Our Team

Holly Forrest

She is Fear Free Certified and has completed her CPDT-KA through The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the only independent certifying organization for the dog training professional. After graduating through Sue McMullen’s Canine Academy, she worked with A Leg Up in Toronto teaching group classes and worked privately with pet parents solving behaviour issues. She is a proud member of Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers and Doggone Safe – Dog Bite Prevention Through Education.

Holly has worked with canines since 2012 to treat a wide variety of issues including; separation anxiety, aggression towards other dogs and people, new babies in the household, child safety around dogs, guarding food and toys, pet assertiveness, raising puppies, cat/dog interaction, rescue dogs, general house rules and manners.

Holly is trained in pet first aid, and committed to furthering her understanding of canines through attending all professional seminars possible and looking for new certifications to improve her already outstanding arsenal of qualifications.

When not training privately, Holly currently teaches small group classes for obedience and behavior modification and maintains close ties to colleagues in the industry to progressively study the latest developments, use new practices, methodologies, equipment and terminology in the science of dog training and behaviour.

Holly Forrest is committed a well-balanced relationship with family life and the pets. She lives by example and has a 6 year old daughter, 4 year old son, a 7 year old Flat Coated Retriever “Alvin” and “Louie the Cat” who is nearly 9. Louie has been trained to fetch, sit and lay down on verbal command or hand gesture. Who ever said cats run the show?

Kristy Corbett-Cunningham

My name is Kristy Corbett-Cunningham,CPDT-KA I am a certified through The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), and is a positive reinforcement dog trainer and have been working as a dog trainer since I graduated from Canine Academy in 2015. I have been teaching classes with True Instincts Dog Training since 2017.

I have worked with a variety of dogs teaching basic obedience and have worked with a variety of behavioural issues from guarding food and toys, to fear and anxiety related issues.

I love getting the opportunity to work with individuals and families who want to create a special working relationship between themselves and their dog. It’s rewarding to see how the relationship between owner and dog grows while working towards teaching your dog the behaviours you want

I am a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers (CAPPDT) and am committed to furthering my education about my understanding of dog training by attending professional seminars and workshops.

I live in Puslinch with my husband and daughter, our two dogs (Mandi & Maisy Mae), 2 cats (Jack Black & Willow) and 2 rabbits (Hocus & Pocus).

Kirstin Lukasko

Hi I’m Kirstin! I’m a wife and mother of four young children, Luke, Ella, Sawyer and Parker. In 2019 we decided to get a dog, Scooby, with the naive impression that he would be a perfectly behaved dog. What I soon realized was he was highly anxious and reactive. I did NOT feel connected with my dog the way I thought I would initially and as his behaviors appeared worse I became more apprehensive about getting one. We worked through the basic obedience levels with True Instincts which gave us a huge foundation. I decided that I would start Trick Training to build our confidence and bond. This led us down a path of daily training, his anxiety started to show signs of improvement and we made HUGE progress. Every time we did a new more complicated trick together we both grew more confident in each other. I no longer thought of dog training as a task but looked forward to moments we could train new skills and he would light up when we worked together!

Scooby is now a Trick Dog Grand Champion! We have titles in Fenzi TEAM and Canine Conditioning. We are working towards Rally, Obedience, and Scent.

I am currently being mentored by Holly and Kristy at True Instincts. I am a Certified Dog Trainer/Behavior Therapist of Canine Correspondence Studies and a Certified Trick Dog Instructor. I’m a member of the International Positive Dog Training Association and working towards my CCPDT-KA certification.

I hope to inspire people to use games and tricks to create an enjoyable bonding experience. I want your dog to choose to behave for you because you’re more fun than the dog down the road or the squirrel zooming past them. Obedience Training shouldn’t feel like a job it should be fun!