Ethan Lawhorne and Destiny Lytle are lifelong Alaskan’s who enjoy spending their time in the mountains, on the beaches, and traveling the world, often with their four legged companions but every once in a while they enjoy company from their two legged friends and family too. Both Destiny and Ethan have a strong passion and connection for working and caring for animals of all kinds but even more so the canine variety. 

Destiny has been in the working dog life, her entire life. Her parents (Shaun and Brigitte) met racing competitive sprint dogs as Jr Mushers in the mid 1980’s. In 1997 after Brgitte won the Jr World Championship 7 Dog Class they eventually made the switch to working line German Shepherds and the world of what was then known as Schutzhund. They opened their company Alaska Dog Boarding and Training in 2005 where over the past 2 decades they've helped hundreds of thousands of dogs overcome behavioral issues and teach people how to build a more meaningful relationship with their dogs. 

 Destiny spent her childhood on the Schutzhund field with her own dogs intensely studying the three phase sport (Tracking, Obedience and Protection). Outside of  Schutzhund (now known as IGP) Destiny found the love for many other dog sports, agility, rally confirmation, While additionally assisting her parents with clients until she worked up the courage to start her own company “Training with Destiny”. She spent almost a decade helping build canine human relationships, introducing several teams to the joys of dog sports, and providing mentorship for several other professional dog trainers. She even played a major role in bringing North American Diving Dogs and Working Dogs of America Corp. to Alaska. 

After losing her heart dog Ven, she took some time off to focus on herself and prioritize her pack. During that time (November 2023)  she was asked to take on some project dogs as she had the skill set and ability to care for a few extras. In the process of rehabilitating and caring for these additional critters, they sparked her passion for racing, competing, and sharing her love of the working dog lifestyle. She now has goals with said dogs to achieve some very big things over the next few years.

Destiny has proudly dedicated her life to making an impact in the world of Alaskan dogsports and everything it entails. From teaching herself, to hosting seminars, competitions, while also balancing the learning lifestyle by traveling out of state to continue her education in canine behavior and training. Destiny finds huge value in learning and consistent education in the dog industry as she believes both humans and canine are constantly evolving. 

Just a few of Destiny’s Accomplishments over the years

Over 500 titles on various personal/client dogs in multiple dog sports. 

Best Jr 3 yrs in a row at SCA Nationals/ wBubbles 

1st place at Jr Classic 2015 w/Ven

2nd place at Jr Classic 2015 w/Irene

High in Trial w/Ven at Hundesports 2017 WDA Trial 

Multiple High Combined/ High Triple Q in AKC Rally w/Ven 

Multiple High in Protection in IGP and WDA w/Ven 

2017 AKC Agility Jr World Team Member w/Ven

Multiple High in Trial in AKC Obedience w/ Shetna 

Exclusively Handled MULTIPLE Dogs to AKC Championship. 

1st Place in Vet Senior NADD Nationals 2019 w/ Z

Exclusively Handled Number 1 GSD in NADD 2022 w/Achilles 

1st Place in Hydro Master NADD Northwest Regionals 2023 w/ Shetna

13th Place at NADD Nationals Senior w/ Prim

Multiple Group Placements and Wins in AKC and UKC conformation with multiple dogs 

2nd Place in the 8 dog class for the 2023-2024 ASDRA Points Season

Ethan didn't grow up in the dogsport industry, however he is the oldest of 5 boys, grew up playing sports, building ATV’s and racing in powersports. Throughout that time he learned the skills of hard work, athleticism, courage, and patience. He has spent time running heavy equipment, working on farms, and has even shown cows. As every true Alaskan does he loves to hunt, fish, ride snowmachines and fourwheelers. Ethan is an incredibly hard worker, a quick learner and has phenomenal energy with canines. Which are all very valuable skills to any working dog handler. 

Ethan got bit by the dog sport bug when he met Destiny and her pack of wild ones. Ozzy (Ethan’s little Delta Junction Special) and Ethan fit right in, Ozzy took to the working dog lifestyle like he was meant to be. He fit right in with the pack, prior to joining the pack he suffered from some major anxiety and reactivity issues. By being given a job and some structure his anxiety started to subside. Ethan became infatuated with the working dog lifestyle and the outcome, so he decided to deep dive into the world of dog sports.

Orva, one of Destiny’s up and coming superstars, has chosen Ethan as her person. She works better for Ethan than she does Destiny. Together the two have earned a Dock Junior Excellent title and an invitation to regionals. In addition to Orvas new title and progress on the dock, Ethan got his boy Ozzy off the dock and racked up his first title this past July. Ethan is excited to go into the 2024-2025 Dryland and Sled Season with Destiny at his side. Individually they are both incredibly accomplished humans, but together they are an astounding team.