We were lucky to catch up with Jilian Daniel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jilian, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Poseidon K9 provides a quality-vs-quantity approach to balanced dog training for the dog owners of the Lowcountry.

Through my vast experience of working with hundreds of different working dogs, from the country’s most elite military groups, to one of the most recognizable service dog charities in the country, to working breeds living in homes, I’ve learned you cannot force a dog to do anything and have lasting results. You’ve got to motivate that dog by something s/he wants, and your relationship is the foundation to that. Balanced training teaches the dog the behaviors, AND provides a reason WHY the dog should do the behavior for you.

In addition to our methods, we only work with a limited number of dogs at a time per trainer. This ensures that each dog we teach gets that one-on-one attention they need and deserve. Not only that, but dogs in our board and train program live with their trainers to fully immerse them into the daily life in a home, complete with learning how to relax, what to do when people are cooking, how to greet visitors/guests, how to interact with other pets in the home, etc.

Jilian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always had a love for animals, and I could often be found volunteering at a local animal clinic or shelter in my free time. In 2011, I graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with my B.Sc. in Marine Biology, but I still loved animal behavior, so I minored in Psychology as well.

After years of working as a field biologist in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean, I made the career switch in 2014 to dog training with working dogs. I trained service dogs for people with various disabilities: anxiety, Autism, depression, diabetes, mobility disabilities, narcolepsy, physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, PTSD, seizures, TBI, etc. In 2016, I worked for Trikos International and the Warrior Dog Foundation, working with the nation’s most elite top tier working dogs.

These canines are notorious for their challenging, and dangerous, behavior – we trained dogs for the battlefield, and we transitioned them from that arena to retirement. Due to their severe reactivity and aggression, their husbandry and daily handling was difficult.

This lead me to earn my Small Animal Veterinary Technology degree from a local college to better work with the canines I loved and appreciated. I worked with these severe behavioral rehabilitation cases and extreme working dogs for years.

In 2019, I turned down a training position for sea lions and bottlenose dolphins in the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program, and transitioned back to service and assistance dogs through Canine Companions for Independence.

These dogs are specifically bred, raised, and trained for these working roles. I loved “getting back to my roots”, and being able to make a difference in people’s lives.

I wanted to be able to offer all of my knowledge and skills to people who needed me; after helping learn and work with elite working dogs, law enforcement dogs, personal protection dogs, service dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs, pet dogs.

So whether you are starting fresh with a new puppy, or your current dog needs some obedience work, or you’re looking for a specific dog for a specific job, or you’re faced with severe behavior rehabilitation hurdles, I’ve done it, and my Poseidon K9 Team can help you accomplish your goals.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

We have always kept our programs small; which, unfortunately for clients, means we have a wait time of a few months before we can start working with their dog. However, we keep our programs small on purpose so that each dog we work with gets the one-on-one attention they need and deserve. Dogs are brought into my trainers’ personal homes and treated like their own dogs for the duration of their board and train program. This means, when the dogs return to their owners, they’re actually READY for real life with them, versus having to adapt skills learned in a sterile training environment to applying those skills in a real life home setting. Our results have spoken for themselves, and happy clients have recommended us to friends and family, creating true grassroots growth.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I mentioned I worked as a field marine biologist early on; part of my career was spent as a commercial fisheries observer aboard fishing vessels at sea in Alaska. If you’ve ever watched Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch”, you know those environmental conditions are no joke! (And as a born and raised southerner, snow and ice is not my thing!!) Working 24/7 in conditions like that, sleep deprived, isolated at sea for months at a time, often as the only woman aboard the vessel, will absolutely test what you’re made of, and your sanity. Big decisions are an innate, unavoidable, part of life; you just have to weigh the pros and cons, risk vs reward, and make the best choice you can with the information you have, and learn to pivot if things don’t work out the way you planned. And always know where your ditch kit / liferaft is, and how to use it / deploy it – just in case!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.poseidonk9dogtraining.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poseidondogtraining
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poseidondogtraining