David Caton – Owner
David is a dog lover at heart and has been training dogs in the KC Metro for more than 10 years. He established his company on a balanced-training approach. Put simply, David uses a variety of tools and methods to ensure his training is relevant to your dog’s needs. All KC Elite Dog Trainers have received multiple hours of training with David before working with the company.
David grew up with dogs and has been an avid dog-lover his entire life. He rescued his first dog, Buck, from Wayside Waifs to help him begin his dog-training career. Buck, a Black Mouth Cur, came to Wayside Waifs with severe anxiety because he had been abandoned during the 2011 tornado that hit Joplin, MO. David noticed that Buck had potential to become a great companion but just needed some confidence building. David set out on his journey to train Buck and created the KC Elite Dog Training company along the way.
David met his loving wife, Alisha, at Stoll Dog Park while she was walking her own dog. They were married in 2015 and have two beautiful children, Liam and Layla. They started their lives together with Buck and Penny (Alisha’s a King Charles Cavelier Spaniel mix), and soon after purchased Cali, a pure-bred Border Collie. Cali is David’s performing dog and has been featured on multiple news stations, at the Royals Stadium, in Bar K (a dog park and bar in West Bottoms), nursing homes, schools, and parades in the Kansas City metropolitan area. David’s goal for each client who works with KC Elite Dog Training is to create a happy and healthy relationship with their dog that will nourish a bond to last a lifetime.
Kayla Phillips – Trainer
Kayla is originally from the Kansas City area, and she grew up showing a variety of animals as a member of the Wyandotte County 4-H. She was active in her dog and horse projects, where she developed a love for training animals. Throughout her childhood, Kayla competed in dog and horse shows with her family, and was homeschooled to allow for training schedules and competition traveling. These experiences started a lasting passion for working with dogs.
In high school, Kayla was diagnosed with a medical condition that made her active lifestyle difficult, and learned to manage with the help of her first service dog, Pepper. Unfortunately, after many years of faithful service, she lost Pepper in January 2020. With that loss came the task of purchasing and training a new canine partner, and Kayla turned to KC Elite for assistance. She was hands-on in the training process and rediscovered her love of working with animals. Boa, her new service dog, was her inspiration to get back into training.
Kayla has experience in training dogs, horses, and parrots, using a variety of balanced training methods and relationship-building to gain desired results. She understands how important it is to get to know each dog and family and creates a training plan that works for each individual pack.
Kayla has her own pack of German Shepherds, Boa, Buck, and Buzz. The pack of three dogs is joined in her home by one cat named Jane, one bearded dragon named Draco, and four rehomed parrots, Squeaky, Sisco, Olive, and Sage. Kayla has a passion for rescue, spending her free time rescuing, training, and rehoming dogs and parrots.
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Thanks for all your help!! In one visit Nash was able to heel off leash and go to his bed while company was in the house. Your service is GREAT!
