Meet the Team!

Jaye Sword
Jaye Sword is a dog trainer and canine behavioral therapist using psychological, physical, and genetic components along with the fundamentals of animal behavior to teach YOU how to bring out the best in your dog.
- Service Dog, Working Dog, & Behavior Modification Trainer (6yrs)
- Canine Behavior Therapist for dogs with neurological and mental health issues (3yrs)
- STSK9 Master View Path Student (2023)
- Former Raw Dog Food Manufacturer (3yrs)
- Certified in Dealing With Dominant and Aggressive Dogs (Leerburg)




Elias Gaines
Elias Gaines is the owner, founder, and Media Manager of HeroicK9s LLC, aiming to make the training and behavior world more accessible for military, queer, disabled, and low-income dog owners for all of San Diego County.
- Medical Alert Service Dog Trainer (3yrs)
- Former Doggy Daycare Attendant and Overnight Boarding Lead (4yrs)
- Certified in Dog Emotion and Cognition (Duke University)
- Certified in Seizure Recognition and First Aid (Epilepsy Foundation)

But wait… have you met Hero?



Herocles God of Fire CGC TKN “Hero”
Hero is an 8-year old Carolina Dog/Shepherd Dog cross and is the namesake for HeroicK9s LLC. He is Jaye’s retired medical alert & mobility service dog, sport dog (lure coursing, disc dog, dock diving), and therapy dog.
After a few years of working as a service dog, Hero was attacked and injured by another dog in public. At this point in time, Jaye was unable to recover Hero and build him up to working around other dogs again. This was the kickstart to his psychologically-focused dog training career.
After multiple years of apprenticing under various types of trainers, Jaye built a spectrum-based training style combining multiple types of reinforcement and shaping in order to build, teach, and recover any dog from any situation.
Hero is now able to safely walk beside and tolerate dogs in public places. The anxiety he was experiencing has been significantly lower with a combination of behavioral therapy and CBD. Though he is now living in a spoiled single-dog home, Hero’s amazing recovery story is the reason why we continue to help countless dogs help their humans – and help humans help their dogs.

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