Kathy Velek - Nosework

Kathy has been training and trialing in a variety of dog sports ever since she took her littermates Bernie and Buddy to their first Rally Obedience class in 2008. At the time she was just looking for something to keep them busy, but she was quickly bit by the dog sport bug, and never looked back. Since then, her life as a "crazy dog lady" has included playing Rally, Obedience, Flyball, Treiball, Agility, Canicross, Disc, and Nosework. Her nosework adventures began in 2013, when she and Buddy started taking on-line classes at Fenzi Academy. It wasn’t long before scent games became her primary sport, and since then she has studied online and in person with numerous instructors and trialed in multiple venues (NACSW, AKC, USCSS, PSD and Fenzi TEAM). She is currently competing at the NACSW Elite level with her 4-year-old terrier mix, Cayman.   

Kathy believes that the magic of scent work lies in the dog's intrinsic desire to do it. Unlike most dog sports where the handler is in charge and directing the dog's actions, in scent work, the dog is calling the shots, and it is the handler's job to support him and interpret his behavior. This can be a great confidence booster for almost any type of dog, and it creates a wonderful bond between dog and handler. 

Kathy has been teaching introduction and advanced nosework classes and workshops for about 5 years, and recently she successfully coached one of her private students through all 4 levels of the Fenzi NW TEAM Titles. Like all sports, nosework training relies on strong foundations, and the Fenzi TEAM program is a great way to work on solidifying those foundation skills, while having fun and earning titles in the process!

When she isn't busy with dogs, Kathy is a research scientist working to develop diagnostic test kits for animals and people. She shares her home in Maine with 3 dogs, a cat and a husband who keeps everyone fed and the house running smoothly while she's out playing and teaching dog games. 

Christina Hargrove - Team Obedience

Christina has been competing in and teaching dog sport and dog training classes for almost 10 years. She discovered dog sports with her Chihuahua-Boston Terrier mix, Pippa, and he combination of dog training and competition got them hooked immediately. From the beginning, Christina used her skills as an attorney to research training methods and the science of behavior analysis and ethology in books, articles and seminars, and found that she enjoys sharing that knowledge with her students. She is certified by the CCPDT and a long-time volunteer with the IAABC. She is an CGC and temperament evaluator with the AKC. She is also a certified FDM (Family Dog Mediator) and has participated in many classes, seminars and workshops over the years.

Over the past 10 years, Christina has competed in agility, rally, AKC obedience and has even dabbled in conformation with her young Boxer puppy. She and Pippa competed in USAA New England Regionals 2 years in a row. Her Border Collie mix, Jax, gets consistently-high scores in rally and obedience. She has taught puppy classes, basic manners, agility, TEAM workshops and classes, and sports sampler classes.

Christina prides herself on learning and using only the most up-to-date, scientifically-sound and training methods. Her goal is to create a class environment that promotes learning and forges a strong bond between each dog and its handler. While training people and their dogs is Christina's passion, she maintains her law practice and also consults with animal professionals on their businesses. She lives in Hamilton, MA, with her family and various dogs and other birds and reptiles.

You can find her on Facebook @ChristinaSHargrove and @ChristinaSchenkHargroveLaw, at www.cshlawllc.com, Dog Trainer's Umbrella (www.dogtrainersumbrella.com), and sporadically on Instagram under the name @hundehaushargrove.

Kim Palermo - Control Unleashed

Kim Palermo CPDT-KA, CCUI specializes in the Control Unleashed program with private clients, teaches a high volume of in-person CU classes, and incorporates CU into all of her membership-style group pet dog classes for her dog training business, BlueDog in Andover MA.  She has been professionally training dogs for over 10 years, and has been training dogs personally for over 25 years. She has a fondness for helping dogs with big feelings, and uses compassion and kindness with every animal and human that she works with.

Kim's passion is to help others pursue their dream of training dogs and she continues to expand her business in a way that supports growth, mentorship, and opportunity for her team. She is the teaching assistant for the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy CU classes and is a mentor for the Control Unleashed certification program. She spoke in the most recent Control Unleashed conference and has taught CU at local workshops.

Kim has trained and competed in a number of dog sports including rally, obedience, nose work, agility, herding, tracking, and conformation and incorporates CU into every sport. During her free time she enjoys hiking in the woods with her four dogs. She is an absolute animal nerd and in addition to her dogs, she has a clicker trained cat, a flock of chickens, ducks, guinea hens, and turkeys, is a beekeeper, and dreams about the day when she'll have a herd of cows.

Esther Zimmerman - Team Obedience

Esther has been training dogs since she was five years old, although she didn’t get one of her own until she was 15. Growing up in NYC apartments, she got to play/work with those belonging to building superintendents! She got her first dog when she was 15 and made her obedience competition debut in 1976. At their very first trial, she and Juno, her German Shepherd, earned High in Trial from Novice A with a 198.5. To say she was immediately hooked would be an understatement, and she has been active in the sport ever
since.

Esther got her first Schipperke in 1978, and is a fixture with them in New England. With this "non-traditional" obedience breed, she has earned three CH/ UDs, and has the only home-bred CH/UDX to date. They have earned multiple HITs and a fistful of OTCH points. She surprised everyone when she got a Golden Retriever, who earned three UDX legs before he passed away from lymphoma at the young age of nine. Her current Golden, Taxi, recently finished his CDX. People are even more surprised to see her with Fflyer, her young Border Collie!

Esther got heavily involved in NACSW K9NW in 2009, when the sport was first introduced to this area. Elphaba, her 14.5 year old Schipperke, is the only one to have earned the Elite Championship title. Covid interrupted her obedience career, with two legs on her UD. Esther has been a competition obedience instructor for many years, the last 20 at MasterPeace Dog Training in Franklin, MA.

In addition to teaching the skills and exercises, she makes sure her students are well-versed in the Rules and Regulations and have a positive attitude towards training and trialing. She has been a judge for the FDSA TEAM program since it’s inception. And she is an AKC obedience judge. She's very happy to be here, and knows that everyone will have fun, and learn a lot!