Mentoring with Kim Palermo
Kim’s passion is helping people pursue their dreams with dogs in a way that is kind to animals and sustainable for humans.
As a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, ACE (Animal Centred Education) Practitioner, experienced mentor, and successful training business owner, she supports trainers at every stage in growing their skills, confidence, and careers.
Mentoring with Kim offers a thoughtful, emotionally safe place to ask hard questions, sort through tricky decisions, and develop as both a trainer and a human in this work.
Who Mentoring Is For?
Mentoring with Kim is designed for:
Aspiring trainers who are curious about turning their love of dogs into a career and want help taking the first steps.
Working trainers who need grounded, practical support with case work, mechanics, or curriculum design.
Training business owners who are building or refining a program and want a mentor who has grown a busy, multi-service dog training business herself.
Control Unleashed and ACE enthusiasts who want guidance integrating these systems more deeply into their client work and teaching.
Sport dog handlers who are starting to coach others or teach classes and want support bridging the gap between “skilled handler” and “skilled instructor.”
Kim meets each mentee where they are and helps them move toward what’s next—without judgment, pressure, or one-size-fits-all answers.
What You Can Work On
Common mentoring themes include:
Professional Skill and Case Support
- Clarifying training plans and decision-making for complex cases or dogs who get emotionally triggered.
- Troubleshooting cases where emotion and arousal are getting in the way of progress.
- Refining mechanical skills, reinforcement strategies, and handling patterns.
- Choosing and applying Control Unleashed pattern games or ACE Free Work to support specific dog–human teams.
Curriculum and Program Design
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Structuring group classes or membership-style programs that are emotionally safe for dogs and humans.
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Building class progressions and homework that make sense for big-feelings dogs and their people.
- Incorporating Control Unleashed and ACE concepts into existing classes, private lessons, or online offerings.
Career and Business Growth
- Exploring pathways into a career with dogs and setting realistic next steps.
- Navigating workload, boundaries, and burnout in a helping profession.
- Thinking through staffing, systems, and services as a training business grows or changes.
Sometimes mentoring looks very practical—writing out a training plan, outlining a new class, mapping a service, developing skills. Other times it looks more like coaching—untangling doubts, values, and long-term goals and finding a sustainable way forward.
Be Mentored by Kim
Kim’s passion is to help others pursue their dream of training dogs and she continues to expand her business in a way that supports growth, mentorship, and opportunity for her team.
Private 1:1 Mentorships with Kim
Work directly with Kim on the topics you care most about—personal growth, curriculum design, or deeper learning—with mentoring tailored to your goals and experience level. Sessions can be booked as one-time consults or as ongoing support.
Control Unleashed Mentorship
Offered through the official CU program & Clean Run
Get guidance from a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor as you work through the CU program or bring the concepts into your own classes and training tool box. Kim helps you interpret the material, review homework, and troubleshoot as you go.
CATCH Mentorships
Offered through Canine Trainers Academy
For CATCH students and graduates, Kim offers practical support in applying what you’re learning to real world scenarios. Use this mentorship to polish your skills, prepare for evaluations, and move toward your goal of making dog training a career.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Mentoring with Kim Work?
Kim offers flexible formats so trainers can choose the level of support that fits their needs and schedule.
Focus Sessions
Single, focused sessions (often around an hour) devoted to a specific topic—such as a behavior case, curriculum idea, or business decision. This option is ideal for trainers who need a clear plan, a sounding board, or help getting unstuck.
Ongoing Mentoring
Recurring support over a set period of time. This option allows mentees to:
- Check in regularly as cases or projects unfold.
- Receive feedback as they implement new tools like Control Unleashed pattern games or ACE Free Work.
- Work on larger projects, such as building out a new program, reshaping a business, or developing a specialty.
Virtual and Worldwide
Mentoring is offered virtually, allowing Kim to support trainers across the globe through video calls, shared materials, and ongoing communication. In-person options may be available locally where schedules align.
Exact formats, frequency, and pricing can be tailored based on what each trainer is looking for.
Why Work with Kim?
Kim brings a rare combination of skills and experience to her mentoring.
- Deep expertise with big-feelings dogs
She specializes in Control Unleashed and ACE Free Work and integrates these approaches into her classes, coaching, and case work. Her focus is on emotional safety, clear patterns, and giving dogs real choices. - Extensive mentoring experience
She mentors for the Control Unleashed certification program, the CATCH dog trainers program, and has supported many local trainers as they grow. She remembers what it feels like to be learning and to hold responsibility for other people’s dogs. - Proven business-building background
She grew a dog walking operation into a thriving training and walking business with a team, membership-style programs, and a strong community of clients. That experience gives her firsthand insight into the realities and pressures of running and growing a training business. - Compassionate, clear coaching style
Kim is thoughtful, gentle, and honest. She supports both the technical side of training and the emotional load that comes with helping dogs and people.
Ready to Explore Mentoring?
Trainers interested in mentoring with Kim are invited to reach out and share:
- Where they are in their journey
- The kind of support they’re looking for
- Any specific goals or challenges they’d like help with
From there, Kim can recommend the type of mentoring that fits best and, if it’s a good match, work together to create a plan.
Mentoring with Kim is an opportunity to feel less alone in this work, deepen your skills, and build a training life that feels sustainable—for you, your business, and the dogs and people you care about.
Ready to explore mentoring?
Reach out to Kim to begin the conversation.