Meet The Team

You’re not just looking for another dog trainer—you’re looking for a partner who understands your dog’s unique personality and challenges. At Kaizen Canine, we go beyond basic obedience. We’re here to help you create a calm, realistic environment where both you and your dog thrive.

So if you're ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start enjoying life with your well-behaved dog, you’re in the right place. Let’s make it happen!

4.9 stars based on 82 reviews

Our Mission

At Kaizen Canine, our mission is to empower dog owners to foster a lifelong bond of trust, respect, and joy with their dogs. We are dedicated to providing customized, results-driven training that transforms dogs and enriches the lives of their families. Through a commitment to continuous improvement, we strive to create an environment where both dogs and their owners can thrive together.
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen): We believe in the philosophy of continuous improvement, not only in our training methods but in the relationships between dogs and their owners. Every day presents an opportunity to grow and develop stronger bonds.
Empowerment: We empower dog owners with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain lasting behavioral changes in their dogs. By equipping owners with the right tools, we ensure that training success extends beyond our sessions.
Community and Support: We build a supportive community where clients can rely on ongoing guidance and resources. Our relationship with clients doesn’t end when the training does; we are committed to their long-term success.
Integrity and Trust: We operate with the highest level of integrity, fostering trust between our clients, their dogs, and our team. Our success is measured by the positive impact we have on the lives of both dogs and their owners.
Passion and Dedication: Our trainers are passionate dog lovers dedicated to improving the lives of the dogs we work with. This dedication drives us to deliver exceptional training experiences and to go above and beyond for our clients.
What is your success rate?
We have a 95% success rate with our clients meeting their goals with their dogs. To define this number we have to understand these metrics: Did their dogs behavior improve, did the results last longer than 6 months,
Do I have to participate in the training process or can I drop my dog off and you guys do all the training for me?
Yes, we require you to be involved in your dog’s training. Our approach focuses on improving communication and leadership between you and your dog, as most behavior issues stem from this relationship. This is especially important in our Live and Train programs, where we ask that you attend training sessions and complete the assigned homework to achieve the best results.
Do you offer a "positive-only" approach?
Our methods are motivation based and all our clients get videos on how to build motivation with dogs before we meet. We want to help and guide our dogs to make wiser choices while remaining open-minded. That means we will also use tools and these tools depend on the dog we are training. We do not limit ourselves to only using one quadrant or one method with dogs.
I’ve been to trainers before, how do I know you’ll be any different?
Training can be complex and time-consuming. Over the years, we've learnt to tailor our approach to what works best for both the dog in training and the owner's lifestyle. It is easier to stick to training when it is simple and essential. We take pride in always improving our approach and working with owners until they achieve the results they desire.

Taijon Duverger

Lead Trainer & Founder

I’m Taijon, founder of Kaizen Canine. I'd rather train and play with my dogs than attend family parties. When I hired a trainer, I realized that could be me one day, and it blew my mind. While I achieved decent results, I felt there was a missing piece. My dog became calmer and more responsive, but I wanted him to make the right choices without waiting for commands. This curiosity pushed me to leave my corporate job and learn from trainers whose dogs thrived.

Kaizen Canine isn’t just about training; it’s about enriching the lifelong bond with your dog. I focus on creative thinking, dedication, communication, and honesty. My journey started when I brought home a blue heeler as a birthday gift for my partner, not realizing the challenges we'd face. He was destructive, lunged at people, and created chaos, even embarrassing me when I asked a friend to watch him.

After witnessing a trainer help a friend with a Husky, I knew I needed guidance. While we reached a manageable point, I realized the methods used were correction-based and didn’t consider the dog's well-being. This led me to mentor under various trainers and stay updated on effective, positive methods.

Some notable credentials include:
200-Hour American Standard K9 Certification
NePoPo New Silver with Michael & Bart Bellon40-Hour NePoPo New Gold School (completed twice)

Current dogs
Static (Blue Heeler), and Vega (Dutch Shepherd)
Next breed
Probably another herder (I'm addicted clearly)
Interesting fact
in 2018 I got dragged to a psychic reading and was told I was going to be working animals and I totally dismissed it. Years later, now I am running a dog training business..

Valeria Pulgar

Head of Operations

I don't just run operations, I make sure that you and your pack have a successful journey with us. I  love dogs, but I love the sense of having a community more. I am here to make sure that at every point in your journey you feel empowered to achieve your goals.

