John Van Olden has been working with dogs his entire professional life. His first job, at age 14, was working with a local dog groomer, and while being far from easy, it was a job he kept through High School. He had an 8-year military career as a Military Police Dog Handler and Trainer (of course!). After the military, while still attending college, John started his first business, Golden State K-9 Training in the San Francisco Bay Area. His clients included veterinarians, professional athletes, other high-profile clients, and increasingly, the former clients of other dog trainers.

John soon realized that he had developed a training and business system superior to the majority of what was currently being offered. This led him to form K-9 Advantage (“Where Dogs Send Their People For Training”), the first dog training franchise in the United States. Through that experience John came in contact with hundreds of people who were investigating how to get into the dog training business so they could turn their passion for dogs into a career. During this time, he visited several schools for dog trainers across the United States and met with the operators of several others to learn about their programs and approaches.

PAWSitive Solutions, his third business, was started with a seasoned business professional with extensive experience in both franchising and career colleges. PAWSitive Solutions quickly grew to become the largest private dog training company on the West Coast, relying primarily on professional referral, and employing 36 professional, and highly successful dog trainers.

John is a founding member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and has served on their Board of Directors. He has consulted with some of the largest pet care and dog training companies in the United States, helping them develop their dog training programs as well as improve their marketing efforts. John has personally trained over 60 professional dog trainers, many of whom are highly respected and recognized as the most successful in their communities.

John was inspired to organize the Canine Trade Group network after spending nearly 30 years witnessing the dog training profession trend away from high standards and results-based training. Today, John is proud to mentor the dedicated trainers of Canine Trade Group, a network of professional dog trainers committed to the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, and results.

Dog training has always been a huge part of Cristin’s life. She has been training for over 13 years, she started with dog agility and earned two AKC Master Agility Championships (MACH) on her Golden Retrievers, Rocky and Hunter. She has also put several titles on breeds ranging from English Springer Spaniels to Border Collies.

Cristin’s third dog, a Border Collie named Sike! was the reason she became involved in dog behavior. When he was first brought home, Sike! slowly developed a variety of behavior issues, including fear aggression, anxiety, and resource guarding. Cristin pulled out all the stops while researching methods to help her dog, and in the end it was Canine Trade Group that used the most effective methods. She immersed herself in John Van Olden’s training and now Sike! is a happier, more relaxed member of the family.

Cristin joined Canine Trade Group in 2013, she uses her knowledge and experience to help other owners find a certified, professional CTG trainer in their area.

She shares her life with her husband, daughters and Border Collies.

Shelane joined Canine Trade Group in 2023. Her professional background is in customer service and office administration, and she holds a BA degree in Psychology. She and her husband raised three daughters in Fargo, ND, and now split their time between Big Cormorant Lake, MN, and Phoenix, AZ.

Shelane is a life-long dog lover and currently has three granddogs: Chappie, Timmy, and Collette (pictured). She’s excited to help dog owners connect with skilled, certified trainers who can help them better communicate with their pets.

In her free time, Shelane enjoys traveling, pickleball, concerts, and spending time outdoors.