About
With over two decades of training using science-based, positive methods, our trainers at DOGS & KAT have the knowledge and experience to help you achieve your dog training goals!
Our Philosophy
At DOGS & KAT we train using the theory that dogs (and people, too!) repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them.
Additionally, dogs will cease to engage in behaviors that don’t pay off in some way. Therefore, we use research-based, positive training methods to reward your dog for appropriate behaviors as well as teaching them alternative behaviors to the inappropriate ones. It is through this type of training that you and your dog will be able to form a bond of trust. Your relationship with your dog will last a lifetime so why not make training fun? Our force free methods allow you and your dog to learn in a safe, happy manner. Pups respond to positive reinforcement just like people do!
Why Train With DOGS & KAT?
Dogs thrive on having structure and rules in their lives. If you don’t give them rules, they tend to make their own. Our training provides this much needed structure.
It can help overly exuberant dogs learn to be calmer and give shy or anxious dogs greater confidence.
While there are many ways to train a dog, using positive methods not only makes the most sense but is proven to be scientifically effective as well as fun.
Our Team
Kat Martin Ray, CPDT-KA, BA Psychology (hons)
Kat Martin Ray has been teaching dogs and their people for over 25 years. She is a certified professional dog trainer and has a degree in psychology with a focus on behavior modification and animal learning. She also completed an internship in canine behavior and training after college. Kat has over 1000 hours of education in animal behavior and she continually strives to increase her knowledge through workshops, seminars, and professional continuing education programs. Kat is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed - through the Certification Council of Pet Dog Trainers, a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild, a supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, a Doggone Safe member, and an AKC certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. Kat has also served in a volunteer leadership capacity with Animal Rescue Corps. One of Kat’s proudest achievements has been having the opportunity to travel to the UK multiple times to study with and learn from Sarah Fisher – the Founder of Animal Centered Education and the creator of ACE Free Work. Kat currently uses ACE Free Work with many of her clients and is also including it in some of our group classes. She feels it is incredibly beneficial in assisting our own understanding of our canine companions and in allowing us to better understand them while also better meeting their needs.
Kat specializes in helping clients who have dogs with behavioral issues of all kinds – especially aggression, reactivity, and anxiety. Dogs and Kat is currently the only training facility in Nashville offering group classes for reactive/excitable dogs. Since she first began training, Kat has only used force free, science-based, dog friendly methods to help dogs and their people better understand one another and to help improve and change their dogs' behavior – and lives – for the better. One of her greatest joys is helping her human clients to learn what their dogs are communicating to them. Kat believes that knowing what our dogs are trying to “tell” us creates more of a conversation between us and our dogs which serves to strengthen our connection and, in doing so, builds greater trust.
Kat shares her life with her husband, Dave; her two sons, Gabriel and Conor; and her two dogs - Tiramisu, a Miniature American Shepherd; and Safi, an Aussie Doodle.
Tripp Ethridge, CPDT-KA
Although born and raised in Mississippi, Tripp has considered Nashville his home since 1998. After spending many years involved in the music scene, he realized a passion and curiosity about dog behavior that has always intrigued him.
Tripp started studying dog behavior in 2010 while working in a dog daycare/boarding facility. He then came to intern with Kat and has been teaching a variety of classes and private sessions since 2015. Tripp leads our Relaxed Rovers classes for reactive/excitable dogs and has done so for over a decade. Tripp and his wife Amy have two young children and a Cocker Spaniel named Cookie.
Josh Kaler, CPDT-KA
Josh began training dogs in 2020 during the pandemic. As a musician, he wasn’t working at the time so agreed to foster a litter of precious pittie puppies. One of them, Martha, stole his heart and found her forever home with him. Josh fell in love with dog training and began learning as much as possible about it. He has been training professionally since 2021 and we feel super grateful to have had him on our team at Dogs and Kat since 2024.
Grace Haugh
Grace's passion for dogs began through volunteer work at local animal shelters, including Williamson County Animal Center, the Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga, and Metro Animal Care and Control, where she led shelter dog playgroups using Dogs Playing for Life protocols.
She earned a degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, giving her a strong foundation for understanding both dogs and their humans. A full-time dog trainer since 2021, Grace completed Canine Trade Group's certification program, combining education in canine behavior and training theory with extensive hands-on experience working with dogs of all ages, breeds, and backgrounds.
Grace joined the Dogs and Kat team in early 2026 and we couldn’t be happier!