Kathrine is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and owner of Hands Full Dog Training, LLC in Wichita, Kansas. Her team of 7 focuses primarily on helping companion dog owners live in harmony with their beloved canines via group classes and in-home training and consultation. Kathrine is also the lead trainer for Midwest Battle Buddies, a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to teach military veterans how to train their own service dogs in order to “give back the freedom they fought for.” In the past, Kathrine volunteered for five years with an animal rescue in Texas, working as manager of the behavior and training department and then as executive director. She also supervised the puppy raising program for the student organization Aggie Guide Dogs and Service Dogs as an undergraduate at Texas A&M University.
As a 2011 graduate of the Bush School of Government and Public Service with a Master of International Affairs degree, Kathrine has had an ongoing interest in public policy and ethics. Prior to starting her own business, Kathrine worked as a research compliance officer for Texas A&M University, reviewing research protocols and working with the Institutional Review Board to ensure ethical treatment of the human subjects involved in research at the university. Her experience in regulatory affairs also included service in a U.S. Embassy as an intern in the consulate, investigating treaty trader visas and performing initial intake of visa applicants. She has also made inroads with local policy, serving on the Dangerous Dog Subcommittee of the Wichita Animal Control Advisory Board and successfully promoting changes to city codes that provide finer-tuned assessment of and consequences for dogs involved in bite or aggression incidents.
Kathrine earned a B.A. in Psychology in 2005 and is also a graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers. She is a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator, a certified Fear Free professional, a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, and a member of the Association for Professional Dog Trainers. She has been training dogs professionally since 2003.
In her free time, Kathrine enjoys playing the Irish whistle, powerlifting, training with her dog Piper for AKC Obedience competition, mountain biking, and taking care of her 7 fish tanks, 4 children, 3 dogs, and 1 husband.