Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Andrew Steinkohl of Glendale

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Andrew Steinkohl. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Andrew, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
It’s time to get up and at it – the dog’s are ready to go and the longer it takes to get them moving the more excited (see louder) they get. There is no time to waste – or you will have extra crates to clean and yucky dogs to bathe. As I strap on some comfy walking shoes for the 4 – 5 miles I am about to walk next to the four-wheelers who are used to drag racing down their neighborhood block, I fill my cargo pocket with all the plastic bags it can hold, As I walk I hold out hope that the day won’t be extra hot, or raining, or that the moon isn’t supposed to be full and the husky walking with me isn’t going to turn into a full werewolf in front of my very eyes.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Andrew Steinkohl and I am the owner of Destination Dog Training, a full service dog training company in Glendale. We are small, family owned and operated group of highly experienced trainer who have been operating since 2017. We were recently winners of the Best Of the Valley 2025, a testament to the effort and attention to detail my staff and I put into every dog who comes through our program.

We work with any dog to help them become the best version of themselves, in relation to living life with their family. Rather than taking a general approach to training, our programs are all customized to the specific dog and owner we are working with. We provide a unique blend training which focuses on behaviors in and around the home, as well as experiential learning in public settings, private lessons and group classes. Unlike training in a large commercial kennel, daycare or boarding facility, the dogs who train with us live their days in the environments they actually see on a regular basis, and practice the skills that actually matter.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
If it were not for 2 dogs my partner and I got in our 20s – Rye and Raven – there is a good chance I would never have arrived at the work I do. Growing up I did not have many dogs, the one we had was poorly (aka not) trained, and dog training was never something I saw myself getting into or considered as a possibility And yet, 3 months after getting Rye and a few weeks after getting his much naughtier counterpart Raven, we were enrolled in dog training ourselves, and I quickly found something I might want to do forever. Over the next 13 years with them, there is noone or anything that taught me more than they did. Thousands of hours of classes, seminars, training sessions, events, later I think back on it and even more than what we learned together, the amount of mistakes they forgave and their willingness to keep going with me while I learned with and on them, was something I will always cherish and love them for.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t take everything so seriously and be in such a rush to get to an older version of you. There is a lot to explore and cherish right in front of you right now.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That there is a right or wrong way to train a dog. Like many fields, there is so much nonsense in the dog training industry about how people should be doing things. ALL of it is based on human beliefs, feelings, emotions, thought processes, etc. And the rules are applied “across the board” as though every dog is exactly the same and will respond the same to training. The reality is there is no right or wrong way to train dogs and if you are not looking at the specific dog in front of you, you are not doing anyone – most especially the dog and their owners – a service.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
When I am outside, doing something active with my partner and our own dogs. Given our business it can be hard to get away and detach from the day to day noise and activity, but when we are able to do so, it always helps to recharge the battery and bring life back to homeostasis.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.destinationdogtraining.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destination_dog_training_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destinationdogtraining/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/destination-dog-training-glendale
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=4c8145c9451343a3&rls=en&si=AMgyJEtREmoPL4P1I5IDCfuA8gybfVI2d5Uj7QMwYCZHKDZ-E7T5Cv9UDxdF8_VEndlOEgNTFIsHzdy6yHLm8JUYAg6a2z2egptdJHFf9ACf27kpmAAFP-KW3y5a55gclhRM4ikmGVSTUDPt2bM0xr5RjnwvuuTIkA%3D%3D&q=Destination+Dog+Training+Reviews&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjB9qqTp8CPAxWcJUQIHeJ0IrQQ0bkNegQIIhAD&biw=1340&bih=710&dpr=2

Image Credits
All photos taken by Destination Dog Training