Western WA
Our Western Washington branch of Compass Key serves Olympia, Tacoma, Renton, Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Mount Vernon, Bellingham, and surrounding areas.
Joey Iversen, KPA-CTP, CBATI, UW-ABB, TAGteach Faculty
With over 20+ years experience training and showing both dogs and horses, Joey Iversen has worked with all breeds of dogs and their owners. She has taught seminars around the world, including China, Taiwan, Australia, Denmark, Tokyo, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Canada. She is an excellent speaker and a conscientious trainer.
Her calm, patient manner makes it easy for people and dogs to understand and learn from her. Joey is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior and is also certified as TAGteach Faculty. Joey has reinforced her knowledge by attending hundreds of seminars, training sessions, and workshops given by internationally renowned experts.
Joey began her training career in Iowa where she developed and co-owned a successful training, daycare, agility center and boarding facility. There, Joey developed and taught all levels of dog and puppy obedience classes, agility, Rally-O, private lessons, and behavior counseling. She coached competitors in all canine sports and personally holds titles in Obedience, Rally-O, and Agility.
In 2007 Joey relocated to Seattle where she opened her business, Think Spot, which offers classes, private training, board and train, socialization playgroups, and overnight boarding.
Joey has a passion for youth and teenagers. She and her Black Russian Terrier, “Pirate” were a registered Pet Partner team with Delta Society and participate in Animal Assisted Therapy, the Reading Education Assistance Dog program, and numerous other animal-assisted activities to better the lives of children and families. She received a Certificate in Animal-Assisted Therapy Activities and Learning from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Joey said farewell to Pirate in 2016. She since has welcomed Timber and Tiger, both Spinone Italianos, as her training partners.
Jen Walker, KPA CTP, CHES, DTA, CITA, FPPE
Jen has spent nearly twenty years professionally involved in animal welfare, working in animal shelters but eventually focusing on helping families with children and dogs.
Her experience with Service Dog training began as a volunteer trainer and board member with Paws to Freedom. She feels time she spent learning with those Handler Trained Teams was some of the most fulfilling work she has ever done. To be of better service to her clients and their dogs, Jen further honed her skills at the Trainer Academy at Service Dogs Inc. She has also earned her Certificate in Training & Counseling from the Academy for Dog Trainers, is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, and Fear Free Animal Trainer.
Jen remains deeply devoted to continuing education, constantly seeking to improve her knowledge about training, animal cognition, and related fields. She keeps current by subscribing to trade magazines, reading extensively, attending in-person lectures and webinars, and of course (and most importantly) learning with her clients and their dogs. “Any day I haven’t learned something from the dogs is a day I haven’t paid enough attention”, is part of her core philosophy.
Jen frames most of her training as games we play with our dogs; it is integral to her that those both ends of the leash are enjoying themselves. She counsels that, “We build better lives with our dogs through enrichment/management, deepening our understanding and communication, and through our training and play together.”
She is the devoted caregiver of two herding dog mixes (Gusto and Puzzle) and a practically perfect orange tabby (Squiggy).