Who We Are

Kiki Yablon
MA, KPA CTP, KPA Faculty, CPDT-KA
Owner and Trainer

I came to training as just another dog owner in 2005, when my husband and I adopted Pigeon, a timid seven-month-old shepherd mix whose fear and anxiety would soon blossom into aggression. She was my first teacher, and remains my best.

Soon after I found Pigeon (left), I was lucky enough to find Laura Monaco Torelli at Animal Behavior Training Concepts—where by 2009 I was apprenticing as a trainer. In addition to running my own business, I served as a senior trainer and training manager for hers from 2011 until mid-2018, when I left to pursue my master's degree in applied behavioral science through the University of Kansas.

I graduated from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior in February 2011, becoming a Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP, #38894), and in all subsequent years have earned the "client endorsed" distinction through KPA's Assurance, Commitment, and Education program, a system for ensuring that members continue to meet the organization's high standards for force-free training. (You can read what clients have said about their training experience, on the survey and otherwise, on the Testimonials page.) In 2020, I accepted a position as a faculty member for KPA.

I am also a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), and am on the recommended trainers' list for both local veterinary behavior practices: Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants and Insight Animal Behavior Behavior Services.

Dog training opened a window into the broader world of behavior science, specifically applied behavior analysis, and since 2014 I have worked under Dr. Susan Friedman at Behavior Works, becoming a teaching assistant for her Living and Learning With Animals course for animal behavior professionals and the functional assessment module she teaches for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants' flagship Principles & Practice course. Since completing my master’s degree, I have also begun speaking at dog training conferences, including those put on by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants Foundation, and ClickerExpo.

I have also earned Level 1 certification in TAGteach in order to better help humans help their dogs.

Finally, I'm also a former journalist and editor who has worked for Outside, Chicago, and the Chicago Reader, among other publications, and am available for select writing and editing projects related to dog training and behavior.

I am happy to provide proof of licensing and insurance on request.