Built By Dog Trainers,

For Dog Trainers.

At Automation Dogs, we are dog trainers with deep business experience helping other trainers build real, sustainable companies.

With 58 years of combined experience in training, business operations, and competitive dog sports, we understand what it actually takes to grow and what keeps most trainers stuck.

We’ve lived the reality: missed leads, inconsistent follow-up, and the constant pressure of trying to run a business while still working in it every day.

Our mission is simple. Build systems that capture leads, automate follow-up, and create consistent growth so your business doesn’t depend on you being in it 24/7.

This is about more than training dogs. It’s about building a business that gives you freedom, control, and time back.

Schedule a Free Strategy Session

Lianne Shinton

FOUNDER

Hi there, I’m Lianne! For over 34 years, I’ve had the joy of diving into the world of dog training, and I’ve built a passion for creating amazing transformations in both dogs and their owners. However, in the midst of my success, I faced daunting chaos in managing my leads. Despite having a receptionist, I struggled to monitor lead management effectively, which led me to define a critical problem: the lack of a streamlined system that catered to the beginning of the customer journey.

This chaos became a catalyst for change. Realizing the importance of a solid system, I began my journey to meld my training expertise with technology. After contributing to the building the largest dog training franchise in the U.S., Sit Means Sit, I recognized that many CRM systems were falling short by focusing only on what happened after the lead said 'yes.' I sought to fill this gap.

From my frustration emerged Automation Dogs, a fully automated sales assistant specifically designed by a dog trainer for dog trainers. I poured my experience into creating a comprehensive tool that not only captures leads but also nurtures and closes them, effectively eliminating the chaos that once plagued me and many of my colleagues. This unique system has empowered dog trainers across the nation, saving them time and costs,up to $700 by retiring unnecessary systems, while effortlessly delivering a human touch in automated follow-ups.

My journey is not just a personal tale; it is a beacon for dog trainers looking for clarity and success. Hundreds have attested to the life-changing impact of my system, calling it a "game changer" that has allowed them to reclaim their time and increase their profits. My commitment to excellence and my competitive spirit, having competed twice on the U.S. Mondioring team and winning multiple championships, results in a solution that embodies thoroughness and winning potential.

With a clear path laid out, dog trainers can now join me at Automation Dogs. Step one: schedule a call to audit current lead flows. Step two: identify money left on the table through missed, ineffective follow-ups. Step three: implement easy, actionable strategies that set trainers on track to convert more leads, reduce the chaos, and close more clients. With Automation Dogs, I want dog trainers to feel the same excitement and clarity I have brought to my journey, leading them to not just survive but thrive.

Schedule a Free Strategy Session

Automation and Sales Coach

Bret Geller

Hi, I’m Bret Geller, of Automation Dogs. Before helping dog trainers grow through automation and sales systems, I spent more than 23 years building, running, scaling a real dog training business and competing in dog sports. That hands-on experience is what allows me to design automation that actually works for dog trainers, not generic software that creates more headaches.

In 2013, my partner Lianne Shinton and I founded IQ K9 Training in San Diego, California. What began as a two-person operation grew into a highly respected dog training company with multiple trainers we personally mentored from the ground up. Two of those trainers went on to successfully open and operate their own dog training businesses.

Over more than 10 years, IQ K9 Training maintained a flawless reputation with consistent 5-star reviews. In 2022, we sold the business to our head trainer, who continues to operate it successfully today. Running a high-volume dog training business showed me firsthand where most trainers struggle, not with training dogs, but with sales follow-up, lead management, and systems that don’t scale.

Automation Dogs was built directly from that experience. I’ve handled the missed calls, late-night follow-ups, unbooked evaluations, and lost leads that come from running a busy training business without the right systems in place.

Today, I take the lead on sales coaching and automation strategy inside Automation Dogs. I help dog trainers capture more leads, follow up consistently, book more consultations, and confidently sell larger programs, using systems that save time instead of creating more work. Most importantly, I coach trainers on how to use these tools effectively, so they see real, measurable growth.

Alongside running our training business, I spent many years competing in dog sports at elite levels. I began in flyball as a member of the world-champion team Touch N’ Go, then transitioned into dock diving, competing for more than a decade at local, national, and world championship levels.

Schedule a Free Strategy Session

Lots of Dogs

Just kidding. Sort of. We do have an amazing tech team, but it’s not actually a bunch of dogs, but the bunch of dogs are definitely around the office all the time, doing, something!