Meet Kate Jackson of Jabula Dog Academy in Avondale Estates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Jackson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story into the dog world started like most others… that one dog that changes your life. Winston, a yellow Labrador came into my life as a 12-week-old puppy. He was the center of my world, my first dog as an adult, my first child! He went everywhere with me, socialized with other dogs, puppies, people, children, places, events and experienced nothing but positive life events as he grew up. I had the most fun teaching him puppy obedience, tricks and later started competing in Rally Obedience, just for fun! He loved to compete and knew when he was in the ring. His tail would gently wag from side to side and his tongue would hang out the side of his wide-open mouth smile. Despite his textbook perfect start in life, buy 18 months of age he was displaying advanced aggression towards dogs and humans. I consulted other trainers, behaviorists, veterinarians and dog professionals across the country to no avail. Here is where my journey into research, internships, workshops & mentorships began. Our journey together changed everything I thought I knew about dog training and opened my eyes to the inaccuracy of industry standard beliefs and norms. It has not been an easy path. Swimming against the current of your industry norms and challenging the general populations beliefs can be exceptionally difficult, but also incredibly rewarding. Winston did not fit the mold of what a purebred Labrador growing up in a nurturing, positive environment should be. He challenged me and forced me to explore far deeper into Canine Behavior than I ever thought possible. Winston made Jabula Dog Academy what it is today. He forced us to work harder and better as Dog Trainers to succeed where traditional training failed. Jabula Dog Academy is now a Team of 20+ staff. We have our main training location and office in Avondale Estates, and a 12-acre farm in Loganville. We also work out of 2 satellite locations, City Dog Market in Brookhaven and Doguroo in Midtown. Jabula conducts Training Workshops for other dog trainers around the country and Internationally. We are an independent contractor to the Humane Society of the United States, the largest animal welfare organization in the world, with their Pets For Life Program and are honored to be developing their Trainer Certification Program. Jabula offers an internship program for people looking to become dog trainers. We are proud of our diversity of programs and knowledgeable team.

Winston lost his battle to bone cancer at age 13 in 2015. He is still a big part of who we are and I am grateful every day that I was lucky enough to call him my own.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When is owning and running a business ever a smooth road? Lol. The hardest thing for me has been learning the aspects of business that are not dog training related. When it was just me, it was easy. I did not have to navigate accounting, staff management, workers comp, business insurance etc… I got into dog training because of my love for dogs and making their and their families lives better. As the business started to grow, I had to learn a lot about the ins and outs of business. I also realized my weaknesses early on and the value of experienced, talented people. My organizational and managerial skills leave a lot to be desired, so I recruited my Dad out of retirement from South Africa to be General Manager. He has a background in HR and Quality Control. He’s a brilliant man, and with the incredible team of Staff he manages, I am free to do the work I love, training dogs and educating people. I am also extremely fortunate in that my business partner Gill, is not only my best friend from College in South Africa, she is an incredibly gifted Dog Trainer, but also brilliant with numbers, paperwork, accounting, attention to detail and all the things I am terrible at! Surrounding myself with gifted and talented people whose strengths compliment my own has made overcoming the obstacles and challenges of a growing business a lot easier.

Please tell us about Jabula Dog Academy.
At Jabula Dog Academy, our primary focus is building stronger relationships and understanding between dogs and their families through better communication skills. So much of unwanted behavior from our dogs is lack of understanding of the dog’s true needs and ways to communicate more effectively with them. So much about getting a dog to stop performing a ‘bad’ or unwanted behavior is effectively understanding why the dogs does it, and then replacing the unwanted behavior for a more appropriate one. Trying to simply stop a behavior is not a long-term solution. With this as our core principle, we offer a number of Training programs. Our Group Class programs offer Puppy Training, Puppy Socialization, Beginner Obedience to Advanced Off-Leash Obedience, Trick Training and Foundation Classes for Agility and Dog Sport. Our Private Lesson Program is conducted either at our main location in Avondale Estates or in client’s homes. This program allows for trainers to work very specifically on the needs of the individual dog and its family. The Private Lesson Program can address anything from Puppy Basics to Advanced behavioral and Aggression Management. The Jabula Farm, a 12-acre property located in Loganville, is where the Boarding and Training Camp take place. Training Camp is a 2-week overnight program where dogs get a jump start on training. Training Camp covers everything from Puppy basics to Advanced Behavioral and Aggression Management. Jabula offers limited boarding to dogs that have been through any of our training programs.

The Jabula Trainers are required to maintain ongoing education to stay ahead of the Training Game. All trainers are required to compete in a Dog Sport with their own dog to build credibility and experience. The Jabula trainers are also required to have their own dogs participate in Group Classes and Private lessons as examples or distractions when necessary. We believe our own dogs should be an example of our training skills in action.

As a company we are most proud of the diversity of programs and communication centered approach. Our trainers understand dog breeds, temperaments, breed specific traits as well as life experiences and are skilled at recognizing how these factors effect behavior. We offer realistic goals and expectations specific to the individual dog and family.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t think anything! Every challenge I have faced over the years, even if horribly tough at the time, has made me a better dog trainer and business owner. I still have so much to learn, and I believe there are many more challenges to come. Hurdles should be seen as opportunities to improve and grow.

Contact Info:

• Address: 32 N Avondale Rd
  Avondale Estates, GA 30002
• Website: www.jabuladogs.com
• Phone: 404 499 9340
• Email: info@jabuladogs.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jabualdogs
• Facebook: facebook.com/jabuladogacademy

Image Credit:
Kristen Alexander

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