meet our team
When you work with Dogs by Foster you will not just be working with a highly-skilled and educated dog trainer/behavior consultant but ALSO a human educator. We love working with people just as much as dogs. Our goal is to educate people on advances in the field of dog training and behavior and guide them to being able to use the most INNOVATIVE + EFFECTIVE + COMPASSIONATE techniques that foster happy relationships with their dog.
Ashley Foster B.S., CBCC-KA Founder & Lead Consultant
For Ashley, working with dogs was a childhood dream that has evolved into a life-long passion. Ashley started professionally with dogs in 1994 and continued to expand her education over the years, working to obtain a Bachelors in Zoology, a Professional Dog Training Certification as well as a Certificate in Behavior Consulting for Canines (1 of only 341 worldwide). Ashley founded Complete K-9, now known as Dogs by Foster, in 1997.
With nearly three decades of experience as a trainer and behavior consultant to both clients and veterinary clinics and an ongoing passion for continuing education, she prides herself in offering Dogs by Foster clients the most innovative, effective, and dog-friendly training and behavior consulting services available.
Early in her profession, she utilized traditional methods, which used averse and corrective-based techniques and never felt comfortable with it. She pushed herself to evolve and crossed over to become a trainer that uses positive, force-free, science-based, and dog-friendly methods. This means that WE DO NOT use aversive tools (shock, pinch or choke collars) or methods, nor does Complete K-9 adhere to or support the use of pack-theory or dominance models, ever!
Ashley has participated in all realms of the "dog world" and has shared her life with a variety of dogs, some very challenging. Through all of that experience, Ashley’s relationship with her dogs, enjoying the world and life together, is the most important. Her desire for others to experience this kind of human-dog relationship is why she does what she does.
Monica Grimm B.S., CPDT-KA Associate Consultant & Group Instructor
Monica Grimm started her career in dogs at the age of 15 when she acquired her first pet dog with challenging behavior issues. This experience created an acute interest in behavior and lead her to obtain a B.S. in Biological Science and Zoology. Over the past 19 years, Monica has learned everything she can about canine behavior and force-free dog training, including some graduate work studying the population genetics of animal behavior. For the past 10 years she has worked in dog daycare and boarding and at various veterinary clinics as a vet tech assistant, in addition to running her own dog walking and sitting service specializing in pets with complex medical and behavioral needs. She started helping with puppy classes and shadowing Ashley Foster in 2015. Monica started training dogs and their people to help them better communicate and understand one another so they too can experience the depth of relationship and joy that she experiences with her own dogs. In their spare time, Monica and her dogs enjoy hiking and training for various canine sports including Barnhunt, Conformation, Mondio Ring, and Rally Obedience.
The professional experience Ashley Foster brings to Complete K-9:
Close to three decades of professional experience, starting with a 2-year training apprenticeship and working hands-on with over 50 breeds of dogs.
Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a focus on behavior.
CBCC-KA (Certified Behavior Consultant Canine). Held CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer) Certification from 2006-2015.
President, Board of Directors - Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
Completes a minimum of 20 CEU’s per year.
Developed an innovative course on canine communication and advocacy in therapeutic settings for Canine Rehabilitation Institute.
Provide presentations to podcasts, veterinary hospitals, universities, and dog organizations.
Developed and managed a state-of-the-art dog daycare, boarding, and training facility for 8 years and developed Gentle Handling Practices for facility and hospital staff.
The Professional Experience Monica brings to Dogs by Foster LLC:
Over 19 years of hands-on experience
Bachelors of Science in Biological Science and Zoology.
Completed over 80 hours of classes on dog training and behavior in 2020.
You will work with Monica in group training classes and our Private Training Sessions.