It all began with a Malinois mix named Hoshisen…

He was only eight weeks old when I drove into the Colorado mountains late one winter evening to pick him up. He was my best friend from the moment I saw him but little did I know that tiny pup would turn out to be a lot of trouble!

Affectionately called Sen, he was named for his sparkly eyes in which I could see ‘1,000 stars’ or Hoshisen in Japanese.

While he was my best friend, he was one of the rowdiest dogs I knew. As he grew, his favorite past times became jumping our 8 foot fence, climbing on the roof, and doing parkour off the furniture. I loved him just the way he was, but it certainly got him (and me) into quite a bit of trouble.

The years passed and shortly after his 8th birthday my sweet Hoshisen passed away. After loosing him there were a lot of questions running through my head. The biggest one? Did I give him the best life possible. The answer? I did the best with what I had at the time. There was one thing I knew for sure…next time I wanted to do better. So, I did.

When I was ready, I adopted a lab mix from a shelter and spent thousands on a professional trainer. Unfortunately after their method wasn’t making great progress and they refused to try anything else, we parted ways with not even a penny of a refund and no more than “sit” and “stay” mastered. After speaking to other potential trainers my frustration grew. If these trainers were worth thousands, why did they only have one or two methods to teach every dog and owner and what happened if they didn’t work? I knew something had to change, so I set out on a quest to be that change.

I spent years learning, growing, practicing, and honing my skills. I worked with many different dogs, trainers, and with many different people to build a vast library of teaching styles and methods. I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to changing the dog training game and most importantly helping people like me and Hoshisen. I wanted to make training accessible, judgement-free, and as far as I could get from those one-size-fits-all gigs. From those ideas, 1KStars Dog Training was born.

While we may be new in town, I have no shortage of wisdom and skill to pass on to you and your pup. Even then, if what we’re trying isn’t working then we don’t just give up. We put our nose to the books and create something new just for you. Most importantly, we don’t discriminate based on age, sexual orientation, religion, housing status, or your financial situation. I believe that a safe dog in a loving family is better than a dog in the shelter- and I will do everything I can to help you achieve that.

I offer payment plans, bartering, and made-to-order training videos. We also offer a 33.33% discount when you choose pay-it-forward with the Sen’s Wish program. For each course that is donated through the Sen’s Wish program we will select a dog at risk of surrender or a shelter dog and provide those services to them or their family for free.