Jen Nowak

Obedience Instructor

 

I haven’t been involved with dogs ‘forever’ as many trainers have been.  Instead, I found my love of dogs as a young adult and now could never imagine being without them.  It was while training my second dog, Evelyn, that I began to see how many people are just like I was in the beginning with Empress, my first dog -- wanting a dog, but not aware of what to do after that. In wanting others to experience the joy I now know, I decided this must be my calling, to help people give their dogs a happy life and to educate others about dogs to help more dogs be adopted into loving homes. I love teaching and participating in local events that educate the community about dogs. I continue to increase my involvement in the dog community, because never before have I been a part of such a caring and wonderful group of people. I am here to share this joy and knowledge of the dog community with others to show them how rewarding a good relationship with a dog can be for the entire family.  Below is a little about me and the dogs in my family.

When I was young (under 10) there was a dog next door at my grandmother’s. His name was Pal, but that’s all he was -- a dog. We lived out in the country. He had his doghouse (which he stood on top of if a thunderstorm was coming). He barked if someone pulled into the driveway. Other than that, I don’t remember anything else about him.

With that in mind, in 2002 there was a litter of puppies born at my girlfriend’s farm in Juniata County. They were born to two strays, so there was no place for the puppies to go. I was offered first pick of the litter…if I wanted one, of course. I was renting an apartment and couldn’t have a dog there, but had been planning to get a house soon. (Just to note, the entire litter found homes.) Oh sure, I wanted a dog, but it was going to live outside in its own house, just like Pal. I drove to the farm twice a week for four months before I had my house to bring my dog home. Now, let’s just say by the time this happened, I had a new view on what a dog’s place in the home was. I’d named her Empress (somehow her personality turned out to fit right in with that name) and she had a crate to sleep in my bedroom with me. She had a specific routine of treats and meals throughout the day, and every night we had playtime before bed.   I’d taken her to an entry level obedience class when I brought her home, but I wasn’t aware of the opportunities the dog world had to offer past that.  Boy, were we missing out!

The one thing missing to me was being able to take her with me when I went places. In 2005, I took her to Pawsabilities at the Farm Show Complex. Bella Vista had an agility try-it area there. Empress just loved it. I went and observed a class and immediately knew I wanted to do it. We took lessons in that for a while, but Empress is a bit of a ‘Mamma’s Girl’ and likes to be right with me. So I learned about Rally Obedience and started taking her to that class.  It seemed to be a better fit for her. As of December 2010, she has the following titles:

 

APDT Rally Level One with Award of Excellence and Level Two-

(as well as 8 more Qs in each of those levels toward more titles)

UKC Rally Level One, Two and Three

 

In addition, Empress is an AKC Canine Good Citizen and joined the AKC Canine Partners program when it began in 2010.  She is working toward her Rally Novice title.

  

The world of dogs continues to surprise me and change me for the better. In 2008 I saw one of the Westie litters outside to play at Bella Vista. I liked the breed, but I always said I’d never have a white dog. (scared of the amount of grooming that might go along with it.) However, then I met Evelyn (Bella Vista’s Eviebody Needs One). Evelyn was one of the puppies outside that night, and I just fell in love with her. Empress took a liking to her right away as well. My home was not big enough to add to the family, so I began just to train her instead. In July 2009, we moved into a larger home and Evelyn officially joined our family. She is involved in tracking, obedience and agility. She has begun to trial in Earth Dog, and she competes in Rally Obedience.  She has also been certified as a Pet Therapy dog.  All details on Evelyn can be located under the ‘Westies’ tab on this website. 

 

Both girls get to spend their days with me as I work from home.  They each have a bed near my desk and make good use of them-sticking close to me all day.  An entertaining note is that they have completely opposite personalities.  While Empress is very serious, Evelyn believes life is just one big play date.  In the summer, they enjoy going on long walks in the local parks followed by a doggie sundae at Brewsters.  My husband, Jim, doesn’t train or compete with them, but he will often accompany us on our social outings.  He prefers to just play with them (and they love that!).  The girls eat their dinners in their crates.  And sleep next to each other in their crates, which Empress quite honestly demands.  She puts herself to bed every night at 10pm. 

 

Updated January 2011