Craig Martin

Craig was born and raised in Colorado until a recent job opportunity opened up in Maryland that allowed him and his girlfriend to relocate to Annapolis to pursue their passions.  He found his passion for working with dogs while volunteering at a local animal shelter in Denver – cleaning dog kennels, providing enrichment and assisting with adoptions.  While continuing to volunteer and help dogs find a new home, he held a job selling produce for 10 years.  Tired of the hustle and bustle of the city life, he packed up his dogs in his truck and moved to Leadville, Colorado to work for an Ultra Marathon/Mountain Bike race organization that produces races all over the country.  In what little spare time he had, he would donate this time walking sheltered dogs around the neighborhood and taking them on hikes to some of the tallest mountains in North America.  He has found his new home in the great state of Maryland and is blessed to be able to continue to pursue his passion for helping and saving dogs. When he’s not out working one of his many personal dogs, he spends his time as a photographer and marathon runner.


My time with Off Leash 


In his time with OLK9 he has learned a great deal about dogs, dog behavior, training tools and most importantly, the value in educating the humans who own the dogs that he trains.  Having been a ‘typical dog owner’ for a good part of his life, he empathizes with his clients and is a firm believer in ‘knowledge is power’. Craig has a knack for connecting with his clients and addressing the issues they are seeing with their dog – relating these issues in a way that helps the owner understand the WHY of their dog’s behavior, and then showing them HOW to teach their dog the correct behavior.  He’s worked with all types of dogs ranging from French Bulldogs to Akitas to Sheep-a-Doodles and loves the variety of dogs he gets to work with in hourly lessons.


Career Path 
Now that Craig has landed his dream job as a dog trainer, he would like to build upon these skills and use them to help sheltered dogs that may be too difficult to find a home for, and ultimately be put down.  He truly believes that theres is no such thing as a bad dog, and with the right amount of exercise, structure, discipline and praise, any dog can be trained to be obedient. 


Quotes 
“My biggest joys of dog training are getting a dog and their owners to achieve the harmonious lifestyle they both desire – whether it be off leash hikes in the mountains, cold beers at the bar patio, or a softball game. It saddens me to know that many dogs are left at the house because of bad behavior, while their owners are out exploring all the great things this world can offer”