When you enroll in a dog training class, you’re investing your trust, time, money, and dog with the trainer. You want a trainer that is knowledgeable about your type of dog, dog behavior, various training techniques, grooming, and health issues. Meet one of the Conneaut Lake Bark Park trainers that you can rely on!
My name is Katara Peters. I have loved dogs all my life. I cannot remember a time in my life that there was not a dog in our home. I believe dogs can have a positive relationship with every member of its family and I hope through training, I can make that happen.
About 12 years ago my son wanted a Chihuahua for his birthday. Her name is Chi Chi. She was a typical small dog and was a little shy, so I decided to take her to obedience school for socialization. We loved it. We went through puppy, basic, and some advanced obedience classes. She did so well that I decided to have her tested to be a therapy dog so we could visit nursing homes. We visited for 9 years. She is now 10 and enjoying retirement.
When Chi Chi was 5 years old, I decided to get a puppy to try Confirmation [competition judged by how closely a dog meets the standard for a particular breed]. I chose Lilly, a Miniature Pinscher. She earned her Championship title in just one year. Lilly also runs agility [competing at the excellent level] and has been a therapy dog for 4 years. You can see her around the Bark Park demonstrating obedience and helping with temperament testing. In July of 2010 she received her Canine Good Citizen certificate. I added an English Black Lab puppy to our pack the summer of 2009. Her name is Sydney. She has many roles. She has been assisting me in obedience class since she was a pup. In May of 2010 she was registered as a Therapy dog. She is a natural. Anyone she meets, she thinks needs her attention. Her most resent accomplishment is she started competing in Agility in December 2010. She is doing very well. She is already in the second level, which is called Open.
I am also a tester/observer for Therapy Dog Inc. It is a goal of Therapy Dogs Inc. to provide registration, support, and insurance for members who are involved in volunteer animal assisted activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, visits to hospitals, special needs centers, schools, and nursing homes. The objective is to form a network of caring individuals who are willing to share their special animals in order to bring happiness and cheer to people, young and old alike.
In January 2011 I became a tester for AKC Canine Good Citizen. After a small test, you can receive a certificate stating that your dog is a Good Citizen.
Before teaching classes at CLBP, I was socializing young dogs that would become service dogs through the Canine Partners for Life organization. Pups are housed in local correctional institutions for one year to receive intensive training. Although each pup is with a prison handler 24/7, they cannot experience the ‘real’ world. This socialization is critical to the dog’s future as a service dog. Imagine taking a one-year-old Standard Poodle into a store for his first time!
Assisting and teaching obedience classes have been part of my life for the past 7 years. During this time I realized how great it was to help others with their dogs. The purpose of offering obedience classes at the Park is to help owners and their dogs build better relationships with each other and other dogs. We are here to help anyone wanting to give their pup a good start or just wanting to try something new with their dogs. Cricket Dignall helps me with the all the dogs in our classes and we make a great team. Cricket has been working with dogs for many years. Read more about Cricket in an upcoming issue of the Bark Park newsletter.
Our dogs love to be with us. Even though we bring our dogs to class to be more obedient, the dog sees it as one more thing it gets to do with its’ owner. No matter what it is - taking a walk, playing fetch, or going on a therapy visit - our dogs are always there for us.
