Meet Sean Miller

President and Training Director

Sean has been a lifelong animal lover, with a deep fascination for animal behavior. It is this passion that has led him to dedicate his life to the training of dogs.

The only thing that rivals Sean’s love of animals is his passion for exceeding the expectations of his clients. Sean cares deeply about helping other owners achieve their goals, and he wants to make sure all the clients who trust his company with their dogs see the results they desire.

Sean originally went to school for firefighting, pursued his education in business and worked in the corporate world. He was also a dog training hobbyist for approximately 10 years including a three-year internship with police and military trainers in the midwest. Upon realizing that his passion was working with animals, he pursued dog training full time. He has since spent more than 19 years as a professional trainer, specializing in behavior modification, animal behavior, pet dog training, dog sports, service dog consulting, and teaching young trainers how to develop their skills with dogs.

In his career with dogs, Sean has provided trained dogs for TV and advertisements. He’s also created and implemented community safety programs for dogs with multiple local police departments.

When he’s not teaching clients or training dogs, Sean spends time with his family. He enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mountain biking, traveling, and other outdoor activities.

• Court-certified expert witness in the areas of canine behavior, training, and husbandry
• Winner in Schutzhund and Mondioring sport competitions with titles including SchH1, SchH2, SchH3, and MR1. Including high-obedience, high-tracking and high-protection and high overall ratings and in-trial awards
• Ranked #7 in the world, Sean became America’s second Level 3 Certified Mondioring Decoy and the first American to be invited to decoy at the Mondioring World Cup in 2013
• Sean and his competition dog, “Knox” the Belgian Malinois were featured in a skit on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that included John Oliver and Samantha Bee

Lead Trainer, Melanie

A dedicated professional since 2018, she brings a strong foundation in basic to advanced obedience training, dog trick training, and handling skills, working closely with both dogs and their owners to build lasting, positive relationships.

Her journey with dogs began at the age of 8 when she trained her first golden retriever to become a therapy dog—a milestone that sparked her lifelong passion for dog training.

Melanie’s favorite part of training is witnessing transformations. She loves seeing owners go from feeling overwhelmed, to feeling confident and empowered, enjoying life with a well-behaved dog by their side.

Outside of ACA, Melanie is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing, paddleboarding, and sharing adventures with her pups. She also has a passion for holistic health and fitness, teaching yoga and workout classes when she’s not working with dogs.

Dog Trainer, Jayden

An integral part of ACA’s team since 2022, Jayden has developed excellent dog training, husbandry and handling skills.

Jayden’s passion for animals began early—at just 10 years old, she started volunteering at a horse barn, gaining over 9 years of experience working with horses right here in Colorado. Jayden has proudly started three mustangs, wild horses who have never been touched by people. Her disciplines include dressage, cross-country, barrel racing, roping and vaulting. This foundation instilled a deep appreciation for building trust and connections with animals.

What Jayden loves most about her work is building bonds with dogs and watching them flourish into their best selves. It’s incredibly rewarding when a dog opens up, trusts her, and allows her to guide them through any situation. Seeing owners achieve all they hoped for with their dogs brings her so much joy.

When Jayden isn’t at ACA, she spends her time training with her own dog, Indy, working with her horse, or enjoying outdoor activities.

About Our Team...

The heart of American Canine Academy is our team—talented, dedicated, and driven, who lead by example. We set the bar high. Our employees are chosen for their exceptional handling skills, their ability to connect with dogs, their top-notch animal husbandry expertise, and their unwavering commitment to excellence. While experience is a bonus, a passion for learning and a dedication to understanding every dog’s unique personality are non-negotiable. This combination allows us to deliver superior training and care that is tailored to your dog’s needs. To join our team, fill out our contact us form here.

We Utilize the Four Quadrants of Operant Conditioning

Training That Is Positive, Patient, and Practical

To understand what we do, start by understanding the four quadrants of operant conditioning. To be clear, in this application, positive and negative do not mean good or bad. More specifically positive means to apply and negative means to remove.

An example of positive punishment would be telling your dog “No”. They are attempting to reduce the frequency of a behavior through aversive means. Meanwhile, some examples of positive reinforcement would be praising your dog, petting, food, or toy rewards to increase the frequency of a behavior.

We’ll help you determine which type of currency best motivates your dog. Then, we’ll spend time teaching a new behavior with praise, encouragement, and rewards. Once your dog has a very clear understanding of what our expectations are, we can move on to numerous repetitions with few distractions.

As your dog’s understanding of the exercise increases, we can expose them to more distractions with guidance from our voice and a leash. We’ll take them into the final stages of training by proofing them to increase their ability to generalize and become obedient in all or most environments. This balanced approach achieves better, more sustainable results.