Our Team

Meet the team who are helping the Burlington community build a better relationship with their dogs.

Anna Marie Stewart, DTTA-CPDT, Founder of Instinct Canine Training with her companions, Mia and Keziah.

Anna Marie Stewart, DTTA-CPDT
Owner and founder of Instinct Canine Training

Anna Marie's dedication to helping dogs and their owners thrive is evident to anyone who works with her. With many years of experience working with dogs in training facilities for both service animals, obedience and pet behaviour, as well as a strong background in the animal health industry, Anna Marie combines expertise with an empathetic approach that considers the needs of both dog and client.

She believes training is about more than just fixing behaviours—it's about reshaping how a dog thinks and reacts to the world around them, creating a new way of life that benefits both the dog and their owner. By addressing behaviour alongside the dog’s emotional well-being and environment, Anna Marie helps foster positive, lasting change.
​
Her expertise spans a wide range of clients and challenges, from teaching obedience to puppies and adult dogs to addressing aggression, reactivity, and beyond, as well as offering specialized programs like scent detection.

Mandy
Trainer at Instinct Canine Training

Mandy has been part of the Instinct Canine Training team since February 2025—though her dog training journey actually started a couple of decades ago. These days, she's lucky enough to share life with my two Old English Sheepdogs, Mabel and Freya—her constant companions and excellent teaching assistants.

For Mandy, being part of ICT truly feels like home. The team, the clients, and of course the dogs make every day rewarding. Her favourite part of the job is seeing the joy on a client’s face when their dog has that “lightbulb moment.” Sometimes it takes time and patience to get there, but even the smallest wins can spark the biggest smiles. Watching that bond grow between people and their dogs never gets old—it’s the heart of what we do.

Outside of training, you’ll usually find her outdoors with her husband and children—hiking, competing in lawn games, or battling it out over a board game. Another lifelong passion of Mandy's is horses, which have been part of her world since childhood. Between the dogs, horses, and family adventures, it’s a busy (and very furry) life—but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Mandy with one of her English Sheepdogs.

Ivy and her dog Savannah.

Ivy
Team member

Ivy and her dog Savannah have been part of the Instinct Canine Training pack for several years. Recently, Ivy joined us as an apprentice and has thrived! We're thrilled to have her as a permanent team member.

Ivy's favourite part about working with ICT is building bonds with different dogs and helping their owners enrich their dogs’ lives throughout the day. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a dog’s face light up when they come in!

Fun fact: Before joining the dog training world, Ivy worked as a Personal Support Worker for 10 years. She eventually decided to follow her passion for animals, starting out as a bather in a grooming salon before moving into training.

Kaitlyn
Team Member

Kaitlyn joined the Instinct Canine Training pack four years ago, and recently added Kovu, a German Shepherd, to her family.

She loves watching the transformation that training provides for the dogs and  seeing how happy clients get once their pups behaviour changes.

A fun fact about kovu is his name comes from the lion king, his name means scar is swahili. A fun fact about Kaitlyn is that she loves doing digital creations, and learning new things. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying training with Kovu and playing video games.

Kaitlyn with ICT founder Anna Marie.

ICT Team Member Karen.

Karen
Team member

Karen has been part of the Instinct Canine Training pack for just under a year. Her favourite part of the job is getting to learn something new each day. Whether that's learning more about dog behaviour, getting to know the ICT pack more, or even something about the dog's family, she is an excellent listener who loves what she does.

Of course, she also loves the cuddles and kisses on the job!

Karen has two young children who keep her busy. With her family, she's usually off on an adventure outdoors discovering new places in her spare time.

Our Approach

Instinct Canine approaches training in a unique and balanced way. We don't just look at the behaviour - we work with you to identify the root of the problem to create positive change through training for you and your dog. Anna Marie's educational experience covers a broad spectrum of understanding behaviour, including how the canine brain thinks, and she uses multiple methods and tools to aid in training dogs. This is evident in her continued success as a trainer. Anna Marie is a certified professional Dog Trainer (DTTA-CPDT) under of Karen Laws and her Dog T.R.I.B.E Training Academy, Certified Prong Collar- Knowledge Assessed, and is working towards Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals.)

​We can't wait for you to join the Instinct Canine Training pack and discover the exceptional training difference we provide.

Questions? Let's get in touch!

Awards and Certifications

Instinct Canine Training is the proud recipient of the following awards and member of these respected organizations.