Joey Morris is a world-renowned dog trainer, who has been in the animal training industry for three decades. He started his career by obtaining degrees in Biology and Animal Behavior. Coming out of college Joey became an exotic animal trainer, working with Orcas, Dolphins, Sea Lions, Wolves, and Birds of Prey, among other animals. Joey went on to become a vendor, importing and supplying K9s for Lakeland, Border Patrol, FEMA, and Police Departments. He trained Malinois, German Shepherds, Labs, Pointers, Beagles and Bloodhounds for various jobs including bomb detection, narcotic detection, apprehension, search and rescue, and executive level protection dogs. He has trained, trialed and titled dogs in the show ring, WDA, and APA. Joey and his Malinois Youkel won the APA Championship in 2016. Joey puts on seminars throughout the nation, teaching the theory of dog behavior, obedience training, tracking, detection, and protection.

Paige Morris grew up with German Shepherd and began training them at the age of eight. At the age of twelve she was charging money to train the dogs and humans in her city. Growing up in a small town in Louisiana and unsure how to enter the dog training world she joined Petco at the age of eighteen as their dog trainer. Within six months she had achieved #2 in sales for dog training out of their 1500 stores. She was moved to their New Orleans location and became the Lead Trainer in Louisiana and Mississippi, training the new dog trainer hires. Paige was then recruited by a nationally known dog training company, which she ran the New Orleans location for.

Joey and Paige met by chance, Paige wanted to continue her education as a dog trainer and had a passion for protection dogs. She drove to Tennessee to attend a Seminar on decoying, where Joey was the instructor, and the rest is history. Paige moved to Georgia to be with Joey, when they came together they wanted to bring the powerful obedience that is achieved with working dogs to the pet dog industry and OverWatch K9 Academy
was born.

Joey and Paige founded OverWatch K9 Academy in Atlanta, and have started branching into different states. Along with their trainers they are honored to be impacting the daily lives of people through their dogs. As they love to say – we can’t help you love your dog anymore than you already do, but we can absolutely help you enjoy them more. And that’s what we look forward to doing.

Kirstin Rager

Certified® Columbus Ohio Dog Trainer

Kirstin found her love for training dogs during her 3 years in 4-H, and has never stopped training dogs since. Kirstin has been training dog professinally for 5 years now, specializing in behavior modification such as anxiety and aggression. She loves using her knowledge to teach people how to have a clear open line of communication with their dog. Kirstin was born and raised in central Ohio and grew up with a wide variety of rescue dogs; including a Chihuahua, a Great Dane, a Collie, and a Rottweiler. In her free time, Kirstin and her personal dogs compete in in Dock Diving and PSA. She currently owns a German Shepherd, a Dutch Shepherd, and a Belgain Malinois.

Lucy Elliott

Certified® Columbus Ohio Dog Trainer

Lucy’s love for animals started at a young age, she grew up rehabilitating wildlife and owning unusual rescue pets, such as raccoons and potbelly pigs. She also grew up with a Boxer, Saint Bernard, Lab, and a Spaniel. Coming out of high school Lucy obtained a bachelors in Business. Lucy worked as a Job Skills Trainer teaching adults with disabilities how to thrive in the workplace. She also helped them train at Hockey and Basketball for the Special Olympics. However the first time Lucy hit an agility course with her rescue Rottweiler, a passion united that made her realize training dogs is what she was called to do! Lucy currently has two Staffordshire Terriers, Mila and Big Man. Lucy has volunteered at animal shelters, rehabilitating fear-based dogs to help them get caring homes. She plans to further her education by obtaining a degree in Animal Behavior.

Kerry Morgan

Certified® Columbus Ohio Dog Trainer

Kerry’s lifelong love of animals led to her attending Miami University and Ohio State University for Zoology. As a regular volunteer at her local animal shelter, Kerry developed an understanding of dog behavior and a passion for training. She graduated from a K-9 School for Dog Trainers located in Ohio with experience training advanced obedience, scent detection, tracking/trailing, and assistance work. In the past Kerry has owned a Pug and a German Shepherd. She currently owns a Border Collie named Farrah.