Here's why we are the right people for you and your dog

Dogs have been part of Karen’s life for as long as she can remember, starting with beagles that her father used for hunting. Karen received her first Labrador retriever (Blythe’s Duff) as a birthday gift at the age of 11.

Karen has been training dogs for home and field for more than 25 years. She was introduced to the world of competitive retriever training in the mid-1980’s, during which time she was working as a wildlife biologist, and has successfully trained and completed field trial champion titles on several of her own Labrador retrievers. Karen's dogs are always trained to be good citizens.

With degrees in science and education, helping people to better understand and communicate with their dogs comes naturally to Karen. Her experience in the competitive field trial game has given Karen exceptional skills in dog-handler teamwork. She knows the importance of consistency to build trust and respect - essential for a winning team.

Karen is skilled in the use and application of a variety of approaches and techniques that match the needs and abilities of owners and their dogs. She is Ontario’s best remote collar trainer having effectively used this tool to humanely enhance performance of many dog breeds.

Karen is a volunteer handler of two generations of therapy dogs with the East Central Therapy Dog program.

Karen has been fortunate to have the support and guidance of mentors from many parts of Canada and the U.S., both human and canine, to help her in all aspects of dog work including: the late Ms. Sanna Carey and FC/AFC Lakeridge’s Charlemagne; Dennis Voigt – author and owner/handler of several National Retriever Champions; Martin Deeley - U.K. "Gun Dog Trainer of the Year" in 2007; and the canine professionals who participate on the IACP Safe Hands discussion list. She is a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP #P2589) and the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers.