Meet the Team
Ronnie Coleman, CDT-IACP, Co-Owner and Trainer
In 2009 I purchased my first dog, a purebred Doberman Pinscher, from a distinguished breeder. As a puppy, I sent him away for a two-week intensive training course with the hopes of having an exceptionally well-behaved dog. When he returned, he knew basic commands such as coming when called, sit, lay down, and stay. For me, that wasn’t enough! At that time, I started implementing the techniques I learned from the trainer to take his skills from good to great! Tricks such as playing dead, shaking left or right paws (yes he knew his left from right), and heeling with no leash are just a few examples of what I taught him. Sadly, he passed away from a heart disease in 2016.
Fast forward to 2018 when my wife and I brought home a purebred German Shepherd puppy! I rolled the techniques I learned almost a decade prior into a full training program. At six months old he would come when called, sit, lay, and stay (all with hand signs too!). He would also bark on command, heel with no leash, play dead, roll over, shake left or right paw (yes, he knows his left from right as well!), go to his crate on command, and several other tricks. I decided to start helping family and friends with their pets, as I seemed to have a gift for working with dogs. After being told by a lot of people, “you need to open a business,” here I am!
My wife and I are overjoyed to have opened The K-9 Academy in 2019. I look forward to working with your dogs to make them the star of the show when they are out in public, but more importantly making sure that you can enjoy your dog at home. Thanks for checking us out!
- Ronnie
Ronnie is a Certified Dog Trainer (CDT) through the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).
Ashley Coleman, Co-Owner & Operations
Growing up outside of Richmond, VA, my family and I always had dogs. When Ronnie and I started dating, he had a Doberman Pinscher, Damon, who as mentioned in his bio was very highly trained. When Ronnie and I brought home our first dog as a married couple, our German Shepherd, Dirk, I knew we were in good hands. Little did I know just how impressed our friends would be when we started sharing Dirk's progress at a young age.
Since then, we launched The K-9 Academy and our family has expanded to include a Belgian Malinois, Dax. My favorite part of this business is giving dog owners the tools they need to feel confident working with their dogs. When a client sends me a picture or video of them out in public with their dog off-leash, it brings me so much joy! Our dogs are not a burden to us--they are part of the family. We trust them, and we trust ourselves working with them. I love being able to provide families that same sense of comfort.
I can't wait to work with you!
Anna Allen, Groomer
Although Anna has been a professional dog groomer for many years, we were lucky enough to bring her on board at The K-9 Academy in June 2022! We've trained a number of Anna's six dogs and we knew from the jump that she was someone we wanted on our team.
Anna provides exceptional service to our grooming clients and we are incredibly grateful to have her on the team!