About STABLE Dog Training

STABLE Dog Training was built around a simple idea: work with the dog in front of you.

We believe good training should help owners better understand their dogs, communicate clearly, build practical skills, and create a relationship that works in everyday life. That means meeting each dog and owner where they are instead of forcing every team into the same training plan.

From puppies learning their first skills to dogs working through reactivity, fear, confidence issues, or more complex behavior, our focus stays the same: practical training, honest communication, and helping owners understand how to continue the work outside of class.

15+ Years Working With Dogs
AKC CGC Evaluator
Community Votes Santa Clarita — Platinum Dog Trainer
Rescue & Shelter Experience
Serving the Santa Clarita Valley

Mariana Mekelburg 

A woman and a large dog with its mouth open, seemingly laughing or smiling together outdoors on a sunny day with green trees and blue sky in the background.

Owner & Lead Trainer

Mariana has spent more than 15 years working with dogs in training, rescue, shelter, boarding, grooming, and behavior-focused environments. Her experience has included everything from puppies learning the basics to dogs working through reactivity, fear, confidence issues, handling challenges, and more complex behavior.

Before building STABLE, Mariana spent years involved in rescue and shelter work, including roughly a decade volunteering with LARPBO. That experience shaped a lot of how she approaches training today: look at the individual dog, understand what is actually happening, and build a plan that makes sense for the dog and the person holding the leash.

Her training style is practical, adaptable, and relationship-focused. She uses a variety of tools and methods depending on the dog, the owner, and the situation rather than following one rigid system. Clear communication, consistency, structure, reward, fair corrections, play, and real-world practice can all have a place when they are used thoughtfully and appropriately.

Mariana is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and works with clients through evaluations, private training, group classes, Board & Train, boarding, and community programs such as STABLE’s free Pack Walks.

At the center of all of it is the same philosophy STABLE was built around:

Work with the dog in front of you.

Griffin Mekelburg

A smiling couple with two dogs outdoors on a sunny day, with a red and beige house in the background.

Trainer & Media/IT Coordinator

Griffin has spent the past decade working alongside Mariana with dogs of different breeds, temperaments, and training needs. What began as helping behind the scenes gradually grew into a much larger role in STABLE, both in training and in building the systems that help the business reach and support more dog owners.

As a trainer, Griffin works with clients in classes, Pack Walks, training sessions, and other STABLE programs. He brings a steady, practical approach to handling dogs and helps reinforce the same core philosophy that guides everything at STABLE: clear communication, consistency, adaptability, and working with the individual dog in front of you.

Griffin also handles much of STABLE’s technology, website development, photography, videography, digital resources, and behind-the-scenes systems. His work helps turn the knowledge used in training sessions into tools and resources that clients can continue using long after class is over.

Together, Mariana and Griffin have built STABLE around more than individual training appointments. Their goal is to create an accessible training community where owners can continue learning through classes, free Pack Walks, educational resources, community events, and ongoing support.

Outside of the business, Griffin and Mariana’s own dogs have played a major role in shaping STABLE from the beginning. Dexter and Sloane remain part of its foundation and legacy, while Little Dude and Chaos continue to be part of life, training, and the ever-growing STABLE story.

The Faces of STABLE

  • A black and tan dog running on grass in a backyard, with a blue fence and trees in the background.

    Chaos

    Royales C’est La Vie “Chaos” Fue De L’Ame

    Chaos is our Beauceron, working partner, adventure dog, and frequent demonstration of what “work with the dog in front of you” actually looks like.

    He holds his AKC CGC, CGCA, CGCU, and BCAT titles and has competed in FAST CAT as well as the show ring. But titles are only a small part of who he is. Chaos is an intense, athletic, opinionated dog who loves having something to do, whether that means training, hiking, running, tug, public outings, or learning something completely new.

    Living and working with Chaos has also been a reminder that training is never a finished product. Dogs grow, mature, change, challenge us, and sometimes make us rethink what we thought we knew. He has pushed us to keep adapting, keep learning, and continue working with the individual dog rather than chasing a picture of what a dog is “supposed” to be.

    He brings plenty of drive, personality, and just enough spice to keep things interesting, and he has become a very fitting representative of the STABLE philosophy.

  • Small tan dog with white markings lying in green grass in a park, with trees and sunlight in the background.

    Little Dude

    Little Dude may be small, but he has always had a very big role in the STABLE household.

    He has spent years around training dogs, boarding dogs, foster dogs, classes, and the constant movement that comes with life at STABLE. His calm presence and ability to coexist around a wide range of dogs have made him an important part of the environment here.

    As a senior dog, Little Dude is also a reminder that training and quality of life do not stop at a certain age. Older dogs still benefit from structure, enrichment, communication, movement, and being included in everyday life in ways that make sense for them.

    He may not be the dog doing flashy demonstrations or running around at full speed anymore, but he continues to represent something we value just as much: adaptability, patience, and meeting the dog where they are.

    And, naturally, he still expects to be treated like the most important dog in the room.

  • Small brindle dog with a purple harness standing on a beige speckled floor, looking up, with a happy expression and tongue slightly out.

    Nina

    Nina may be tiny, but she has spent years proving that size has very little to do with presence.

    As one of the senior dogs in the STABLE household, Nina has lived alongside training dogs, boarding dogs, foster dogs, and an ever-changing cast of personalities. She is confident, opinionated, and very clear about her boundaries, which has made her an interesting little teacher in her own right.

    Nina has also helped demonstrate the value of appropriate dog-to-dog communication. She is not interested in being everyone’s best friend, and she doesn’t need to be. She knows how to advocate for her space, communicate when another dog is being too much, and then move on.

    That fits closely with something we emphasize at STABLE: successful social behavior does not mean every dog has to greet, play with, or love every other dog. Neutrality, boundaries, and learning how to coexist appropriately matter too.

    These days, Nina has earned the right to enjoy life largely on her own terms — preferably with plenty of comfortable places to nap and everyone remembering that she is, obviously, in charge.

  • Close-up of a happy brown dog with a black collar, showing its open mouth and teeth against a light blue background.

    In Loving Memory: Dexter

    Dexter was Mariana’s soul dog and, in many ways, the dog who started everything.

    A Pittie mix with a big smile and a soft heart, Dexter was often judged by his appearance before people ever had a chance to know him. Living and working with him pushed Mariana to look beyond labels, pay closer attention to the individual dog, and understand just how differently dogs can experience the world.

    Dexter was also the reason Mariana first became involved with LARPBO. What began as a goal of earning his AKC Canine Good Citizen certification grew into years of rescue work, training, education, and eventually the path that became STABLE Dog Training.

    He remains part of the heart of STABLE because so much of its philosophy traces back to what he taught along the way: there is no useful one-size-fits-all script.

    Work with the dog in front of you.

  • A happy white and brown dog with a blue collar resting on the edge of a swimming pool, with greenery and outdoor furniture in the background.

    In Loving Memory: Sloane

    Sloane was our sweet marshmallow and one of the dogs who helped shape the way Mariana thinks about fear, patience, and what progress can look like in an older dog.

    She was a reminder that fearful dogs do not need to be rushed, pushed into a timeline, or judged by where they are starting. With patience, consistency, and the right support, even a senior dog carrying a lot of uncertainty can continue to grow and surprise you.

    Sloane also reinforced something that remains important to STABLE today: our own dogs are often some of our greatest teachers. They keep us learning, keep us adapting, and keep us humble.

    Her place in STABLE is part of that legacy. She represents patience, softness, and the idea that progress does not have to be flashy to matter.

    And she will always be our sweet marshmallow.