Meet our expert team

Jacob is our head trainer and co-founder here at the Yorkshire Canine Academy. Jacob grew up around dog’s, specifically German Shepherds. The passing of his childhood dog Soffi in 2013 triggered a desire to work with dogs. After spending a few years volunteering to walk friends’ dogs while studying, Jacob decided to finally get his own dog Ranger. Shortly (but not wisely) followed by Darla in 2016. Out of his depth, both dog’s behaviour took a turn for the worse which called for some behavioural intervention for both dogs. After some help from dog trainers, many hours studying animal behaviour and undergoing countless online courses, Ranger and Darla were transformed into the trusty stooge dogs you’ll see around today. Having worked as professional dog trainer for over 6 years and training over 2500 dogs, Jacob brings a wealth of experience to the team. Jacob has a passion for working with large breeds but even more so, with motivated owners that want nothing more to help their dogs. In 2021 Jacob added a 3rd dog to his team, Stark the Belgian Malinois, who has featured in many of our puppy training tutorials, Jacob aspires to compete with Stark in protection Sports in the future.

Ian (also affectionately known as Kirkey) is one of our senior trainers and co-founder of the YCA. You may have heard his name before, in very different circumstances. Ian is an ex-professional Rugby League player who had many notable performances with Leeds Rhinos, earning himself 5 grand final rings (yes, FIVE). Upon his retirement, Kirkey took up a career in strength and conditioning, gaining another grand final ring but this time as coaching staff. Ian got his first dog aged 11, an elderly and wayward Rottweiler who taught him many lessons in management of behaviour rather than ‘fixing’a problem. He had another two rescue dogs before his current team of four. Three rescues, (Rita 10, bullbreed. Blue 4, whippet/spaniel and Nerf, Frenchie), and a fresh Frenchie puppy Cora. Having studied behaviourism with the BCCS Ian was inspired by Jacob’s justification of modern dog training leading to a more inclusive life for dogs. Subsequently he bought into Sensei Jacob’s ways and hasn’t looked back! Kirkey enjoys working with all dogs and issues but has a particular penchant for a cute Frenchie, even the biters!

Brought to you all the way from sunny Northern Ireland, Chloe is one of our newest members of staff and has taken on the role of Admin Assistant. Having moved to Leeds for university she fell in love with it and never left. Her love of dogs began with her first puppy – Lily, the golden retriever – who was definitely only bought to appease her after the arrival of her little sister. The golden retriever theme continued throughout her childhood, and she has experienced first-hand how it feels to have two dogs of the same breed behave entirely different to the other. As an adult, her love of dogs continued, volunteering as a foster mom for a Staffy rescue before finally giving in and getting one of her own. Enter…Kevin. Kevin is the little ginger Staffy you may see on site, he occasionally makes an appearance as a stooge but is more frequently found sleeping in between bouts of being an absolute lunatic. Chloe has always had an interest in the YCA and been involved from a distance, as a close friend of Jacob and Ian. So, she jumped at the chance when they offered her the role. Chloe will be the person with whom you have most contact, outside of your trainer, as she sends all our emails and mans the phone – so please excuse the accent when you give us a call (translator available on request).

Dan joined YCA early in 2022 having brought his dog to training sessions and completed our training course (quickly passing through the “advanced” test!) Having agreed with his wife to get a dog and carry-out a course of training, Dan instantly loved the theory and practical application involved in training his own dog. Dan arranged to start spending some free time at YCA around his job as a Physio and started doing some reading and online tutorials on dog training. Through this he quickly realised that the skills he’d learnt helping patients with their injuries could be transferred to helping clients and their dogs. Dan has a keen interest in helping people reach their goals with their dogs, and enjoys applying theory and practical to real life situations to help people get the most enjoyment out of their dogs. Dan has an aversion to sitting still and will always find something to keep himself busy, he is even the self-appointed Chief Bin-Emptier. Dan enjoys running with Sanchez, and you’ll frequently see the two of them running around Leeds together.

Suzanne is our Social Media Manager and in-house photographer/videographer. She graduated from Leeds College of Art in 2015 with a BA in Graphic Design. Suzanne’s first dog was a Retriever cross called Sandy. More recently she’s had Russel the Bulldog and Dennis the Cane Corso. Suzanne first came to the YCA as a client in 2021 with her Cane Corso, Dennis. Dennis arrived at the centre with a severe aversion to humans, Suzanne can now happily walk him, on her own, with no issue. Suzanne is a keen knitter, she has 80 balls of wool (that her husband knows about). We proudly display one of her creations above our sofa in the consultation room – keep an eye out for it the next time you’re in.

Despite being one of our youngest members of staff, Elisha has a wealth of experience training her own dogs from the age of 16, and has recently entered into the world of protection sport with her Cane Corso, Chief. Her love of dogs began with her first dog, Eddie the Jack Russell, at age 9. Since then, she’s gone to the opposite end of the size spectrum, currently owning a Cane Corso and a Presa Canario. Elisha studied for her level 3 in Equine Management at college and has previously trained and kept race horses before joining us here. Elisha loves nothing more than getting some downtime, adventuring in the lakes with Chief and Kyra, but when she’s at work she never stops. This girl is the toughest cookie we’ve ever met and isn’t afraid of a hard day’s graft. If you’re ever wondering how you can show your appreciation to Elisha as your trainer, Salt and Vinegar Squares, or Peperamis are the answer.

Jake joins us as a previous client, turned dog trainer. Nelly, his GSP is the reason he’s with us today. If you think your dog is bad, Nelly barked at the fridge for the entire consultation (yes, all 60 mins!). Now, she’s one of our very trusty stooge dogs. Before coming to us, Jake was in sales, he’s sold everything you can think of, cars, funeral cover, life insurance, more cars and bifold doors. For the past 2 years he has successfully run his own Bifold door company and supplied YCA with the beautiful doors you see in our café. Jake is so keen that he bought a van within 2 weeks of starting his job here, since then, he’s decided it’s not big enough for all the dogs he plans on having and now he has a bigger one.