I wanted to take a minute and share a little about myself! I have lived in Meadville with my husband for almost 30 years while raising our three children. Our children are grown and gone, but we were recently blessed with our first grandchild who will turn one in October. We currently live with two dogs, German Shepherds, London (age 8 years), and puppy, Weiss (1 year). I have been a dog sport com
petitor since 1999, when I acquired my first performance dog, my boxer Wizard, from a shelter. Together, Wizard and I worked through his dog-dog reactivity to earn a rally obedience title. After that, I was hooked! Dog training filled a niche for me when my kids entered high school and became busy with their own activities and friends, leaving me with an empty nest. Over the years I have participated in many dog sports with my own dogs, (a variety of herding breeds), some for fun and some for titles, including confirmation showing, agility, rally obedience, herding, barn hunt and K9 nose work. I have previously taught rally obedience classes, pet obedience classes and have been a Canine Good Citizen instructor and evaluator. I was also a certified pet groomer and managed a grooming salon for approximately five years as an instructor, I have worked with many different breeds, ages and skill levels of dogs and handlers in both pet obedience and dog sports, using positive reinforcement and a variety of training methods. My special area of interest has always been dog behavior. Of the many dogs I have owned in my lifetime, each one has brought with them a behavioral challenge for us to work through together. I have found that K9 nose work is unparalleled when it comes to building a dogs confidence, and helping them work through cautious uncertainty about new people places and things. I became involved in K9 nose work in 2019 as both a competitor and volunteer for the (NACSW) National Association of Canine Scent Work. I enrolled in the Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) certification program in March 2021 and graduated in September 2022. Graduates of the CNWI program dedicate 1-2 years on average to the study of K9 Nose Work, attending courses and lectures, and logging over 75 hours of training and teaching. They also must have demonstrated the skills necessary to train a dog and handle it in competition, as well as the ability to teach other dogs and handlers the activity and sport of K9 Nose Work from beginning level to advanced. It was a lot of work – – but so very worth it! Although I love training and all things dog related, I have not yet become independently wealthy and been able to retire from my day job! My professional background includes working with diverse populations with different learning styles. This has helped me to be a better instructor and to bring a strong problem solving capacity to my students. I am committed to helping owners find the solutions to even their most difficult training problems. I am currently offering K9 Nosework classes at all levels and private lessons both in person and remote (virtual learning). For more information, please send email inquiries to: [email protected]
