Meet Our Team

David Caton is a dog lover at heart and has been training dogs in the KC Metro for more than 10 years. He established KC Elite Dog Training with a balanced-training approach. Simply put, balanced training means finding the approach that works best for each individual dog. Every dog has a different personality and learns differently, so no single approach works for all dogs. David has trained with and learned from well-renowned trainers, and he works with all breeds, ages, and types of behaviors.

David grew up in Kansas City with his childhood rescue mut, Wylie, and has been an avid dog-lover his entire life. He always dreamed of becoming a K9 police handler, but in his early twenties there was stiff competition for a low number of open police officer positions, so he became drawn to dog training for household obedience.

As an adult, David’s first dog rescue, Buck, was his right-hand man in beginning a career in dog training. Buck, a Black Mouth Cur, had severe anxiety from being abandoned during the 2011 tornado that hit Joplin, MO. David knew Buck had potential to become a loving, confident companion, and just needed some confidence building. David’s journey to help Buck was the catalyst for creating the company KC Elite Dog Training. David then met his loving wife, Alisha, at Stoll Dog Park while she was with her dog, Penny (a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel mix). They began their marriage with two fur-children, and then adopted Cali, a pure-bred Border Collie. Cali loved the role of “performing” for the business, featured on multiple news station segments and getting to show off her cool skills at places like the Royals Stadium and KC St. Patty’s Day Parade. Buck had a few tricks up his sleeve too and enjoyed the applause, especially during his appearance at Arrowhead Field. After three dogs came their two beautiful children, Liam and Layla. Buck, Cali, and Penny were loved family members, and it was a difficult two years to say farewell to each even though they had lived long dog lives. Those three dogs were the heart, soul, and foundation of KC Elite Dog Training, and taught David more than he could even attempt to put into words.

Most recently, the Caton family welcomed Dash, a Cavapoo puppy, into the family. Raising a puppy alongside two young children has been a rewarding learning curve both professionally and personally, and David’s thankful for that experience to be able to relate on a deeper level with clients. David understands firsthand the chaos, patience, and joy that comes with a mix of human and canine children under one roof. This experience sparked a fuse in David to gain more continuing professional education, specializing in helping families learn functional strategies that truly work in the chaos of real life.

David is most proud of his ability to connect with clients because of personal hands-on experience. Plenty of trainers know the basics of training a dog, but the expertise comes with knowing how to have real-to-life conversations with the person on the other end of the leash. David does not sugar coat or hide thoughts, and you can be guaranteed he’ll talk with you human to human, to assure success that works in real life. David’s goal is to help form your dog to be what you are desiring to fit your lifestyle, which in turn will grow the loving relationship between dog and owner. If all you want is for your dog to stop pulling on the leash or jumping on visitors, that can be a reality for you! If you want the full package, that can be a reality for you too! We’re here to meet you where you are and what you want. Whatever the goal(s), David wants every client to experience a happy and healthy relationship with their dog(s) that will nourish a loving bond to last a lifetime.