Once Upon A Time.....

There was a girl who loved animals & decided that when she grew up, she wanted to be a marine biologist.

The girl went to school & earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology, then moved to Hawaii for an internship working with & training marine mammals.

She fell in love with everything about it. When the internship was over, the girl had to move back to the continental states & since dolphins can’t walk on land, she decided to try her hand at working with & training dogs. And the rest is history!

The girl has worked with countless dog breeds in a range of sizes & dispositions, focusing on helping men & woman’s best friends to cope with the world around them, while also listening to their 2-legged parents.

Back Story (Not Too Many People Get To Hear This)

Before I started my business I was a normal girl with a husband and a dog and a baby. When I had my second, things started to go a bit sideways. See, I have type 1 diabetes and my daughter had extremely low blood sugar after she was born. She was in the NICU for the first week of her life.

We were graced by the the hospital having a Ronald McDonald house at the hospital and I was able to see her often but I wasn't really allowed to feed her from me. We brought her home a week later and went on with our everyday lives.

The problem came, again, when I tried to feed her. Having fed from a bottle for a week, she didn't know how to latch on me and because of that, her me pretty bad. When I finally went to the lactation specialist, she said I was the most bruised she had ever seen. Because she couldn't latch correctly, she had massively injured my chesticles.

At the end of two days with the lactation specialist, I could feed my child without pain and it was literally the best gift someone could have ever given me!

Just two days earlier, the mere thought of feeding my child brought tears to my eyes and I sobbed as she ate. The closeness you have with a child as you're breast feeding them is something that you can only image if you've never had it before and now I had it with Ava.

I wanted to be able to give people that feeling of closeness and love and connectedness. While I wasn't a lactation specialist I did know how to train dogs, and that's a relationship on a whole different level too. My decision was made :)

Nice To Meet You

Hey there awesome dog parent! My name is Kim Hawkinson and I’m an Intuitive Canine Calmness Expert.

I founded On Point Dog Training in 2014 after completing an internship working with Sea Life Park on the island of Oahu, and earning my BS in Marine Biology. I started by helping dog parents to teach their dogs standard behaviors, like ‘sit’ & ‘down’, which not only help make life at home a little easier, but also develop a habit of your canine companion actually listening to what you’re saying.

I’ve completed multiple courses and trainings, earning the title of Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, as well as learning as much as I can about canine psychology and how it can be used to help our pups understand what we’re asking from them, as well as using my own innate intuition and energy to connect with my four-legged clients on a deeper level.

I specialize in utilizing a training methodology called Perception Modification, created by the amazingly knowledgeable and talented Kayce Cover, which allows us to teach our dogs to CHOOSE to feel calm, and choosing that feeling when they’re shown trigger objects, people, or situations.

With Perception Modification we’re actually deconstructing the emotional attachment our dogs feel to the things that would usually have set them off on a barking fit.

It’s pretty freakin’ magical!

I’ve trained with working police dogs, as well as service animals while my husband and I were stationed in Arkansas, not to mention working with countless canine companions of all shapes, sizes & learning requirements in homes across the country (yep, you read that right, we can do all of this virtually).

These skills & experiences have allowed me the opportunity to support countless dog parents in helping their dogs to be calmer, allowing everyone to cohabitate peacefully & live their best life.

Training Tactics & Philosophy

I believe that every dog & person have a personality.

Every single one is different & bring with them differences in how they learn & communicate best.

It’s my purpose to uncover what those learning styles are & help the two-legged participant to utilize the appropriate training tools to communicate necessary training directives to their dog in the least invasive & most direct way possible.

I believe that all training tools are options when, and only when, used in an appropriate manner.

I believe compliance can’t be forced or coerced from our dogs but can be achieved through mutual respect for one another.

Having said all that, there will come a time when you’re going to have to tell your dog ‘No', that what they're doing isn't what you're wanting from them. You'll then help your dog fully understand without a shadow of doubt, what's expected of them before any corrections or redirections are given.

Credentials & Experience

I am a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT - KA). This is a distinction that takes a minimum of three years to accomplish.

My training experience officially started when I had an internship at Sea Life Park in 2005, working with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, California Sea Lions, and Galapagos Penguins.

After leaving Hawaii in late 2008, I came back to the states and took a job at PetSmart.

I decided to star my own training company, On Point Dog Training, in 2014; January 1st to be exact.

I’ve trained with police working dogs, as well as service animals while I was stationed in Arkansas. I’ve worked with various breeds of dogs of all shapes and sizes and all learning requirements.

As I progressed in my business, I came to learn that the root of the majority of the things that cause our dogs, and the humans who they co-habitate with, was what was going on between their ears.

I then refocused down the road of using Perception Modification Training to help our dogs better cope with the world around them, allowing them to live a more calm and peaceful life.

Want to know more about the training programs?

In The Business of Canine Mental & Emotional Health

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In The Business of Canine Mental & Emotional Health