About

About Kristina Carmody, Owner and Training Director

Most would say I'm a dog trainer, but really I'm a motivational coach who gives hope and relief to stressed out dog owners. I work with families struggling with their dog's challenges through a proven method that reconnects your relationship with your canine companion. I have been professionally training dogs and coaching their owners in the DC area for 16 years and have worked in the professional dog boarding industry for 23 years. Over the course of my career, I have taken on many clients who have not had much success with previous trainers and are looking for a last hope. I believe that with a committed owner willing to put in their end of the work, every single dog can be helped. I understand that each dog and owner team learns differently and the key to any successful dog training is about finding the most effective program for both human and canine.

Education
- - Bachelor of Science, Psychology – 2003 - Virginia Tech
- Canine Behavior & Training Specialist – 2004 - Starmark (Triple Crown) Academy
- Certified E-Touch Remote Collar Trainer with Martin Deeley
- Certified ForceFree Method Remote Collar Trainer with Marc Goldberg
- Multiple Working Dog Seminars including Debbie Zappia, Ivan Balabanov, Butch Henderson, Jogi Zank, and John Soares
- Pack to Basics Seminar with Chad Mackin
- Training Cesar’s Way Graduate with Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan
- Working with Aggressive Dogs Seminar with Ted Efthmyiadis
- Obedience and Behavior Foundations & Leash Reactivity Courses with Tyler Muto - Leerburg University
- Master the Remote Collar Seminar with Tyler Muto
- Relationship Based Behavior Modification Seminar with Nelson Hodges
- Resolving Conflict in Human/Canine Relationships Seminar with Mark McCabe
- Dealing with Difficult Dogs Seminar with Heather Beck and Jason Vasconi
Member
- International Association of Canine Professionals
- American Working Malinois Association
Accomplishments
- Top Graduate of Triple Crown Academy School for Dog Trainers (Now Starmark Academy)
- Featured in the The Wall Street Journal, Washingtonian Magazine, and Angie’s List Magazine
- Represented the United States at the 2009 FMBB IPO World Championship in Roudnice nad Labem, Czech Republic and selected to participate in the 2010 DVG Championship in Germany
- 2009 DVG KG North Regional Champion
- Ranked as the #1 trainer/dog team in the USA through DVG America – Fall, 2009
- Owned, Trained, and Handled her malinois Wyatt Earp de mon Coeur, SchH3 on a national level

Kathy Reed, Head Trainer

Kathy has been with the Indigo Dog Training team since 2017. She started working with animals in the 4-H clubs in the Southern Maryland area when she was a young girl. Durning her time in 4-H, she competed in horse events and also trained in obedience and agility with dogs. After 4-H, she continued to compete and train in horse show events both locally and nationally. Kathy grew up helping her family welp Border Collies and Miniature Australian Shepherds. As our head trainer, Kathy currently leads most of our private lessons with clients.
Kathy regularly attends seminars, workshops, and continuing education courses to stay up to date on the latest dog training techniques. Her education includes:
- Obedience and Behavior Foundations, Parts 1 and 2, with Tyler Muto - Leerburg University
- Leash Reactivity Course with Tyler Muto - Leerburg University
- Master The Remote Collar Seminar with Tyler Muto
- Let Dogs Be Dogs workshop with Marc Goldberg, Wendy Volhard, and Brother Christopher of the Monks of New Skete
- Dealing with Difficult Dogs workshop with Heather Beck and Jason Vasconi

Nidya Hernandez, Dog Trainer

Since she was young, Nidya always had a variety of different pets up until a few years ago. Her dog passed away due to cancer and she felt a void in her life. A few months after his passing, Nidya discovered that she could foster puppies for a local animal shelter. Since then she been taking puppies in to care for and train, working on basic obedience, potty training, and crate training. Nidya loved seeing the progress they made and how much they grow in the weeks that she has them. This lead to her realizing her passion for caring and working with dogs, and she joined Indigo Dog Training's team in 2019. Nidya currently oversees our Puppy Headstart programs as well as works with every training camp dog during their stay with us.

Nidya regularly attends seminars, workshops, and continuing education courses to stay up to date on the latest dog training techniques. Her education includes: - Obedience and Behavior Foundations, Parts 1 and 2, with Tyler Muto - Leerburg University
- Leash Reactivity Course with Tyler Muto - Leerburg University
- Master The Remote Collar Seminar with Tyler Muto

Mike Costello, General Manager

Mike has been a part of the Indigo Dog Training team since 2015. As your first point of contact, Mike will answer any questions you may have, help pick out a program that best suits you and your dog's needs, and finalize all the logistics.
Before joining our team, Mike was the Regional Operations Manager for a major fitness company and is a proud Veteran of the U.S. Army.