Meet the FYZ Team

Leah VanDeBogart

Head Trainer

Phone:

(907) 521-1606

Email:

findyourzendogtraining@gmail.com

Specializes in:

Obedience for puppies and dogs of all levels

Recall and E-collar work

Creating neutrality around dogs and people

Reactivity

A Bit About Leah

I’ve always had a deep love for dogs and training. My journey started when I was a young girl and rescued my first dog, Nicki, an older bully mix. Sadly, I only had her for a few short years before cancer took her from me. During the time we had together, my 10-year-old self taught her several tricks and how to walk nicely without pulling on the leash.

Looking back, that was the beginning of everything.

After Nicki passed, my parents allowed me to get another dog, Velvis, a one-year-old Australian Cattle Dog. I was about 12 years old at the time, and that’s when I truly began diving into the world of training. Velvis was incredibly intelligent and eager to learn. She quickly picked up tricks and behaviors, and I was able to build reliable off-leash recall and heeling with her. Beyond the skills she learned, the most important thing we worked on was her confidence. Velvis had come from an abusive situation, and helping her grow into a confident, happy dog taught me lessons that still shape how I train today. I will forever be grateful to her for everything she taught me.

Over the years, my love for dogs has continued to grow, along with the number of dogs I share my life with. I currently(2026) have eight dogs, after sadly losing my little white Chihuahua, Chloe, in November of 2021. Today my pack includes Jayde the Alaskan Husky, Baloo the Lab mix, Zender the German Shepherd, Copper the red Chihuahua, Zyko the German Shepherd, Perro the Alaskan Husky/Bully mix, Zeno a long-coat German Shepherd, and my youngest Zest the Swedish Vallhund.

In 2015, I began competing in dog sports, including agility with Copper and Zender. With Zender, I have also competed in several different venues including IGP and WDA bite sports, AKC Obedience, Rally, lure coursing, NADAC, and dock diving. Through these competitions we have earned multiple High in Trial awards across different venues. I truly enjoy encouraging others to get involved in sports with their dogs, it’s an incredible way to build a deeper relationship and have fun together.

While I love the sport and competition side of training, I also fully understand the everyday pet dog side of things. Many owners simply want a dog they can enjoy life with; a reliable off-leash hiking companion, a dog that walks politely on leash, and a dog that is easy and enjoyable to live with. Those are things I prioritize with my own dogs as well.

Because I live and work with a wide variety of breeds, sizes, and personalities, I understand that no single training method works for every dog. Each dog is an individual, and successful training means adapting to what works best for them.

My favorite part of being a trainer is helping people and their dogs build a lasting bond through clear communication, trust, and teamwork. When owners learn how to truly communicate with their dogs, training becomes enjoyable for both sides — and that’s where real success happens.

Megan Osborn

Head Trainer

Phone:

(907) 841-4172

Email:

findyourzendogtraining@gmail.com

Specializes in:

Insecure/Nervous Dogs

Human Aggression

Dog Aggression

A Bit About Megan

Training has been my passion since I was a child. Around the age of 10, I began teaching my little dog, Hope, tricks and basic obedience. I would spend hours researching, watching training videos, asking questions, and trying new things with my dog.

Even earlier than that, though, my love for animals was clear. From the time I was five years old, I was determined to help them however I could. I cared for neighborhood strays and brought home every lost or injured animal I found. With my mom’s support, that passion eventually grew into rescue work as I became a teenager.

We fostered many dogs over the years, and I learned grooming while helping rescues and individuals who were struggling to care for their pets due to disability or difficult life circumstances. During this time, I began working with dogs who needed a little extra patience and structure—dogs with injuries or disabilities, dogs with behavioral challenges stemming from neglect or abuse, and village dogs adjusting to life in a completely new environment.

Eventually, I adopted a village dog named Faith. Unfortunately, she developed severe aggression and reactivity that we hadn’t anticipated. I quickly realized I was in over my head. We didn’t want to give up on her, but she wasn’t safe and it felt like nothing we tried was working.

That experience ultimately changed everything for me.

It was during this time that I found my mentors and was introduced to balanced training and behavioral rehabilitation. My mentors helped give Faith a new chance at life, while also sharing their knowledge and helping build my confidence as a handler. Through that process, I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to helping dogs and owners who were in the same position I once found myself in.

From there, I continued learning and eventually began competing in dog sports with my mixed breed dog, Leks. Together we’ve trained and competed in Rally, IGP, WDA, dock diving, and other venues. Along the way, I was incredibly fortunate to have strong support from mentors, fellow handlers, friends, and family who helped me grow as a trainer and handler.

One of the biggest influences in my journey has been Leah, who supported and encouraged me as I worked through my own anxieties and developed confidence as a trainer. She pushed me to work hard, encouraged me to get out and compete with Leks, and has been a constant source of support over the years. Leah is both my best friend and the trainer I admire most, and I’m incredibly excited to now be working alongside her.

A few years after Leks came into my life, I welcomed my heart dog, Omega, a German Shepherd. Omega has earned his Dock Masters title and qualified for Nationals in dock diving. We also train in Rally, AKC Obedience, and IGP alongside my other German Shepherd, Showtime.

Omega is currently training to become a Personal Protection Dog and is showing incredible promise. He also works with me regularly as a demo dog and spends many of his days by my side at work. Omega has an exceptional temperament and is everything I could ask for in a dog. Whether he’s helping socialize fearful dogs or remaining calm when confronted by reactive dogs, he handles everything with confidence and stability. Most importantly, he simply loves working and being with me.

