It all started by going to look at a litter of yellow labrador puppies in 2009.
Who looks at puppies... and not bring one home?

 

That is how Bella came into our lives. I had trained Shelties in 4-H as a kid and thought, “sure, I can train a dog. I did when I was kid.” I found an amazing training facility in Seattle called Seattle Agility and started taking classes. These classes gave me my first lesson in positive reinforcement. It was AMAZING! Bella responded and was learning so fast and it was so fun! A couple years later and with LOTS of practice I was teaching classes at Seattle Agility and learning something new DAILY. At that time I decided I needed another lab because I knew stuff that I did not know when I brought Bella home.

 

After doing my research I found Ray in Canada from an excellent breeder who bred performance labs. Ray is nothing like Bella. While I had learned training stuff, I had so much more to learn. Ray is now ten years old and has been an amazingly patient teacher for me. As Bella and Ray have aged I have wanted to continue my journey and learn more about training dogs with positive reinforcement. I have learned that we are a team and as a team mate, I have a responsibility to bring my best to the team if I expect my team to be their best. And yes, I have more to learn.

 

In 2018 #thefamousgarth - Garth joined our family. Garth was a spontaneous purchase after going to look at another litter of puppies. Garth’s parents are hunting dogs and have tons of energy. Garth has that same energy and fortunately has 20 acres to run on when we go for walks two or three times a day. Garth has benefitted from what I learned from Bella and Ray’s training. With Garth, I knew I wanted to dive deeper into positive reinforcement training and really hone my training skills. The learning has been so FUN and Garth is an amazing team mate! He is now learning and competing in the upper levels of competitive obedience. Watch for him on Instagram or Facebook for updates as he grows in his obedience career.

 

Last but not least is the newest addition to our family, Penara’s Pitch Perfect... AKA Rebel. Rebel comes to me from Penara Labradors here in Iowa. Pam, Rebel’s breeder, has spent 30 plus years breeding healthy, happy labradors. I have so many goals for Rebel, breed championships, obedience titles, NoseWork titles and so much more! Yes, what I have learned with Garth, Ray and Bella will benefit Rebel BUT I still have more to learn.

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Telling you about each of my dogs you may have noticed I learned from and continue to learn from each of them. Training is not just a six week class to be completed when you bring your puppy home. Training is a lifetime of learning for both you and your dog that starts with a puppy class.