Dog Training in Charleston, South Carolina

Co-owner of The Dog Wizard Charleston, John, was born into a family with working breed dogs. His interest in studying dog behavior began at a young age, with his grandfather’s dog “Pep”, who had a close bond with John. Pep was a border collie who did not allow certain people to get near John, and John wanted to know why.

John Hayes’ dog training career over the last 10 years has blossomed from hobbyist training into various facets of the dog training community professionally. Aside from his strides helping families train their pets in obedience professionally, his time spent researching canine behavior and competition obedience provided the opportunity to begin service dog work.

John was a member of a team in Knoxville who helped train the world’s first Addison’s Disease Alert dog. John has since gone on to train Therapy Dogs, PTSD Service Dogs, Emotional Support Animals, Police K9 Narcotic and Paraphernalia Detection dogs, Diabetic Alert, Psychiatric Alert and Support, Mobility and Autism support, and SAR dogs. He is also one of a limited number of trainers certified to train cancer detection dogs through the InSitu Foundation.

John is an IACP Professional member, certified with the AKC for Canine Good Citizen. He is an AKC Judge, and is certified to perform evaluations through Therapy Pets Unlimited, and Canine First Aid and CPR.

Sarah’s passion for animals began at a young age with a love for cats, horses, fish and most of all, dogs. Fascinated by her family dog’s intelligence and physical abilities, she collected books and researched dog behavior before training her dog when she was just 12 years old. This early connection with animals led to a lifelong passion for deepening her understanding of dog behavior.

With a background in the hospitality industry, Sarah enjoys meeting new people almost as much as she loves meeting new pets. She is focused on transforming lives through teaching owners how to communicate with their pets effectively and helping them strengthen their relationships with their dogs.

Along with dog training, Sarah is also a freelance writer and hosts plant workshops. In her free time, she enjoys training, cuddling and playing outside with her dogs, “Bogard” and “Sullivan”. She also spent several years volunteering at the Charleston Animal Society program “Paws Around Town” to help give rescue dogs a break from the shelter and have fulfilling social time.