Pat Hollern

Agility Instructor

Pat has had dogs in her life and blood from a very early age.  From her best friend ‘Rip’ (and yes, he did like to tear into things) to her last dog Abby, dogs had been more of a pleasure rather than work.  They learned the basic obedience along with the standard repertoire of tricks and became really good pets.  Then in the year 2000, she acquired a hyperactive tri-color Border Collie named Shelby.  While smart and intuitive, it was soon obvious that Shelby needed something more to occupy her time, and to teach her not to gnaw on the furniture.

A good friend, the late Jack Stanton, suggested a puppy obedience class at White Rose Obedience.  The class helped so much, that Pat and Shelby continued with more basic obedience classes.  But Shelby was so full of energy and a desire to run, that it was soon apparent that an outlet for this energy was needed.  So, when Shelby reached the tender age of one and a half, they entered the world of Agility.  Both became hooked on the high-intensity work-out and benefited from the discipline involved and they  haven’t looked back since.  In fact, they’ve added the sport of Flyball to their busy schedule. 

Pat began teaching beginner agility classes at the Bella Vista Training Center in 2003.  Now you can be hard-pressed to find either her or Shelby at their home in Mechanicsburg.  Pat has participated in several seminars and the Clean Run Camp in 2005, and she believes that positive reinforcement is the key to success when training your dog.

Updated 5/15/08