Radiant K9

Hi everyone, BIG news and big changes for Radiant K9! Radiant K9 is CHANGING OWNERSHIP and will also soon be changing locations slightly.

I, Kirsten McKenzie, am handing off ownership to our current head trainer, Octavia Pizarro. Octavia is one of my best friends and one of best trainers I've had the pleasure of knowing. She's incredibly passionate about helping the dogs and families we work with and constantly continuing to learn and better herself as a trainer. I couldn't imagine handing my company over to someone better.

As for WHY? Due to health reasons I personally stopped hands-on training with clients about a year ago and have been managing and supporting my team from behind the scenes. Along with that, I'm going to be moving across the country in July, so it be practical to continue managing the company from afar. I've also been investing in my first love which is art, and will continue to focus on and grow that business after my move.

I've adored this company and the clients and friends I've made along the way! I'm so excited for the next chapter of life and so so thankful for all of the great people I've met these past few years. I'm also incredibly thankful for my team of trainers who have made Radiant K9 even better and been able to provide amazing training even when I couldn't.

Radiant K9s location will also be transitioning towards the Walnut Creek area in the near future as Octavia also makes a move! Please be patient with us as we make the transition and update our site, socials, and Yelp page.

And thank you again to everyone who has supported us! ❤️

.by.an.echo

Radiant K9 is so excited to announce another new team member! A little late to posting but we're so excited to have Emma Carstens working with us! Here's a little bit about her:

"I’ve lived in the peninsula my whole life. Ive grown up in a very dog oriented community. We’ve had dogs in our house since I was about 3 years old and have never lived without dogs since. I grew up dreaming about becoming a vet, or running a dog rescue, or almost anything in the animal field.

In 2016 I began volunteering for a local animal rescue to help as many dogs as possible get into loving forever homes. Not long after I began fostering and have now fostered over 150 animals. To this day I still foster dogs for that same rescue. Back in 2019 I foster failed my first dog Toffee. After bringing toffee into my life I jumped head first into the dog training world starting with my own dog. After starting training with Toffee I began doing basic training and slight behavior modification with dogs waiting to be adopted through the rescue I worked with.

I had first met Kirsten through a friend who previously worked with her. But when I really got the opportunity to work with her I finally met someone who had similar training styles as myself. As well as the same goal which is to help you reach the goals you have for you and your dog, in addition to creating and or strengthening your relationship with your dog."

The RadiantK9 team is growing! We're so excited to add Ember Sotnick as one of our trainers.

"Although I didn’t get my first family dog until I was 12, I have been a lifelong animal lover and became fascinated by dog training at an early age, when I saw a border collie performing incredible frisbee stunts and complex tricks on TV. Throughout my teen years I volunteered at my local animal shelter where I got to work on teaching basic obedience and nice leash manners to the dogs waiting to be adopted. During this time I also worked with my family dog on both fun trick training and what was once severe reactivity around other dogs.

When I did finally get my very own dog in 2017, a Border Aussie named Echo, I delved headfirst into the world of dog training and consulted every training resource I could. My goal had always been to train an adaptable and extremely reliable dog that I could take on adventures with me, so when my health began rapidly going downhill later that year and my doctors and I decided that a service dog would be a viable treatment option for me, our early training foundations really payed off! I immediately began training Echo various tasks to help with my different medical conditions and was blown away by just how much dogs can learn when you make the effort to establish clear communication with them. After countless hours of training, he ultimately made it possible for me to get through all of college safely, and continues to help me through my daily life. He has taught me so much not only about dog training, but about patience, persistence, and staying positive.

I first met Kirsten a few months into my service dog training journey when we started meeting up to train our service dogs together and bounce ideas off of one another. I had a deep appreciation for the training methods she used and found myself consistently on the same page as her, unlike many of the other trainers to which I had briefly gone in the past. I quickly fell in love with balanced training and the way it can be customized to benefit any dog. As I became more a part of the dog training community and eventually started shadowing Kirsten’s sessions, it grew clear to me that there is no one right way to train a dog; every dog is unique and needs an individualized training approach to flourish! In my opinion, that’s what makes dog training so much fun. I love to troubleshoot problems and come up with creative training solutions for every type of dog. My main intention will always be to strengthen the relationship and communication between you and your dog so that you can reach your training goals together!"

Welcome to the team Ember!

Puppy class this past weekend was a huge success! We had a big group of about 6 puppies, ages 7 months to 4 months. Everyone had a great time! With 3 trainers there to help monitor everyone, it ensured that the puppies can have a safe, productive play experience. Where we can help step in if there's any puppies that are getting a little too rambunctious or overwhelmed. Having these safe social environments for puppies is SO important to help them learn proper social interactions with dogs for their adulthood.
It was so fun seeing rambunctious puppies better boundaries and more unsure puppies growing confidence and engaging more by the end of the group. In between play time we also work on recalling our puppies for treats, having leash time to learn to disengage and calm nicely, even when your new friend is close by. We finished with some fun confidence building on some agility/playground equipment and then rewarded everyone for good obedience again by letting them play a bit before leaving ❤️ So thankful for my team helping me run these classes and being awesome with our clients! Y'all rock.

We had our first adult group class this past weekend and it was a blast! Super duper proud of my team and our clients and how they're all progressing! 👏
This means that we officially OFFER GROUP CLASSES. If that's something that is interesting to you, ask your trainer about it or feel free to message us here it through email.
Great job everyone! ❤️

Radiant K9 is extremely excited to announce that we're officially adding a new member to the team!

Octavia Pizarro has been working with and shadowing me for around 6 months now and is a superb handler and trainer and has become a great friend! I couldn't be happier and more thankful to add her to our team and see how she's helping clients already. Here's a little more info about Octavia:

"Growing up on a farm in small New York town brought out my love for animals specifically dogs. When graduated high school I started working at a boarding/daycare facility in which helped me gain knowledge on different canine behaviors. After rescuing my first dog Marley who is a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix I decided to take a step into the dog training world. I started shadowing Marley’s trainer and eventually started working with her. After making the move to California I decided to work back in the veterinary field as a Veterinary Assistant. This was an amazing opportunity to retain more knowledge on animal health and behavior. Although I loved this opportunity, I missed training. My other dog Bentley was a rescue with severe reactivity issues. When I met Kirsten, she not only showed me a new approach to training but inspired me to step into the balance training world. My main goal is to help you build a better relationship your dog. But also providing you with the knowledge and confidence to reach higher levels of success."

Give her a warm welcome and follow over at !