At Koning Canine Academy, we are committed to elevating the standard of canine training by fostering trust, strengthening communication, and delivering a thoughtful, refined approach that develops confident, well-balanced dogs while empowering owners with the knowledge and skills to build lasting, meaningful relationships.
At Koning Canine Academy, our vision is to redefine canine education and luxury care as the gold standard of excellence – a private academy where dogs flourish, owners are empowered, and lifelong connections are nurtured through trust, communications, and shared learning.
At Koning Canine Academy, our mission is to honor the deep connection between dogs and the families who love them. We believe every moment together is a chance to build trust and communication. With a thoughtful approach and redefined training, we foster confident companions who enrich the lives of those around them. We also empower owners with the knowledge to grow alongside their dogs, ensuring a lasting relationship that reflects the very best human-canine bond.
Integrity guides every interaction at the Academy. From the way we care for dogs to the way we communicate with owners, our approach is rooted in honesty, transparency, and doing what is right for each dog.
Your dog’s safety and well-being remain our highest priority. We maintain a calm, structured environment that supports emotional balance, physical comfort, and peace of mind for both dogs and their families.
We believe confident dog ownership begins with understanding. Through thoughtful education and guidance, we help owners develop the awareness and skills needed to build stronger, healthier relationships with their dogs.
Courtney serves as the General Manager of Koning Canine Academy, where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the academy and works closely with the team to ensure every aspect of the Koning experience reflects the high standards of care and service we want families to feel from the moment they walk through the door. Courtney has dedicated more than 20 years to veterinary medicine, with experience spanning animal shelters, emergency veterinary medicine, general practice, and rescue organizations. Her lifelong passion for animals and their well-being has been at the heart of her career and continues to guide the work she does today.
Originally from Florida and raised in Pennsylvania, Courtney made Arkansas her home in 2010. When she isn’t working with animals and the people who love them, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her much-loved kitties. She also loves being outdoors, especially camping, kayaking, and hiking.
With decades of hands-on experience, a deep love for animals, and a genuine appreciation for the human-animal bond, Courtney brings both knowledge and compassion to everything she does.
Samantha serves as the Brand and Community Marketing Manager for Koning Canine Academy, where she helps strengthen the Academy’s visibility, reputation, and connection with the community through creative content, social media, and strategic marketing. Before joining Koning, Samantha spent 25 years in education, developing strong skills in communication, organization, relationship building, creative planning, and presenting information in meaningful ways. She now enjoys bringing that experience into a new setting while helping tell the story behind Koning Canine Academy and the people who make it special.
Outside of work, Samantha enjoys spending time with her family, painting, cooking,sewing, writing, learning new things, and training dogs alongside her husband. She especially enjoys opportunities that allow her to combine creativity, purpose, and meaningful connection with others.
Michael Bishop is an internationally respected dog trainer, educator, and author with extensive hands-on experience across pet, working, and sport dog disciplines. He has personally trained over 1,000 dogs from start to finish, working with a wide range of temperaments, drives, and behavioral challenges. In addition to his practical training work, Michael has certified more than 70 professional trainers from the United States and nine other countries and has taught seminars and workshops across multiple regions of the United States.
Michael is the author and creator of Egnition, an independent training curriculum built around state-driven dogmanship. Egnition focuses on clarity, emotional regulation, and the deliberate shaping of a dog’s internal state as the foundation for reliable, durable behavior. The system emphasizes principles over protocols and is designed to produce dogs that are confident, stable, and mentally engaged, not merely compliant.
His expertise spans pet obedience, detection work, and precision sport obedience, and he remains deeply active in the working-dog world. Michael is a certified IGP helper and currently competes in the sport of PSA with his Belgian Malinois. He owns and trains five dogs, two Golden Retrievers and three Malinois, which serve as ongoing proof-of- concept for his training philosophy in both real-world and sport environments.
Earlier in his career, Michael achieved the designation of Gold Multiplicator with NePoPo®, a nationally recognized training system. While no longer affiliated with that organization, the achievement stands as a formal qualification and milestone within his professional background. Michael quickly moved beyond that framework and now works exclusively within his own independently developed methodology.
Today, Michael’s work is defined by precision, intentionality, and depth. His focus is not simply on teaching behavior, but on building dogs with clarity of mind, emotional resilience, and true understanding of their work. Through Egnition, his goal is to elevate dog training as a craft grounded in principles, guided by state, and executed with consistency and purpose.
