Maddie Schnell was born and raised in Rapid City, SD. She grew up playing a multitude of sports, loving the outdoors, and her family always had a house full of dogs. Maddie played four years of collegiate softball at Augustana University while majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in English. She taught Elementary and Middle School for over 6 years between her time in South Dakota, North Carolina, and here in San Antonio, Texas.

Maddie has helped Alex grow the business since its inception in 2021. She decided to make it her full-time endeavor in the fall of 2023.

Maddie’s professional background is a huge asset for ILK9 as she brings a padded skillset and years of experience that allow her to seamlessly tackle any and all business operations.

With years of experience creating educational content and learning how to communicate and differentiate her teaching to reach students and colleagues with various learning styles, Maddie has taken the lead on updating and expanding our training curriculum. This has improved our overall academic training plans for both our owners and dogs. Her experience and expertise conducting professional development courses has allowed our Ivy League Canine Academy team to continue to advance in their ability to teach concepts to owners and seek additional education when it comes to dog training techniques.

As Director of Business Operations, Maddie not only helps train dogs that come through our program, but her role also extends to managing the Ivy League Canine Academy team. This encompasses everything from training schedules, curriculum development, client management, social media, and all other imperative business operations. While she does not have specific dog training experience, Maddie has been surrounded by the canine community for the past five years between her and Alex Schnell’s time in North Carolina while Alex was a canine handler for MARSOC and their time here in San Antonio. Through years of hands-on experience and being immersed in the canine community, she has learned the ins and outs of dog behavior and the complex skill set required to be an effective and passionate dog trainer from some of the most influential names in the canine community, including her husband, Alex Schnell.

Maddie is finally able to bring her active lifestyle, love for dogs, and passion for education to continue to help Ivy League Canine Academy thrive and offer the most comprehensive training experience for owners and dogs in the area.