Meet our trainer
Professional | Focused | Experienced
Lynsey Reynolds (formerly Neilan)
Hi, I’m Lynsey.
When you reach out—whether it’s an email, a phone call, or a message on social media—it’s me responding. I’m also the person getting up at 2 a.m. if a boarding or training dog needs to go out, adjusting routines, troubleshooting behavior, and making sure every dog in my care is safe, comfortable, and understood. It sounds like a lot, but this lifestyle is easy with structure, boundaries, and clients that put in the work to follow through with the training we provide.
I don’t have a large staff or a massive facility. I train out of my home, I keep my numbers intentionally small, and I’m licensed through the state because doing things the right way matters to me. Keeping overhead low allows me to stay hands-on, consistent, and personally invested in every dog and every owner throughout the training process.
While Sunshine K9 Training is very much a one-woman operation, I’m supported by my incredible husband, Shane, who helps with our trainees after work and on weekends—and who shares my love for the dogs that come through our home. Because of their behavior, some dogs board exclusively with us and we're honored to be trusted with those special pups that are often misunderstood.
How I Got Here (And Why This Work Matters So Much)
I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a dog trainer.
I graduated college in 2016, with a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Resource Conservation with a focus on nuisance animal management. I moved to Georgia to work with sea turtles and protect them from wild hogs, coyotes and other critters, and had a lot of fun doing so. Animals were always part of my world, but my career path originally pointed toward wildlife—not pet dogs. Although I worked for a few animal shelters along the way, helping dogs was a hobby for me, not a career.
That changed because of one dog.
Leo was a 90‑pound mixed breed I adopted. He was said to be about 6 years old. After a violent incident where Leo stepped in front of me when a human with ill intentions was coming at me aggressively, his behavior changed. Over time, he became intensely protective. While I'm grateful for that one moment, Leo just didn't know how to turn off that behavior, and neither did I.
I thought that if I hired a trainer, they could help me solve this problem. Eight different professionals—trainers, behaviorists, and veterinarians—told me he was untrainable. One veterinarian even advised me to take him to another county and shoot him because she didn’t want her staff handling him after I had already scheduled euthanasia with them on her recommendation.
This is the harsh reality for some dog owners. Told by a professional with a degree that they should shoot their dog because they can't be fixed.
Instead of making that choice, I walked away from a career I had worked hard for and spent months traveling over 3,200 miles around the United States searching for someone who actually understood canine behavior. That's right. I quit my job to find him the help I knew had to exist somewhere. Leo wasn’t “bad.” He wasn’t dangerous without cause. His behavior made sense—I just didn’t know how to communicate to him that the threat was over and we were both safe. I didn't believe that he should be put to death despite all of those professionals being certified and "experienced".
The ninth trainer I met changed everything. We traveled to Providence, Rhode Island for a consult with a trainer widely known for his work with aggressive dogs. Within minutes, he explained what I was unintentionally reinforcing and gave me clear, actionable steps to fix it. Even more importantly, he encouraged me not to hire him—but to learn, to work through it myself, and to help other people who were being told their dogs were “lost causes.”
Leo became the foundation of everything I do. You may recognize him as the dog pictured within our website and 2026 uniform designs.
From Hobby to Profession
Leo eventually led me to stop “just helping friends” and start working with dogs professionally. After a year of serious consideration—and encouragement from close friends—Sunshine K9 Training went from a fun side project to an LLC. I invested in learning everything I could about canine behavior, focusing on the problem behaviors that many trainers decline to work with. I didn't just take classes; I started working with every dog I could, fostering shelter dogs to give them the second chance they deserve.
Although I'm proud to say that I'm a one-woman operation, there are so many people who have supported me along the way. I would not be where I am today without the encouragement and support of the Staton family and the Farley family. Though many people have supported our journey, these families always went above and beyond to help me become the trainer I am today. It's never been easy choosing to work with dogs that would otherwise be euthanized if they didn't get help, but these people believed in me and because of that, I've been able to help people with dogs who otherwise would have been put down.
I began offering private lessons in 2019 and introduced board-and-train programs about a year later. Space has always been intentionally limited. I don’t stack dogs, rotate handlers, or rush progress. Each dog receives individualized care, structure, and training because that’s the only way I believe this work should be done. And each owner gets the same, along with step-by-step videos on how to complete the foundational learning necessary for a solid relationship with their dog.
I have learned from some incredible trainers all around the country, but have come to realize that I will never be done learning. I have completed various training certification programs and they all teach something different and are certainly not all created equally. I'm highly proficient in remote collar training and utilizing leash pressure to train, but positive reinforcement is a huge part of our foundational learning. If you don't want to use food/treats to train, we can still accomplish your goals, but your dog will respond so much better with a reward system. Dogs aren't computers. They're living, breathing predators with free will to choose what they'll participate in. It takes work to change a dog's mind and it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Training is often messy, but when you work hard and remain clear and consistent, progress is evident.
Occasionally I'll meet a dog that I'm not able to take on for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, I'm unable to accommodate last minute board and train programs because our clients book with us months in advance. Sometimes, I feel like a dog is beyond my skill level and being honest about that is the safest thing any trainer can do.
If I make a referral, it's because I know for certain they'll be able to serve a timeline or specific behavioral issue better than I can at that time. If one trainer says no to you, that doesn't make your dog untrainable, that simply means they aren't the one to help you. I do think most issues can be helped regardless of a dog's age or size, although in the last 6 years, I have met 4 dogs that I believed to be too dangerous to be in a family home and if I express that belief, it is never done lightly.
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Leo passed away in August of 2023. He went to sleep on the bed and just never woke up. And I'm honest about saying that at that time, I didn't think I'd ever train another dog again. I felt like my purpose died with him. A few months later, I met a dog that other trainers weren't interested in working with. She was almost 100 pounds of fierce German Shepherd. I remember the hopeless feeling I felt when trainers told me my dog wasn't fixable years ago as this dog's owner struggled to get the muzzle on her so I could meet her. I can't lie and say I walked in super confident. I knew what I was up against and I really needed to be sure that I could physically handle her before I agreed to try to help. After about an hour of spending time with her, I knew I could help her. Her owner committed to a board and train program and we got started shortly after. She still boards with us occasionally because her owner knows she feels safe and comfortable with people that understand her.
Although much of my time now is spent teaching new puppy owners how to prevent their dogs from becoming nervous or aggressive, there's a special place in my heart for the dogs that are simply misunderstood.
When I'm Not Training, I'm Probably Still Talking About Dogs...
My husband and I currently share our home with four dogs: Nova and Wyatt our German Shorthairs, Tucker, our miniature schnauzer, and Ripley, the Great Dane, who does indeed resemble Leo in a bittersweet way.​
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German Shorthairs will always be my favorite—I grew up with them—but Sunshine K9 Training works with all breeds. Most of our clients are mixed breeds, doodles, Labradors, and German Shepherds, but we're not breed exclusive.
Outside of dog training, I love hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors. Faith and church are a central part of my life, and I love when that overlaps with my work. My husband and I also enjoy competitive video games. I’m passionate about dogs—but I’m also a real person living a full, balanced life.
If you see us out training, running errands, or just living life, feel free to say hello. If you think I'm the right trainer for you, schedule a call so we can get started!