To be honest I am not someone who likes to micromanage people. The truth is that people come to us micromanaging their dog and just like when it happens to us – it sucks! That is why I am here to help jump start and help facilitate a smooth start to your journey. I am all about helping you overcome any obstacle that you might have because you deserve to have someone supporting you. I want you to feel like you have a family supporting you and your pack. After all, we are here to help you and your dog transform.. FOREVER.

The beliefs that guide me are to always trust myself, be honest, and serve my community. I do my best to always remain empathetic and understanding which is a major asset to the team. Before I was head of operations here at KC, I worked for Apple where I learned to always put people first and the infrastructure it takes to manage a huge team. Now I get to connect and empower dog owners to realize their full potential with dogs. Outside of work you will find me hiking (where I hunt for mushrooms), meditating, and spending quality time with my family.

Current dogs
Static (Australian Cattle Dog)
Next breed
Lagotto Romagnolo (to sniff truffles of course)
Interesting fact
I am Reiki Level 2 certified and I love practicing with the dogs

Francisco Pulgar

Canine Coach

My journey with dogs began at the age of 10 when I convinced my parents to adopt a 7-year-old toy poodle. This experience sparked my lifelong passion for dogs. Today, I have a Kelpie named Rocky, who has played a significant role in shaping my approach to training. When I first adopted him, he was a nervous, reactive dog, and helping him overcome his fears taught me invaluable lessons about building confidence in fearful dogs. I’ve been training dogs professionally since January 2023, focusing on creating well-rounded family dogs and working with sporty, energetic dogs. Since starting I have helped over 114 dog owners improve their relationship with their dogs.

My favorite age group to train is older puppies, around 8 months to 2 years old, as they balance maturity with adaptability. Rocky has inspired me to work towards becoming a certified decoy in French Ring, a sport I plan to compete in with a Belgian Malinois or Dutch Shepherd in the future.

My ultimate goal is to become a world champion in the sport of French Ring, driven by the memory of my old toy poodle, who passed away in 2021. I’m motivated to help others create the best possible lives for their dogs, filled with love, adventure, and cherished memories.

Current dogs
Rocky (Australian Cattle Dog Mix)
Next breed
I am not sure but I do plan to compete competitively so most likely a herder.
Interesting fact
The shelter that took in Rocky thought he was a German Shepherd. I thought he was a Kelpie until I got his DNA results, which showed that he is 59% Australian Cattle Dog.

Keturah Hall

Canine Coach

My love for dogs began early, back when I was 9 years old and working with my Lab/Blue Heeler mix in 4H. That experience sparked something in me, a passion for helping animals that only grew over time. Years later, I rescued a Malinois/Shepherd mix with severe human aggression, and as I worked to rehabilitate him, I knew I’d found my true calling: transforming even the toughest cases into stories of trust and joy. I left careers in medicine and vacation rentals to go all-in on this mission.

Since then, I’ve pursued every opportunity to expand my skills—attending seminars on behavior modification, obedience, service work, protection, and sport—always with one goal in mind: to empower both dogs and their humans to thrive together.

Today, I’m active in dog sports like barn hunt and French Ring, where I get to put my passion into action. For me, each dog isn’t just a client; they’re a partner in a journey to build a happier, stronger bond. It’s my joy to witness every transformation and help bring out the best in every dog I meet.

Current dogs
Judah (Belgian Malinois), and Jade (Czech German Shepherd)
Next breed
Duh.. another Malinois
Interesting fact
I would much rather be in the snow than at the beach.

Cindy Romero

Communications Specialist


Hi! My name is Cindy and I'm a Communications Specialists at Kaizen Canine. I love being the first person to connect with owners in their  journey towards obtaining a dream life with their dog(s). Taking the first step towards change can often be difficult, but through my conversations with owners I hope to build a solid foundation in what could hopefully become an empowering, trustworthy, and enjoyable relationship between your family and the team at Kaizen Canine.

Outside of my role at KC, I love to travel, take on new hobbies, and watch sports. I am a huge Mets fan! So much so that the first thing I purchased when I got my Goldendoodle, Olly, was a Mets shirt for him to rock on game days (apart from his food and dozens of pee-pee pads, of course).As a passionate dog lover and owner, I hope to continue to grow in my role as Communications Specialist so I can help as many owners as possible to reach their goals. But most importantly, I want our clients to be able to brag at the dog park about how well-behaved their pup is after graduating from Kaizen Canine.

Current dogs
Olly (Golden Doodle)
Next breed
Excuse me...I plan on Olly living forever.
Interesting fact
My mom gifted me my childhood dog, Rufus because she thought I did not have any friends (she was right).

