Clickstart’s Story

Clickstart Dog Training Academy (est. 2019) is owned by Cassie Pestana and Liv Healy-Mirkovich, two of Orange County’s leading behavior consultants and dog trainers.

Cassie & Liv connected in 2015 working for the same local dog training company. They shared a unique passion for behavior and learning theory that went above and beyond what was expected of them by their employer as well as by the pet industry as a whole.

They bonded at events like Clicker Expo and over courses like “Aggression in Dogs”. They spent endless amounts of time discussing difficult cases, listening to Behavior Podcasts together, and brainstorming new and creative ways to teach dogs complex skills. They are canine behavior nerds through and through.

In June of 2019, Cassie and Liv finally jumped at their dream to own their own company and set their own standards. With their combined strengths and interests in animal behavior, education, and teaching, Cassie and Liv became the perfect team and are the proud owners of Clickstart Dog Training Academy.

Since establishing Clickstart, Cassie and Liv have hired and trained 6 talented and passionate trainers. They pride themselves in having the most upstanding team of dog professionals in Orange County.

Cassie and Liv know what it’s like to train in unideal circumstances: loud daycares, hot grooming salons, busy vet offices. But the hard work and determination paid off because in 2023, Cassie and Liv opened their first Clickstart Campus location in Lake Forest and are now able to offer the course catalog they’ve always dreamed of.

Over the years, Cassie and Liv have found their specific passion and area of expertise within working with dogs. Cassie’s case load is primarily reactivity and aggression, while Liv focuses on service dog training. Their team also boasts a long list of unique areas of interest and expertise from puppy raising to agility to working with recently rescued pups.

Contrary to popular belief, Clickstart is not a franchise or large corporation. It is a small, woman, and LGBTQ+ owned business that now helps hundreds of families every year live more harmonious lives with their dogs. Will you be joining the Clickstart family?