Dog Training, Done Right at The Dog Wizard Knoxville

en brings a unique combination of business leadership, education, and a lifelong passion for dogs to her new role as owner of The Dog Wizard Knoxville. Before beginning her career in dog training, she spent 17 years in management with FedEx and UPS and earned a degree in Finance with a collateral in International Management from the University of Tennessee. Although dogs have always been a major part of Jen’s life, her path to becoming a professional trainer grew from her involvement in dog sports and the community of trainers she met along the way. It became even more personal when she faced behavioral challenges with one of her own dogs. Working with a professional trainer not only helped resolve those challenges but completely changed the relationship she had with her dog. That experience showed her firsthand how much good training can improve life for both dogs and the people who love them. Inspired by that experience, Jen left the corporate world and began her professional dog-training career in 2016, working as a trainer with another company. As she continued to grow in the profession, she learned about The Dog Wizard and was drawn to its emphasis on innovation, continuing education, fair and individualized training methods, and its commitment to training owners just as much as their dogs. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach or simply moving dogs through programs, The Dog Wizard’s philosophy of tailoring training to the individual dog and client strongly aligned with the kind of trainer Jen wanted to be. In 2019, she made the decision to join The Dog Wizard Knoxville. Jen believes dog training is about far more than obedience. It is about understanding how a dog thinks, building communication and trust, and creating a stronger relationship between dogs and their owners. To Jen, true balanced training means working with the whole dog—considering the individual dog in front of you and using fair, effective methods to help both the dog and owner succeed together. Since joining The Dog Wizard in 2019, Jen has served as General Manager and Head Trainer for The Dog Wizard Knoxville. In June 2025, she expanded her role within The Dog Wizard by joining the Corporate team as an Academy Instructor. In this role, she teaches future trainers virtually, helping them develop their understanding of training theory, methods, and handling techniques before beginning their hands-on education. Teaching has become one of her favorite parts of her career because she believes a strong foundation—whether for a dog, an owner, or a new trainer—is the building block for long-term success. Throughout her training career, Jen has worked with family pets as well as dogs experiencing aggression and anxiety, and has experience training therapy dogs, service dogs, nose work, and sport dogs. She is a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator, a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), and a NePoPo® Gold Graduate. Jen is also deeply invested in the local dog community and serves as President of Smoky Mountain DockDogs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Through training, education, dog sports, and community events, she is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and strengthening the bond between families and their four-legged best friends. As the owner of The Dog Wizard Knoxville, Jen is excited to bring together her extensive leadership experience, passion for education, and genuine love for dogs to continue building a welcoming, education-focused training community where dogs and their people can thrive together. Knoxville has been home to Jen since 1988, making the opportunity to own and lead The Dog Wizard Knoxville especially meaningful to her. She and her wife, Kristin, live in Knoxville with their dogs and spend much of their free time enjoying dog sports, especially dock diving. Together, they love traveling and competing with their dogs and being part of the dog-sport community that played such an important role in Jen’s own journey into training.

Trent Steele is a of The Dog Wizard Knoxville. He has been training professionally for 7 years. The way he got into training was through his own dog, Alex.

Alex was a rescue Weimaraner that Trent came across in 2009. He adopted him, and it was a match. Alex started dock diving in local ponds in Knoxville, TN. They both went to a DockDogs event in North Carolina and became hooked. They have been across the country competing as well as starting a club, Smoky Mountain DockDogs, in Knoxville. They met a lot of people, including the ones who started The Dog Wizard. He joined them, and the rest is history.

Trent has one dog now named Camille (pictured). She travels everywhere he goes. Camille is the demo dog. She loves dock diving (personal best 25’4″), frisbee, and long walks on the beach.