you are, what you’re about, and they will treat you as such.
Don’t get me wrong, there is so many trainers out there that can achieve the same results in obedience, but the dog can never lie. You can tell a lot about a trainer by the body language of their dogs, and I believe that is what separates me from the others,
My dogs want to be there, they want to listen, and they want to please, and that is why even after they finish with me, they continue to succeed in their lives. Dogs are constantly trying to communicate, and when someone shows that they not only can communicate with them, but can respond to them, and the conversation becomes mutual, it is like a deaf person hearing for the first time. And it touches my heart every time.
My methodology and philosophy is a mirror of Cesar Milan.
Cesar Milan is my religion now LOL
I was under the impression he was taboo, and a media facade for pet training, and never cared for him
What is crazy is that I didn’t know a single thing about him or his philosophy until just a few months ago, and it was insane to me that I related and understood and practiced in almost an identical way to him.
If you watch even just a few videos of Cesar, you will see that nothing about him is skill, it is all energy, and being one with the animal. If you can understand them at their level, you can achieve anything together.
What that means, is that there is NO ONE WAY. There is no ONE FIX. Each dog is an individual, much like people, and no person on earth has the same perception, reality, learning style, experience, emotions, or language as another.
Understanding this, is non-negotiable, and many other trainers have one method that has worked for a few dogs, and they only know how to practice this, meaning dogs that don’t relate, will never be helped in the way they need to, and it is masked through aversive method.
Most dog trainers today receive their education through some type of online course, program, or seminars, and many of these options teach you the operational aspects of handling dogs but teach very little outside of a few common methods. That is why there is such a big gap between trainers at a professional level and a beginner level.
Everything about dogs must be learned through communication with the animal, not modules, and bookwork. I didn’t even consider myself a dog trainer until I had handled, trained, and bonded with over 150 dogs. This is AFTER my daycare career.
Anyone can pay for a certification that allows them to call themselves a dog trainer. Anyone can join an organization, club, or school, and those names make people feel safe and confident because someone told them they could be.
Although I put in the work during my schooling, I never received my official training certification.
This would have been amazing for me and my credibility, as I always used to feel like I had to have fancy backing to make me legitimate in this field.
But, not receiving the title actually was for the better. It taught me that I don’t need anyone else’s approval, or opinion, or understanding and that I didn’t have to pay for something to prove myself.
My work proves itself. And that’s enough for me.
That is why I feel I am unique in the fact that I HAVENT joined a club, or association, or group in the dog training world.
No one can tell me my value; I know it myself.
I am most proud of my job in the way that I change people’s lives, and their perception of the world, just through dog training. I believe I have a gift for teaching, and relating to people and animals in a way they can understand, and follow through with long after their experience with me.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Dogs, literally, and not just because they are cute and fluffy.
If you can love, respect, and trust a dog, and achieve the same in return from them, you can navigate any situation in life.
Dogs are a mirror of humans, our habits, energy, and philosophy.
I can tell you soooo much about how dogs have taught me about life, relationship, and mentality.
I love them too because no matter how bad my day is, it can’t be that bad if I have a sidekick to walk me through it.
Dogs are my career, and it’s funny because they bring me stress, and somehow relieve it at the same time.
Dogs have taught me how to change my own energy, how to address any challenge or situation with patience, kindness, and respect.
I struggle with my mental health, and even on my worst days, the dogs ground me. They give me something to care for. I’d rather swallow a pair of jeans than get out of bed some days, but they trust me to feed them, walk them, and show them love. If I cannot do it for myself, I have to do it for them, and in turn, it reminds me to care for myself.
Dogs cannot lie, and you cannot lie to them. If my energy is off, they will let me know, and most of them will respond accordingly.
They put me outside, in the sunlight and nature. They are so good at teaching us how simple life can be.
You could spoil a dog with everything imaginable, and they’d still be happiest with a stick off the ground, and some dirt to roll in.
And you can take a dog that has never seen love, or care, and show them that it is there.
They are simple, loyal, and true, which is the polar opposite of everything else in this crazy world, and I always have them to fall back on and learn from in my own times of need or blindness.
I also really love plants, bumblebees, the ocean, good food, 70s music, and my boyfriend.
Pricing:
- Puppy Training- 1200
- Basic On Leash – 1800
- Advanced Off-Leash -2500
- Consult, Help, and Advice -Free
- Always interested in helping small businesses grow, so I do A LOT of barter work, trade, or whatever people have to offer! I price my training accordingly, but I always like to see what opportunity is there, and volunteer my time and work for free in some cases.
Contact Info:
- Website: BadGirlK9.com
- Instagram: BadGirl.K9
- Facebook: Bad Girl K9
- Youtube: Bad Girl K9
