About Me

Keiko (pronounced kay-kow) Swanberg, the owner of Zen Dog Seattle, LLC is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI), a licensed AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluator, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT).

She was named #2 in Washington State and #13 in the United States in the 2023 Sniffspot Top Dog Trainer Contest!

Leaving a teaching job in Japan, Keiko moved to the U.S. in 2000. She has been a long-time shelter/rescue volunteer and foster parent ever since. Her love of training blossomed through volunteering for shelter dogs and when she adopted a very fearful and reactive husky/shepherd mix named Akira, who became her business logo. She shares her house with her husband, adopted dogs, cats, and often with foster animals from shelters.

After working with many top professional trainers and being an assistant trainer for 7 years, Keiko left the corporate world and started her own business, Zen Dog Seattle, LLC in 2021. Keiko teaches group classes and private lessons for all ages of dogs, including reactive rover, basic to advanced manners, canine good citizen, control unleashed, and agility. Her approach uses science-based positive reinforcement methods and does not use fear, force, intimidation, or aversives like prong collars and shock collars as part of training.