Anthony Syracuse

Cinematographer

Anthony has spent his entire life working with cameras and dogs. He has been interested with filmmaking since a young age and has always wanted to learn more about the industry. He's excited to join the Kaizen Canine team after receiving numerous honors in various countries for his filmmaking and writing.

Anthony has also never lived in a household without many dogs running around. Even after relocating to Atlanta, he knew two things: he wanted a position where he could freely express his ideas, and he wanted a dog. Fortunately, he has found a company that is willing to allow him explore and grow in both mediums.

Current dogs
Pippa (Catahoula Mix)
Next breed
Not ready to think about that..
Interesting fact
When I was two years old, I tried to pet a small schnauzer named Shadow, and it bit me.

State of the art facilities

Coffee Shop

Separate to our consultation space we have a mock living room for you to practice the art of doing nothing with your dog.

Canopy

We have a large canopy in our field, so rain, hail, & shine we can continue your dogs training.  

Enclosed Training field

Our large training field  is  perfect for training your dog in a safe environment.

Trusted by over 1,000 owners since 2021

4.9

82 ratings

80+

Dog breeds

What our customers say

Review Us On
We're rated 4.9 stars on Google by 82 reviewers

I enjoyed my first session with kaizen Canine. They listened to all my concerns and walk me through what was right and wrong in my part. I enjoyed how they demonstrated different ways to train my dog. The dog-handlers are well knowledgeable about how to take handle any dog that is given to them. (Arés is tried from the session)

Jennivi G

A Week Ago

We reached out to Kaizen Canine for training our dog, ButterBean. Due to conflicting advice from our vet, we didn’t socialize him much when we first got him, which led to a lot of separation anxiety.
Our trainer, Taijon, did an amazing job socializing ButterBean with other dogs and people. ButterBean came back with a clear understanding of rules and boundaries, and he even started learning impulse control. He’s really good with other dogs when he’s not on a leash now.
We know that training is a long-term process and that it’s really on us to maintain structure and further his development. ButterBean is still a work in progress and probably always will be, but we’ve learned so much about this challenging breed and continue to learn (and make mistakes, lol). We understand that the success of training is truly dependent on us as owners.
A special thank you to Taijon for taking the time to meet with us and answer all our questions. Kaizen K9 has given us the tools to be successful. Now it’s up to us to apply them.

K9 Logic

A Week Ago

Before my dog Shi’a went through Kaizen Canine’s  35 day Boarding Training he was truly hard to handle. Shi’a is 8 months old and would nibble on hands, refuse to go in his cage, jumping on guest, pulling on walks and terrible at care rides. I was anxious about leaving my fur baby for 35 days but I knew it was necessary. It was truly the BEST decision I’ve ever made. Kaizen Canine’s team is amazing and are very patient with pets and parents. They educated my family and I on the equipment used, diet and commands to use. I was worried that when Shi’a returned I would not be as consistent and efficient with training like Taijon and Francisco. They do an amazing job with encouraging pet owners and also supply multiple walk through videos. Being a dog mom that’s also a healthcare worker doing 12hrs shifts is tough but we take it one day at a time and are doing amazing. There is also ongoing monthly classes where Shi’a will get to be around other dogs and parents so we all learn together. This was an amazing experience and would recommend to anyone in the Atlanta area that has a dog big or small that needs some obedience training!

Sierra Brown

A Week Ago

I had the pleasure of working with Taijon while he was in California recently and I couldn’t have been happier with the experience! Taijon is a super nice person, easy to communicate with and it’s very obvious how much he actually cares about the dogs and the owners all enjoying the learning process. I look forward to working with him again, so much so I may be planning a trip to Atlanta just to do so! Thank you Taijon!

Joseph Cinnante

7 Months Ago

I am extremely happy with the training experience with Kaizen and the team of trainers. My dog now displays great confidence on his walks and interaction around other dogs and people. His response to voice commands is very impressive and he is very engaged at home as we continue to train at home on a daily basis. I appreciate all of the follow up subsequent to training, to check in on how things have been going and the continued advice that is shared.

Deanna Wynn

A Month Ago

I highly recommend! My Yorkie was struggling with house training and obedience.  They came highly recommended from close family friends and I couldn’t be happier.  The team is pleasant and very professional, communication was consistent through the 5-week training, and the return home has been seamless.   This is hands down the best investment made this year.  Thank you Kaizen Canine!

Mercedes Stevenson

A Month Ago