Call (573) 261-8858 for more info!
ABOUT US
The Newest Academy of South Central Missouri
With years of experience training canines, Amanda founded The Exceptional Canine in 2022 to Train dogs to be the perfect pet or working animal. Located in St. James, MO, We are eager to work with canines all over Missouri.
AMANDA MAY SPURGEON
OWNER + HEAD TRAINER
Amanda grew up loving all animals, especially dogs, and aspired to pursue a career in the veterinary field. While attending the University of Missouri to study animal science she became very interested in their equine training program and fell in love with training horses which then transitioned into training dogs. She quickly realized that her passion for training was much stronger than pursuing her dreams of being a veterinarian.
Amanda graduated in 2019 with her degree in Animal Science and then went on to learn more on advanced dog training at The Tom Rose School. She not only learned how to work with a variety of dogs, but also received extensive knowledge in scent detection, protection training, competition obedience, tracking, several different types of training methods, and so much more! After completion of the course she became the training coordinator for their affiliated business. She has since gained extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of training.
Amanda’s ability to connect with and read dogs is unlike any other, she loves building relationships with news dogs and helping them reach their full potential. In addition to training dogs, she also enjoys teaching others how to train dogs as well. Outside of pet training, Amanda is the Training Director for her PSA club, where she helps to teach club members how to train their working canines to be successful in their sport. Seeing people excel with their dogs and enjoy spending time with their well-behaved canines is one of her favorite things!
MEET OUR PACK
Canines who have been a part of our family
Kai
Amanda’s first dog. He passed away in 2021 due to Osteosarcoma, he was only 5. He had the biggest impact on Amanda’s life and training career. Kai was with Amanda through college, meeting her now husband Denver, the birth of her daughter Blaire, and the start of her dog training career at The Tom Rose School. Kai is missed dearly by Amanda, but will never be forgotten as the dog who made the biggest impact on her life. He truly left paw prints on her heart.
Zeus
Zeus is Amanda’s biggest training helper due to his neutral personality he aids in being a distraction for all of Amanda’s training dogs. Outside of helping Amanda train, Zeus enjoys training for PSA, a protection sport that he and Amanda compete in. PSA balances protection and obedience training, and keeps both of us very busy! If you haven’t already met Zeus you will soon as he goes everywhere with Amanda!
Apollo
Apollo joined Amanda’s Family in January 2022, he was rescued from a German Shepherd rescue out of St. Louis. He has been a great addition to the family and is a very loving pet!