Instructors
Starmark Academy Training Directors and Instructors have been successful in many aspects of dog training: companion obedience, competitive obedience, schutzhund, agility, police K9, retriever training, search and rescue, and assistance dogs. Academy Instructors have instructed others at many levels of dog training and competition. Academy Directors and Instructors are active trainers and competitors and can be seen training young prospects and seasoned champions daily.
Keith Benson
Keith is a certified professional dog trainer and animal behavior specialist with over 15 years of experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with continuing education in Animal Behavior. He is the President/COO of Starmark Animal Behavior Center, Inc, which is one of the largest, most comprehensive training and behavior centers for dogs in the world. As President and Academy Director for Starmark’s school for Professional Dog Trainers, Keith oversees the school’s international curriculum and growth. The school attracts students from around the world seeking to learn the art and science behind a career as a professional dog trainer. Using client and behavioral research from these two corporations Keith helped found Starmark Pet Products, Inc., which designs award-winning training and behavior tools that are distributed in over 20 countries around the world. In addition to his executive role in these companies, Keith frequently provides media commentary and consulting for companies throughout the pet industry.
William Garrido
William is lead instructor for Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, Inc. William has assisted in the training of many police, personal protection and explosives detection dogs. For 18 months as an instructor for several canine teams, William was responsible for the qualification and validation of these teams in the Eastern and Western region of Afghanistan. William has also helped many people and their dogs achieve their goals. William is a graduate of the Canine Training and Behavior specialist program at Starmark. He will instruct students in all areas of training while at Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, Inc.
Kyle Wakefield
Kyle is an instructor for Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers Inc. He has several years of experience handling and training narcotic detection K9’s and working with special behavior modification for shelter dogs. Kyle actively participates in nose work and other specialized training areas. He will instruct students in all areas of training while at Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, Inc.
Emily Urchuck
Emily was born and raised in a rural town in Pennsylvania. From a young age she wanted to work with animals for a living, and be able to convey that passion to those around her. After attending college, she decided to pursue that path. Her first experience was working for a pet retail store while training and studying behavior on her own time. After attending Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, she became certified as a Canine Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Upon graduation, Emily was chosen to take part in an internship where she worked along side the instructors in the Academy and gained experience teaching a variety of dogs and students. Emily has two dogs; a Siberian Husky named Hurley and a Rottweiler/Cattle Dog mix named Buster. They enjoy clicker training, agility, and the freedom of off leash obedience. She looks forward to teaching clients about their dog’s behavior and hopes to strengthen the relationship between owner and dog throughout the training process.