While I love many aspects of training, my true passion lies in behavioral rehabilitation—working with dogs struggling with aggression, fear, and reactivity. These dogs often need extra patience, structure, and guidance to help them learn how to navigate the world safely and confidently. Helping those dogs rebuild trust and helping their owners develop the skills to support them is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Dani Guevara

Academy Attendant & Assistant Trainer

Email:

findyourzendogtraining@gmail.com

Specializes in:

Managing groups of dogs

Assisting in group classes

Board and Trains for puppies

A Bit About Dani

We'd always had pets growing up, but I don't think I was ever truly serious or gave training much thought until I got Rueben. He was the very first pet I had saved up and paid for myself. After always watching the dog shows and related sports on TV I was really inspired to have a dog I could do that with. He was my first serious attempt at training a dog, and he learned anything I set before him. He had really intense herding instincts, but seeing as we couldn't have sheep, we settled for herding ducks instead. He and I worked all the time on transporting them to different areas of the property and training together. It worked in our favor because when I went off to college, he got to come work with me on the campus farm. Tragically I lost Rueben when he was 3 years old, and I couldn't bear to own another dog.

It was another 5 years before I’d own another dog.

A co-worker ended up gifting me with a lab/gsd mix puppy. Aspen was an adorable little teddy bear of a pup that was 4 weeks old when I got her. I know that this was way too young, but the person of the litter was going to get rid of them one way or another. She took me on the wildest ride I've ever been on with a puppy. Being so young, having every bad trait from the parent breeds, and me being out of practice with pups definitely gave us our struggles. I did the best I could, but around the time she was 8 months old I thought it best if I meet with local trainers to try and do better. We were doing great with training, and eventually I met Leah a couple years later when she first started teaching classes with baby Zender.

Being in classes introduced me to so many likeminded people, and they were involved in a lot of dog sports! I was glad to be exposed to everything and wanted to pursue these things with Aspen. Watching everyone do IPG training made me want to attempt it. She wasn't the typical breed for it, but it never hurts to try! We worked hard and did our homework, but it eventually became apparent that Aspen didn’t have the drives to continue pursuing the sport. She was happy to be a pet and to go hiking, which was totally fine! She is a great hiking buddy unless you are near a cliff, then her happy labness might try to push you over the edge.

I still went to all the training and meet ups I could to watch everyone who could participate. It might not have been in the cards at that moment, but I wanted to still watch and learn. I was allowed to work dogs for people during some of the training sessions which was awesome! I wanted to compete, but to do that I knew I would have to get a more suitable breed. Eventually Tenno, my spicy little heart dog, entered my life! I knew a Belgian Malinois would be a breed that never said no and was always up for a challenge. Tenno is true to form! I have fallen in love with the breed, and I am super proud of the team Tenno and I have become. She's allowed me to delve into so many sports and opportunities to become a better trainer and work on my dog handling skills. We have dabbled in dock diving, fast cats, and barn hunt. We have competed in AKC Rally and Obedience, earning first place in both. We have earned two titles in IGP so far with ambitious plans to continue forward in competing in it next year!

Taylor Unger

Academy Trainer

Email:

findyourzendogtraining@gmail.com

Specializes in:

Obedience for puppies and dogs of all levels

A Bit About Taylor

My passion for dog training started at a young age.

Growing up, I was always drawn to working dogs and fascinated by their intelligence, drive, and partnership with their handlers.

For my 10th birthday, I asked my mom for a Belgian Malinois, but instead I got a Boston Terrier. While it wasn’t the dog I had envisioned at the time, she became the first dog I ever truly trained. I spent countless hours teaching her every trick I could think of and began exploring the foundations of engagement, drive building, and even playful bitework games. Looking back, she was the dog that first sparked my love for training.

When my 15th birthday came around—after years of asking—I finally got my first Belgian Malinois, Felix. From the moment he came home, we began training together every day. Felix quickly became my first true working dog and the dog that taught me the foundations of everything I know today. Together we explored several working dog sports, beginning with Mondioring and later training in IGP and PSA.

In addition to sport work, Felix and I also began training in scent work and detection, which opened my eyes to another incredible aspect of working dog training. Felix had incredible drive and versatility and excelled in every challenge I put in front of him.

By the time I was 17, Felix and I were given the opportunity to spend about a year in Georgia being mentored by an experienced trainer.

During that time I was able to expand my knowledge tremendously, gaining hands-on experience in sport work, detection and scent work, behavior modification, pet dog training, and modern e-collar training methods.

That mentorship helped shape the trainer I am today and gave me invaluable experience working with a wide variety of dogs and behavioral challenges.

Unfortunately, before returning home, a tragic accident occurred that forced me to make the incredibly difficult decision to euthanize Felix. Losing him was devastating, and for a time I truly questioned whether I would ever pick up a leash again.

However, I realized that walking away from training would be a disservice to everything he had learned and everything he helped teach me.

Eventually, I returned home and made the decision to continue pursuing my passion for training.

Not long after, I welcomed Tango into my life. Training Tango has been an incredible journey and has pushed me to grow even more as both a trainer and handler.

Last summer we achieved our BH title together, and we are currently actively training and competing in both PSA and IGP.

Through my experiences with working dogs, sport training, and pet dogs alike, my goal is always to help build clear communication between dogs and their owners while developing confident, well-balanced dogs.

Training is more than teaching commands—it’s about building a relationship, understanding each individual dog, and creating a system that allows both the dog and handler to succeed.