Our Trainers and Leaders
Meet the People Behind Your Dog's Training
Real people who read dogs for a living. From founder Leighton Oosthuisen to the head trainers and managers at each campus, this is the team accountable for your dog's progress, and yours.
28 years family-owned since 199770,000+ dogs trained4.8 stars across 2,000+ reviews2 campuses across Arizona
Who trains the dogs at Partners Dog School?
Partners Dog School is led by founder and Training Director Leighton Oosthuisen and his son, COO Christopher Oosthuisen, backed by a team of professional trainers and managers across our Scottsdale and Cave Creek campuses. We have been family-owned since 1997, and in 28 years we have trained more than 70,000 dogs of every breed, age, and temperament. Most of our head trainers and managers were mentored here for years, through thousands of real cases, before they ever led a program. When you enroll, you get that bench of experience working for your dog and your family.
The Family Behind Partners
Meet Our Founders
Leighton Oosthuisen
Training Director and Founder
Leighton started training dogs at age 10 in South Africa in 1973. A former K9 handler who worked with bomb dogs, drug dogs, and Search and Rescue dogs, Leighton has competed and titled dogs in French Ring, Agility, Dock Diving, and Schutzhund. With over 50 years of experience and 30+ years specializing in behavior modification, his methodology forms the foundation of every program Partners offers.
Leighton lives at the Cave Creek campus with his family and an assortment of animals. Outside of dog training, he is a World Champion target pistol shooter who has represented the USA at the 2014, 2017, and 2021 World Pistol Championships.
Christopher Oosthuisen
Chief Operating Officer
Christopher oversees operations of all Partners Dog School locations, Partners Dogs University, and the Partners Dogs Foundation. With over a decade at Partners and tens of thousands of dogs trained under his watch, Christopher's goal is to empower the team to inspire every guest into making training a daily part of their lives.
Like his father, Christopher is a competitive athlete. He participates in French Ring and ranks in the Top 50 in the world in target pistol shooting. He represented the USA alongside Leighton at the 2014, 2017, and 2021 World Pistol Championships.
How Our Team Works
One Team, Trained the Same Way
We are balanced, tool-agnostic trainers. We do not follow a single ideology, we follow outcomes for the dog and the family. Every trainer here learns the same methodology under hands-on mentorship, so the plan your dog starts in camp is the same plan reinforced in DaySchool, group classes, and your private lessons.
That consistency is the difference between a dog that behaves at our facility and a dog that behaves at home.
Scottsdale Campus
Meet Our Scottsdale Leaders
Hannah Kochman
Head Trainer, Scottsdale
My name is Hannah and I am the Head Trainer at Partners Scottsdale. I consider myself born and raised at Partners. I began here in 2017, first as an Animal Care Tech and Snake Avoidance Handler. Over the years I have instructed Pre-School Puppy and group classes, and trained thousands of dogs, from household puppies to behavior modification cases.
Nicole Colasacco
DaySchool Manager, Scottsdale
My name is Nicole and I am the DaySchool Manager and Trainer at Partners Scottsdale. I have been with Partners since 2021 and progressed quickly from a daycare attendant to manager. I love seeing our guests learn great habits, play appropriately, and enjoy their time with our team. I also instruct Pre-School Puppy and obedience classes.
Emma Badoni
Boarding Manager, Scottsdale
I am Emma, the Boarding Manager at our Scottsdale campus. My job is to make sure every overnight guest gets the structure, enrichment, and care that turns boarding into a confidence-building experience, not just a place to stay. Watching a dog walk out happier and better behaved than when they arrived is what keeps me going.
Chase Larson
Team Success Manager, Scottsdale
My name is Chase. I have been here for 3+ years, and I have worked with dogs for 9+ years doing daycare, animal care, and management. Partners helped me find my true passion, which is training dogs and people. My goal is to help owners build a better relationship and understanding with their dogs while laying the foundation they need to succeed.
Cave Creek Campus
Meet Our Cave Creek Leaders
Megan Fiedler
Head Trainer, Cave Creek
My name is Megan and I have worked at Partners since 2016. I manage the day-to-day operations at the Cave Creek campus and work with most of our behavior modification cases. Even after all these years, my favorite moment is still the Ah-Ha moment between handler and dog, when communication is clear and we truly understand one another.
Monica Jensen
Boarding and DaySchool Manager, Cave Creek
My name is Monica and I am the Boarding and DaySchool Manager at our Cave Creek campus. I have been with Partners since 2021 and previously worked in other daycare and boarding facilities. I teach our Pre-School Puppy and Zoomers Agility classes, and I love socialization and confidence building. Teaching is second nature to me.
Noa Holt-Shannon
Team Success Manager, Cave Creek
My name is Noa and I am a Team Success Manager at Partners Cave Creek. I have been passionate about dog training for a long time and started with Partners in 2018. I have enjoyed working with puppies, older dogs, and ones with intense behavioral issues. Teaching our team, clients, and dogs has been a huge part of my job, and watching their success is incredibly rewarding.
Two Arizona Campuses
The Team Your Dog Will Meet
Behind every program is a full team: head trainers, DaySchool and boarding managers, team success managers, and the animal care staff who know your dog by name. Whether you choose Scottsdale or Cave Creek, your dog is surrounded by people who genuinely love this work and have done it for years.
Scottsdale: 8642 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Cave Creek: 4640 E Forest Pleasant Pl, Cave Creek, AZ 85331
What Families Say
4.8 Stars Across 2,000+ Reviews
The best measure of a team is the dogs and families it sends home happier. Read recent reviews from both campuses.
Cave Creek
Ready to meet the team in person?
Book a tour and meet the trainers who will work with your dog, or apply to join Arizona's top dog training team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Partners Dog School?
It is family-owned. Leighton Oosthuisen founded it in 1997 and serves as Training Director. His son Christopher Oosthuisen is Chief Operating Officer. Both are onsite and accessible across the Scottsdale and Cave Creek campuses.
How experienced are the trainers?
Leighton has more than 50 years of dog training experience, including K9 work and titling dogs in French Ring, Agility, Dock Diving, and Schutzhund. Most of our head trainers and managers have been mentored at Partners for years, through thousands of real cases, before leading a program. After 28 years and 70,000+ dogs trained, there is very little our team has not seen.
Will I work with the same person the whole time?
You are supported by a team, not a single trainer. Each campus has a head trainer plus DaySchool, boarding, and team success managers, so your dog gets consistent care and you always have someone to talk to about progress.
Which campus will my dog be at?
We have two Arizona campuses: Scottsdale at 8642 E Shea Blvd and Cave Creek at 4640 E Forest Pleasant Pl. You can choose the location that works best for you. Both run the same programs and methodology.