Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandler Pierce.
Hi Chandler, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always believed dogs are so much more than pets. They’re our sidekicks, our comfort, our comic relief, and for so many of us, truly our best friends. I always knew I wanted to work with dogs in some way, I just couldn’t figure out exactly what that looked like.
I went to school in Southern Oregon and earned my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, thinking my career might take me in a completely different direction. Around that time, I rescued two pit-bulls from the pound and quickly learned that loving dogs and knowing how to help them were two very different things. I was overwhelmed, especially with my first dog, Juno, who needed more support than I knew how to give her.
Trying to understand and help Juno led me into the world of dog training, and I completely fell in love with it. She’s really the reason Coastal K9 Dog Training exists today. What started as wanting to become a better owner for my own dog eventually turned into the career I had been looking for all along.
Coastal K9 started small and grew organically, mostly through word of mouth and strong relationships with my clients. Several years later, I spend my days training dogs, leading structured pack walks, and working with dogs out in the real world around San Luis Obispo. Many of my clients have been with me for years, and I’ve been lucky enough to build friendships with their humans along the way too.
Juno has since passed, but I think she’d be pretty proud that her legacy lives on in every dog I get to help.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road! I quickly learned that being good with dogs and running a business are two very different skill sets. Suddenly I was a dog trainer, scheduler, marketer, accountant, customer service rep, and professional poop-timing coordinator. I’ve had to learn to trust myself, set boundaries, value my time, and accept that I can’t say yes to everything. I’ve had to learn (many times) that caring about every dog doesn’t mean I can fix every situation. But I think the messy parts have made me much better at what I do, and thankfully the dogs didn’t seem to care whether I had my business plan figured out. We’ve all learned so much There’s plenty of unpredictability when your coworkers are dogs, but honestly, I think that’s part of what keeps it interesting.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work with all kinds of dogs, but I especially really love reactivity, anxiety, and aggression. I find it fascinating how often those behaviors overlap and feed into one another. I’ve always been interested in psychology, and with dogs I love getting into the nitty-gritty of why a behavior is happening, not just how to stop it.
Watching dogs change alongside our ever changing lifestyles, environments, and expectations has been one of the most interesting parts of this work for me. I think what sets me apart is that I really try to understand the dog in front of me. My goal is always to create more balance between the dog and the people they live with — where the dog feels understood and supported, the humans feel safe and confident, and the household as a whole feels calmer and happier.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I’ve been the client. I understand all of the emotions that can come with loving a dog who is struggling. What matters most to me is helping people feel less alone with their dogs.
With Juno, I remember feeling on edge all the time — constantly anticipating the next reaction, the next embarrassing moment, or the next situation we’d have to avoid. I loved her more than anything, but I also felt frustrated, isolated, and honestly sometimes miserable because I wanted so badly to enjoy life with her and didn’t know how.
That experience stayed with me. I understand how complicated it is to adore your dog and still sometimes feel overwhelmed by them. That’s why I care so much about helping people create a life where they can actually enjoy their dog, while helping the dog feel safer, more understood, and less overwhelmed too. When that tension starts to lift, it changes the whole household. This is my life’s work. And if you’ve ever loved a dog who made life feel a little harder, you probably understand why.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Coastal.K9dogtraining
