A horse farm,a long waitlistand an empty barn
Willow Creek is a family farm in Woodford County. For forty years it rested racehorses between seasons. Since 2015 it's been a place where family dogs come to learn how to live with people.
Six years in a sheltertaught her what works
Hannah Hollis spent six years as behavior lead at a busy county shelter in Ohio. She saw how quickly a dog could change once someone gave it structure, clear information and a reason to try. She also saw how many good dogs ended up there because nobody had ever shown their families how.
She moved to Lexington and started a private training practice. By 2014 the waitlist was eight months long, and most of the families on it didn't need more weekly lessons. They needed someone to lay the groundwork for them, and then teach them how to keep it going.
He grew up in the barnthe dogs live in now
Cal Hollis grew up on Willow Creek, mucking stalls and walking yearlings down the lane. When the layup business slowed in the 2010s, the old broodmare barn sat empty, and Hannah's waitlist kept growing.
In the winter of 2015 they gutted the barn and built ten climate-controlled kennel suites into the old stalls. Cal runs the land, the kennels and the daily care. He knows every dog's breakfast order and every dog's favorite spot in the creek.
Hannah and Cal live in the farmhouse, 200 steps from the kennel barn. Someone is on the property every hour of every day your dog is here.
- 2015
The broodmare barn becomes ten kennel suites. Juniper is the first dog through the program.
- 2017
The old indoor riding arena becomes the training barn, so we train through Kentucky's rainy springs.
- 2019
Assistant trainers join, and every dog now has one named trainer from drop-off to go-home.
- 2021
The farmhouse classroom opens: a real living room and kitchen for house-manners work.
- 2026
More than 600 graduates, and our monthly Alumni Field Days draw dogs from three states.
Every skill starts with rewards.Real life finishes it.
We're balanced trainers built on a positive-reinforcement foundation. Here's exactly what that means at Willow Creek.
Rewards build every skill first
Food, play, praise and freedom teach every new behavior. Most of the training happens here, and some dogs never need anything more.
Fair feedback, once they understand
When a dog clearly knows a behavior, we may add low-level, proportional feedback so it holds up around distractions. It's never given in anger, and always paired with plenty of reward.
We never correct fear
A worried dog isn't being disobedient. Fearful dogs get distance, time and confidence-building first.
Tools are shown and agreed to
If a training tool would help your dog, we explain why at the evaluation, get your OK first, and teach you to use it at the go-home lesson. The goal is always to fade it out.
You see everything
Daily video clips, a written weekly report card and an open invitation to visit during week two. Nothing happens behind closed doors.
Welfare before the schedule
We check stress signals, appetite and sleep every day. A dog who needs a slower week gets one, even if the plan said otherwise.
Real life, not just a training barn
The feed store, Main Street, the farmhouse kitchen and the vet's lobby. Your dog practices where life actually happens.
One dog,one named trainer
Your dog works with the same trainer from drop-off to go-home, so the person teaching your go-home lesson is the one who knows your dog best.
Hannah Hollis
Head trainer & co-owner
Former shelter behavior lead and an IACP Certified Dog Trainer, Advanced. Hannah handles every evaluation and most go-home lessons.
Cal Hollis
Farm manager & co-owner
Runs the kennel barn, the daily care and the land. Pet First Aid & CPR certified, with a lifetime of reading animals in a barn.
Maddie Coyle
Assistant trainer
Our puppy specialist. Maddie leads most Puppy Foundations dogs and the Saturday Alumni Field Days.
Dre Whitfield
Assistant trainer
A former vet assistant who loves the hounds, the doodles and the dogs everyone else has given up on.
Rosa Delgado
Kennel lead
Feeds, walks, cleans and notices everything. Rosa's daily welfare notes go into every report card.
Juniper
Demo dog
A 7-year-old black Lab who shows new dogs how it's done. Specialties: place, patience and the creek.
- IACP Certified Dog Trainer, Advanced (CDTA)
- IACP professional members
- Pet First Aid & CPR
- Low-stress handling coursework
- Fully insured & licensed kennel
The best way to know usis to walk the farm
Farm evaluations happen Tuesday through Saturday. Bring your dog, your questions and your boots.