Our Mission

At PSR Stockdogs, we have a simple mission: We want to help every handler — regardless of breed, experience level, or location — develop a capable, confident working partner through training that brings clarity, connection, and lasting results.

PSR Stockdogs is a family-run program led by ASCA Hall of Fame Excellent Kennel #25, with decades of experience training Australian Shepherds and other herding breeds for real-world ranch work and trial success. Trainers Dawna Sims and Megan Sims-Kennedy combine traditional ranch wisdom with modern, science-based methods to create training systems that are practical, humane, and repeatable.

 If you’d like to see how this philosophy is applied step by step, visit  How We Train Stock Dogs. 

Our approach to training herding dogs has developed over many years of working with hundreds of dogs.

Some of the key strengths of our program are:

  • Step by Step Roadmap

    At PSR Stockdog Training, we help you build a calm, thoughtful working partner. Our online herding courses cover every skill needed for your dog to succeed and become the partner you need for trialing and day to day ranch chores. Our courses feature clear pictures, short sessions, and real world skills for all herding breeds. We break down these necessary skills into their components and give you practical exercises to teach your dog.

  • Coaching from Dawna & Megan

    Through our online stockdog training courses handlers everywhere can access professional instruction once limited to in-person training. With every course, you get personalized guidance directly from Dawna and Megan—not a team or assistants, but the trainers themselves. Send in your videos, ask your questions, and get thoughtful, detailed feedback to help you and your dog move forward. Whether you're celebrating a breakthrough or working through a challenge, we’re right here with you every step of the way.

  • Mobile App to View Your Courses

    Train anywhere with the Thinkific Mobile App. Take your herding lessons straight to the field! The Thinkific mobile app lets you watch and rewatch every training video right where you need it most—on the practice field with your dog. Whether you're brushing up before a session or troubleshooting in real time, the entire course is at your fingertips. It's like having Dawna & Megan in your pocket, guiding you step by step, wherever you go.

Training Support, When You're Ready

Every handler and every dog is on a different path. Some start with a single course, while others want a clear, long-term training roadmap they can return to as their dog develops. Our PSR Stockdog Training Membership is designed to support you wherever you are in the process—offering access to our full library of courses, ongoing updates, and structured guidance you can work through at your own pace. There’s no rush and no pressure. When you’re ready to take the next step, the membership gives you a steady, thoughtful way to continue building clarity, confidence, and partnership with your dog.

Explore Training Options

What Handlers Are Saying

These are the words of handlers who’ve walked the process and are seeing their dogs and themselves change for the better.

Dawna and Megan have a rare ability to train both the dog and the handler. On a deeper level, they honor a dog’s instincts while also respecting the relationship between dog and human. They never give up, and they find inventive, thoughtful ways to help each team reach its goals.

Seeing the joy in a dog working stock is priceless. I’m deeply grateful to Dawna and Megan for giving that gift to our dogs.

— Brenda H.

I struggled with herding for years before working with Dawna and Megan. Their approach helped my once out-of-control dogs learn to work calmly and instinctively, turning them into true partners on stock.

During a long illness, Dawna stepped in to train one of my dogs and took him all the way to the Border Collie Nationals, where he earned High in Trial and Reserve High in Trial. Their camps are something I look forward to every year, and the progress our dogs make there still amazes people.

When Dawna and Megan say they will teach you to trust your dog, they truly mean it. They helped me learn to value my dogs and showed me what it really means to be a handler.

— Kim W.

After years of trying to succeed in herding as a green handler with a different breed, everything finally came together when I began working with Dawna and Megan.

My dogs have achieved far more than I ever imagined possible — including earning multiple herding championships and becoming the first dual champions in the breed.

Every lesson, camp, or clinic brings a new “aha” moment. What I value most is watching my dogs continue to develop their skills while maintaining their natural instincts.

— Michelle F.

As someone with previous stockdog experience and titles on multiple dogs, I already expected strong instruction — but Dawna and Megan’s online program exceeded my expectations.

The depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and clarity around the “how and why” of training truly set this program apart. The way each piece of building a solid stockdog partnership is broken down makes the material exceptionally valuable.

— Corey N.

Additional courses in the works:

  • Getting the "Get"
  • Developing Square Flanks
  • Driving with Distance and Precision
  • Building Confidence in Your Dog
  • Effective Use of Pressure
  • Know Your Breed
  • Know Your Stock
  • And much more.....

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