ABOUT OUR TRAINERS
Meet The Off Leash K9 Team
Joyell Leonard - OWNER & HEAD TRAINER
Joyell lives in the Little River area and has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Education from UNC Greensboro. She taught public school for several years before transitioning into a full-time homeschooling mom. After homeschooling the last 21 years, her two youngest will graduate in 2025.
Joyell loved dogs while growing up and began dog training in 2010 when they adopted their first rescue, Gracie, followed by Lauren several years later. It was not until 2019 when the family bought Daisy, a Mini Aussiedoodle, that she found herself delving into everything dog, from videos, books, talking to other trainers, online classes, and especially working with her own dogs. Since then, Joyell has added 2 more dogs: another Mini-Aussiedoodle named Cappy and a Mini-Bernedoodle named Carter. Joyell responsibly bred Mini-Aussiedoodles and Mini Australian Mountain Doodles for several years, where all of the puppies were loved and raised with her family. Joyell continues to educate herself daily and loves combining her years of teaching experiences with people to help you understand your dog. When Joyell is not training dogs, you can find her spending time with her wonderful husband, six kids, son-in-law, and two grandbabies, who happily call her “Sunny”.
Joyell is very excited to now be the owner of OLK9 Myrtle Beach. She desires to make a difference in the community by helping families and their beloved dogs communicate better. She has had the privilege of working with Slider, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Bat Dog and with several community rescue organizations.
At OLK9 Myrtle Beach, every dog is treated like family.
To see some of Joyell’s work, click HERE
KRISTIN ROBERTS - TRAINER
Kristin Roberts grew up with horses and dogs being part of her life. This quickly developed into a strong passion and motivation driving her to devote 4 years of high school focusing strictly on animal science classes. She also spent much of her time in a vet assistance program. Kristin is from the Wake Forest, NC area where she volunteered with the SPCA and Hope Reins for 5 years. Kristin moved to Wilmington, NC in 2022. It was during that time she adopted Koda, a Great Pyrenees, who was very reactive towards dogs and people.
Koda nearly pulled her down multiple times and was impossible to control in any public situation. It was then Kristin found Off Leash K9 Training as a client and after her first lesson, she immediately knew she wanted to do this full time. Kristin is a dog lover first, and a dog trainer second. Because of her unique experience with Koda, Kristin knows first-hand the difference dog training makes in the relationship between dog and owner. Without professional training it can sometimes be a frustrating relationship, but with an investment in good training a wonderful transformation will occur. Kristin strives to bring this same relationship to your experience with OLK9!
We are excited to have Kristin split her time between OLK9 Wilmington and OLK9 Myrtle Beach!
To see some of Kristin’s work, click HERE.
Brande Brock - Trainer
Brande is a native Carolinian and has lived at the beach for over 30 years. She attended Coastal Carolina University, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Art Studio and a Minor in Marketing.
“I cannot remember a time when I did not have a doggo in my life!” -Brande
Brande has always been intrigued with dog behavior, the human/dog relationship, and how a well-balanced training approach can enhance the relationship an owner has with their dog. Through years of studying, observing, practicing and certification she has developed a style all her own and enjoys connecting owners with their furry friends through leadership and love.
After a strong career developing customer and employee experience programs, Brande decided that it was time to do what she has always loved full time. She joined the Off Leash K9 Myrtle Beach team after taking her German Shepherd and Black Lab through the program.
While Brande has an extensive knowledge of German Shepherd and Labrador Retriever breeds, she has successfully worked with a wide variety of other breeds and loves them all!
When she isn’t training, Brande enjoys family time outdoors, singing, and learning more cool stuff about dogs!
DANICA SNYDER - TRAINER
Danica Snyder grew up with dogs since the day she could remember. She trained all of her family dogs when she was young, and loved teaching them something new. Danica knew she had a passion for training since the day she trained that first dog. Originally, she wanted to be a K-9 officer, but found more interest in helping others build a better relationship with their fur babies.
After graduating she ended up getting her own dog, a Cane Corso named Apollo. She’s been training him for three years using German commands. Danica tells everyone that he is her best friend. Danica has helped lots of her friends have more control over their pups as well. Helping others brings her joy!
Danica continues to educate herself on dog training techniques and interpreting a dog’s body language. She always loves learning something new when it comes to animals. Danica is very excited to help the OLK9 Myrtle Beach community build loyal and loving relationships between humans and their canines. In Danica’s free time, you can find her reading a book, snuggling with Apollo, cooking and enjoying the outdoors.
Nick White is the Owner and Founder of Off Leash K9 Training. Nick is a former US Marine and former US Secret Service. He currently has over 130+ dog training locations throughout the United States.
Nick is globally recognized as being one of the top dog trainers in the world. He has 2 official world records in off leash obedience, named on Wikipedia as one of the top 20 dog trainers in the world, recently named top 10 trainer in the world by bestdogtrainers.org, has been featured in many magazines and shows, and he is regularly requested by the top celebrities and athletes! He has been called upon by people such as actor Ryan Reynolds, WWE’s John Cena, MLB All Star Max Scherzer, UFC World Champion Jon “Bones” Jones, and many more!
You can visit our YouTube Channel and watch over 1500+ before/after videos of Nick and his team’s work! Off Leash K9 Training has more documented videos than any dog training business in the entire world!
