About us
My name is Keara Irwin, and I am owner and head trainer of Canine Construction STL. I created this company because of my passion for dogs, dog training and people. I started training dogs in my early teens, from my own dogs, family and friends' dogs, also volunteering my time at local rescues. My passion has remained and grown throughout my life, all while expanding and honing my skills at every given opportunity. Previous to creating Canine Construction STL I held kennel manager, lead trainer and independent trainer positions at several companies. I have hundreds of hours of hands-on experience with dogs of many different breeds, temperaments, and behavioral issues.
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I believe that building a strong and healthy relationship based on trust, love and clear expectations with your dog is one of the largest aspects of quality dog training. Teaching you how to build that all while reaching your training goals is my passion! The best part about being a dog trainer is seeing owners and their dogs succeed and being able to be a part of that is amazing.
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I am a proud IACP member as well as a AKC CGC, ATT, Trick dog evaluator, Fit Dog instructor and pet CPR certified.
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I have 8 personal dogs, 5 German Shepherds, 2 Golden Retrievers and a Miniature Dachshund. My dogs are fantastic helpers with my clientele and can be regularly seen helping with training sessions. We also regularly compete in dog sports such as Obedience, FastCat, Rally, Barnhunt and Nosework. Along with my personal dogs I regularly foster in order to give rescues proper the training and in-home experiences they need to be able to thrive in a new home.
The love for animals in my home doesn't just stop at dogs, we also own and love cats, rats, rabbits, ducks, chickens, a Kune Kune pig, birds, ferrets and even a flying squirrel.
I would love the opportunity to be a part of you and your dogs training journey, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or set up your free in-home evaluation.
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Our Demo Dogs
At Canine Construction STL our personal dogs aren't just beloved members of the family, they play a pivotal role in helping train client dogs. Having well trained neutral dogs to interact and train with overexcited, fearful, reactive or aggressive dogs is an excellent training aide. You can also frequently see our dogs at events and dog friendly spaces showing off their training to the public!
Steele
Storm
Shadow
Link
Nox
Ferdinand
Cupid
Cricket
Steele:
Steele is a German Shepherd Dog born May 1st, 2019. We got Steele when he was 13 weeks old and immediately got to training. Since then he has become an amazing service dog for C-PTSD and POTS. He also competes in competition obedience, rally, disc, nose work, barn hunt, and FastCat. The Shepherd in the CCSTL logo is actually based off Steele, he is such an important part of our company.
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Storm:
Storm is a German Shepherd Dog born June 30th, 2020. We got Storm when she was 9 weeks old. Also lovingly known as "Troom Troom" she is our spunky spitfire of a girl, she has competed in Obedience, rally, barn hunt and FastCat.
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Shadow:
Shadow is a German Shepherd Dog born June 6th, 2020, she was found wandering the streets of St. Louis as a puppy before we rescued her January 15th, 2021. Shadow is our laid back couch potato who loves to cuddle. She gets along with absolutely everyone and makes a great playmate for many client dogs.
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Link:
Link is a German Shepherd Dog born July 1st, 2021. We got Link when he was 13 weeks old we did a lot of confidence building because he wasn't socialized properly up until we got him. We are so proud of how far he's come, you can now frequently see Link showing off what a good boy he is at events and at go home and private lessons.
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Nox:
Nox is a German Shepherd born December 22nd, 2019. We pulled Nox from the euthanasia list October 15, 2021 where she was an owner surrender listed as "aggressive". Our plan was to train her then adopt her out, but she isn't a dog that could be placed with just anyone so we just decided to adopt her ourselves! We love her very much even though she is a little wild!
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Ferdinand:
Ferdinand is a Miniature Dachshund born April 24th, 2022. At 11 pounds Ferdinand is living proof that little dogs can do anything those big dogs do! He loves to play fetch, destroy toys, dig holes, hunt moles and mice and a good snuggle. Ferd especially likes to go to events because he soaks up all the attention like a little sponge. Ferdinand will be competing in Obedience, rally, field trials, earthdog, barn hunt, and FastCat.
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Cupid:
Cupid is a Golden Retriever born November 28th, 2023. We got Cupid as a service dog prospect, but sadly due to an eye injury he sustained at 4 months old he is now disqualified from service work. Cupids eye injury isn't going to keep him down, he is going to continue training just like our other dogs and potentially compete in dog sports as he gets older. He has already attended his fest even and did fantastic!
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Cricket:
Cricket is a Golden Retriever born January 31st, 2024. He is our newest addition and is a service dog prospect/service dog in training. The plan is for Cricket to take over when Steele retires in a few years and we will be documenting his journey on our social media!
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