ABOUT US

We believe every dog is unique along with his or her needs. This is why we specialize in individual one-on-one dog training. Only taking up to 3 pups at a time allows us to focus specifically on your dog’s behavioral adjustments while allowing your dog to socialize and practice these new behaviors in small, supportive groups.

We are confident that, no matter what the behavioral needs of your furry friend are, we have the skills, knowledge, and experience to work with them and get you back to being the proud puppy parent you deserve to be.

Maria moved from Germany to Hawaii 20 years ago to finish her MBA. She grew up with multiple strays in Bulgaria which strengthened her soft spot for rescues. She loves giving dogs a second chance and enabling them to have a better life.

Prior to starting Island Dog Obedience, she donated a majority of her time to the Hawaiian Humane Society. It wasn’t until she adopted her fur baby Valentine (a 4-year-old stray from Waimanalo) and had to train her from scratch, that she found her love for dog training.

Maria was working in corporate America but her true passion was K9s, so when the opportunity presented itself to switch careers and be a dog trainer, she decided to follow her heart. She became a certified dog trainer in Virginia as well as Hawaii and the rest is history.

Kristi was born and raised in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, and from childhood, she has always had an affinity for nature and animals, with a special interest in marine life.  She fostered her love of animals with a variety of pets (including a golden retriever named “Peaches”) and local neighborhood wildlife, and she realized she was keenly interested in animal behavior. This led her to obtain a degree in zoology so that she could pursue her childhood dream of working with marine mammals.
She landed her first job in Hawaii, where she immediately fell in love with the lifestyle, culture, and beauty that makes Hawaii so special. After working with marine mammals for 15 years, she hung up the wetsuit to work with dogs in the film industry. It was action-packed but Kristi knew her true strengths were more tuned to behavior modification and helping owners and pets live their best lives together. When she’s not training, she’s often spending time with her dog, Chex, and her parrots, or enjoying various ocean sports.

Raya moved to Hawaii several years ago from Russia where she played basketball professionally. She has a PhD in sports science. After finishing her sports career, she dreamed of a life in Hawaii and she made her love for dogs into her career. Raya combines her active lifestyle with dog training – hikes, beaches and games in amazing locations. When working with dogs, she loves to rehabilitate fearful/anxious pups and to strengthen the relationship with their paw-rents.

She is happy to be part of Island Dog Obedience and to have found her new team.

Ryan grew up in Hawaii all of his childhood and moved to the states during high school and college. He has always had a love for dogs and other animals and at one point wanted to be a veterinarian. Ryan worked as a General Manager for a few car washes in the last ten years and has been in the corporate world since college. Missing the islands he has moved back to Hawaii to connect back to his home and love for animals. He has really enjoyed training dogs for the last year.

Riley was raised on the west side of Oahu in Kapolei and has always had a passion for dogs. He grew up in a house that always had 3 or more dogs in the house. He would even help raise litters of puppies from time to time. And in his early teens he was able to keep the first puppy he had ever delivered himself and was responsible for his training. It was then where he started to learn how to train and the importance of training. Since then he has continued his training with his personal dogs even taking them into AKC obedience trials and earning his first CD in march of 2023.