OUR INSTRUCTORS

About Ester

About Noelle

Kathryn has been teaching since 2020.  She rode horses at 10 years old, competed & taught lessons. As a young kid, she spent her days at Rob & Ingrid's house taking care of their horses, pigs, birds, dogs, cats, racoons and other exotic animals. 
 
Kathryn owns two German Short Haired Pointers, Archer and Ivy, and a Cattle Dog named Leon. They compete in Rally Obedience, Agility, Fast Cat. She has been working at The Barking Lot since October  2017.

Valerie has been an instructor for nearly 25 years, mostly in the Southtowns area. She is CPDT certified, and an AKC, CGC, and ACT evaluator. She's currently holding pet level fun style Agility classes on Thursday evening and Monday mornings.
 
Valeria a long time competitor with her Bullmastiffs in many AKC events including, Conformation, Competition Obedience, Rally Obedience and Agility. Together she and her dogs have earned countless AKC titles over the years.

Danielle began working in the animal industry since 2013. As a teenager, she worked on 2 Alpaca farms where she helped train, show and care for the Alpaca. This is where she found her passion for animal training. She went to grooming school, graduating in 2012. She started as a groomer and in 2014, worked for a daycare facility that provided grooming and boarding.  That is when she got into daycare and boarding, where she became eager to learn training.

Danielle began training with her Boxer named Nitro where she was introduced to the competition world. She started training for Confirmation, Rally and Competition Obedience. Danielle Currently teaches Trick Dog class, Rally 101 (Novice/Foundation) and Rally 102 (Intermediate).

Missy has been competing in Conformation shows since she was 12 years old as a junior handler and also in 4-4H, becoming a professional handler at the age of 16. She has been handling dogs for 30 plus years and has handled a multitude of different breeds, finishing several champions and grand champions. She has competed several times at the Westminster dog show in NYC and the Royal Canin dog show in Florida.
 
Missy is very knowledgeable of show ring procedures, rules and breed standards, movement, stacking, and presentation of different breeds, which has afforded me several judging assignments. She is a breeder of Irish Setters and a long-time owner and lover of the breed. She has also done obedience work completing some CD and CDX titles and tracking work as well.  She would love to help you and your dog to stand out and show your best in the show ring!

Cindy has been involved in training dogs for over 26 years.  Her Irish Water Spaniel, Sullivan, completed his Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) in 2011 and also had titles in agility, tracking, and rally.
Her German Shepherd, Truffle is a UKC Champion and Top Dog and has titles in AKC obedience.  Lucy, her current Irish Water Spaniel, is training in obedience.
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Cindy has mentored under Evie Van Uden and Terri Clingerman and has taken lessons from Evie, Terri, Jerry Burke, Ena Hillmayer and Jane Jackson.  Additionally, Cindy has actively participated in seminars with Fred Hulme, Terri Clingerman, Jane Jackson, Bridget Carlson, and Sylvia Bishop.
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Cindy is a member of the Irish Water Spaniel Club of America.

DJ Rehberg has had a lifelong passion for dogs, especially Siberian Huskies. In early 2016, while seeking an activity to improve and strengthen the bond between him and his Siberian Husky, Sylvie, he discovered the sport of K9 Nose Work®. He immediately recognized this is the sport that dogs were literally born to play. The sport has been so amazing that he then added one of his other Siberian Huskies, Jade, to the mix.
 
DJ focuses on helping handlers learn their dog’s language and takes a coaching approach during training. He believes that our dogs are always telling us something about the environment, we just need to listen and understand. Since that first class, he has worked to expand his skills, knowledge and education in the sport of Nose Work. Over the years, DJ Rehberg has attended several classes, seminars, and online courses. He has also attended Nose Work camps where he was able to work with several of the premiere K9 Nose Work® instructors from across the United States.
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DJ is the owner of Trust Your Dog LLC, focusing exclusively on K9 Nose Work® training. He teaches classes weekly, offers private lessons, video reviews, co-presents workshops, and volunteers at nose work trials. He is a CNWI (Certified Nose Work Instructor) and ORT (Odor Recognition Trial) Judge with NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work) and a Trial Official with USCSS (United States Canine Scent Sports).

Hi, I’m Liz Lewis — a professional dog trainer, AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and AKC Trick Dog Evaluator. I’m also a proud participant in the “Paws for Love” Therapy program. Through my business, Nosework and Engagement, LLC, I help people connect more deeply with their dogs and build strong, lasting partnerships based on trust and teamwork

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My dog training journey began 11 years ago when I brought home my Australian Shepherd, Lacey. Working with her opened my eyes to just how powerful engagement and communication can be. I quickly fell in love with the process and the energy that develops between dog and handler during training.

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Lacey and I have competed in Competition Obedience, Rally, Agility, Barn Hunt, and Nosework, and we’ve loved every step of that journey. Currently, we focus on Nosework, which continues to challenge and inspire us. I’m so grateful for the mentors who have shared their knowledge with me, and I’m passionate about giving back by helping others discover how fun, rewarding, and fulfilling training can be.

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I’m also sharing this journey with my young Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix, Jasper. He’s full of enthusiasm and drive, and we’ve already started trialing together in Nosework and Happy Ratters. Watching both of my dogs grow and succeed continues to inspire me every day, and I’m excited to help you experience that same connection with your dog.