ABOUT OUR TRAINERS
Meet the Off Leash K9 Team
bryan and joanne swihart - owner
Bryan & JoAnne Swihart are the owners and head trainers for the Off Leash K9 Training program in Georgia - offering locations in Augusta, Peachtree City, Smyrna, Duluth, Athens, Columbus, and Macon. We moved to the Atlanta area to settle near family after opening successful locations in Charlottesville, Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bryan is an Army veteran with multiple deployments; while deployed he was impressed with military working dog’s impeccable obedience training and high level of confidence enabling them to be the most well trained canines in the world. Bryan has a lifelong love of dogs starting with his first dog “Squeak,” who used to sleep under his crib every night. He has owned and trained a wide assortment of dogs ranging from Chihuahuas to Pitbulls; including his current comrades, a Rejected Labradoodle, American Staffordshire Terrier Mix, and the newest addition a German Shepherd Hound Mix. Bryan has a special love for “Bully Breeds” and wants to empower people to showcase what wonderfully loyal and loving dogs they really are. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, he can now focus where his passion is. With a degree in business and finance giving him a solid small business foundation, with the precision and passion needed to transform your dog from unruly to obedient, frightened to confident, timid to content.
JoAnne’s passion is transforming fearful and anxious pups into stable confident members of the family! This passion began 5 years ago while fostering an extremely fearful young pup, who soon became a beloved member of the family. Obedience training helped transform the dog from a dog who was terrified of people to a super snuggle bug and constant companion for their 4 year old son. JoAnne has background in business and biological research and left her corporate career to join her husband in running Off Leash K9 Training, Georgia full time 3 years ago.
Bryan and JoAnne are thrilled to bring Off Leash K9 Training to Georgia, specializing in the same obedience training techniques used by the military and law enforcement. This style of training encompasses his core beliefs and philosophy of consistency, fairness, and crystal clear communication that will turn your dog into a well behaved member of society in any situation.
Our amazing Trainers
Amber was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, and her love for dogs began at a very young age, teaching family pets a wide variety of tricks. While attending Augusta University for a biology and pre-dental degree, she worked part-time at a doggy daycare. It was there that she discovered a passion for professional pet care, eventually transitioning to become a professional dog groomer for four years.
Amber owns and breeds Australian Shepherds and Dobermans, actively competing with her personal dogs in conformation and Fast CAT. She has achieved numerous competitive titles with her dogs, including advanced working titles and Grand Champion confirmation titles.
Her deep roots in competitive handling and care ultimately led her back to her true passion: dog training. After being encouraged by fellow trainer Audrey to join the team, Amber jumped into her role with Off Leash K9 Training. She loves the rewarding process of helping owners transform their dogs into focused, well-mannered companions.
Ripleigh was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in the area her whole life. Her love for all breeds of dogs has been present since a young age, but it was her first dog, Viper the Doberman, that truly ignited her passion for training. Inspired by the deep connection built through structured obedience, Ripleigh began competing in both dog sports and protection sports with her Doberman.
This passion for high-level handling motivated her to help other owners achieve that same lifelong bond with their own dogs. Since joining the Off Leash K9 Training team, she has loved showing families how to become a true team with their pets, all while she continues to pursue advanced IGP/Schutzhund and sport titles with her personal dogs!
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About Off Leash K9 Training
Dog trainers who are recognized around the world!
Nick White is the Owner and Founder of Off Leash K9 Training. Nick is a former US Marine and former US Secret Service. He currently has over 130+ dog training locations throughout the United States.
Nick is globally recognized as being one of the top dog trainers in the world. He has 2 official world records in off leash obedience, named on Wikipedia as one of the top 20 dog trainers in the world, recently named top 10 trainer in the world by bestdogtrainers.org, has been featured in many magazines and shows, and he is regularly requested by the top celebrities and athletes! He has been called upon by people such as actor Ryan Reynolds, WWE’s John Cena, MLB All Star Max Scherzer, UFC World Champion Jon “Bones” Jones, and many more!
You can visit our YouTube Channel and watch over 1500+ before/after videos of Nick and his team’s work! Off Leash K9 Training has more documented videos than any dog training business in the entire world!