Kim Kilmer, Canine Trainer and Behavior Consultant

My Mission

“Fairwayfox Dog Training may have a funny name, but I take the business of training very seriously. I am dedicated to educating you to understand dog behavior and to communicate well with your dogs. I focus on a rewarding method of training by teaching you to use positive reinforcement and motivational training techniques. You will learn how to build a positive bond with your dog that is meant to last for life. My common sense teaching approach helps you understand the training process and makes training a fun, enjoyable and most importantly, successful experience.”

Education

Kim holds a Bachelor of Science from West Virginia University. She is continuing her education with a focus in the area of behavior modification with a special interest in the rehabilitation of timid and hyper-reactive dogs as well as special problems related to re-homing of rescue and shelter dogs.

Experience

Kim started training and showing dogs with her father when she was young. Her family bred and exhibited Rough Collies. The Rough Collies were part of the family before she was, so to say that she got an early canine education is an understatement. After many years of showing horses in the hunter jumper arena, Kim returned to her love of dogs, training, teaching and showing. Kim has over 20 years of all-breed dog behavior consulting and training experience and is regularly recommended by veterinarians, breeders, groomers, handlers and satisfied clients.

Dog Show Accomplishments

Kim continues to have a successful show career and to date has been awarded more than 45 American Kennel Club performance titles, has over 210 class placements, and is a Dog World Award winner. She is a multiple High in Trial, High Combined and High Scoring Herding Dog and Hound Dog winner and has exhibited in multiple Gaines/Pup-Peroni United States Classics.

Kim has been the owner, trainer and handler of 5 nationally ranked Top Ten Obedience Dogs (by breed) which includes the #1 utility/#2 open obedience Corgi ranking in 2000 national rankings and the #3 novice obedience Corgi ranking in a 2005 national ranking . She has exhibited with a variety of breeds but most often with Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Doberman Pinschers and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Kim owned and handled one of the top Pembroke Welsh Corgis in the country as ranked by AKC OTCH points for the years 2000 and 2001. Please feel free to visit the Past AKC Stars page for more information.

Some of Kim’s clients have had great success and include the first Newfoundland to get multiple all breed High In Trial awards out of the Novice A class, many CD, CDX and UD titles as well as Agility titles, Rally titles and Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog certifications. More importantly, all of her canine clients are much loved, well trained and well adjusted family companions.

Memberships and Professional Organizations

Kim is a current member of the Animal Behavior Society, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, the Dog Writers Association of America, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Test evaluator. Kim is also a member in good standing of a local all breed AKC member club.

Past club memberships and affiliations include the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, Del Monte Kennel Club, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of Southern CA, Silver State Kennel Club, Black Mountain Kennel Club, Vegas Valley Dog Obedience Club of NV and the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States.

Professional Experience

Kim is a native of Maryland but spent many years owning Fairwayfox Dog Training in the desert southwest. While living in Nevada, Kim was asked to share her expertise with the Boulder City, Nevada See Spot Run organization. There she helped guide the members to gaining city approval for a local dog park. She and her Corgis participated in the summer “2002/3 Paws & Celebrate Reading” program with the Clark County, Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada Library Districts.

Kim founded Paws That Serve, which was one of the first Pet Therapy groups working in the Las Vegas Valley. Paws serviced Charter, MonteVista and Humana Hospitals in the early 1990s. She continues her work in Pet Therapy with a current Pet Therapy Training program in Salisbury, Maryland.

She has appeared on several radio and television shows demonstrating and discussing dog training events. She has also trained and handled dogs for TV commercials, print ads and product advertising.

While an Acquisitions Editor and Marketing Manager with Gulf Publishing Company of Houston, Texas, Kim created and published Barker Heeler, an imprint of dog training books. A freelance author, Kim currently writes for several trade and national publications and has a monthly pet column that appears in Healthcare Traveler, a national magazine for traveling health care professionals.

Kim has been fortunate to train with some of the best known names in the obedience and agility worlds. These experts have all shaped Kim’s knowledge of dog training. She continues to study in her field with a focus on behavior modification. She has been able to turn a much-loved hobby into a successful career.

Community Involvement

In addition to her work with Fairwayfox Dog Training, Kim is an active, local volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association and is a current member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Maryland Team in Training.