Lara Schindler Shoreline Watersports Judge  LARA SCHINDLER has always had a love for animals and an interest in behavior and training. “I grew up with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, snakes, and fish. I loved anything animal related. Rocky, an Airedale Terrier, was my constant companion growing up and I couldn’t imagine life without dogs. My first purchase after moving out on my own, was another Airedale, name Yogi. He was a total clown and always made me laugh. The laughter was exactly what I needed at that point in my life, as I was working in a high stress environment as a corporate trainer. After having a really bad day at work, I came home, hugged Yogi and realized that I wanted dogs to play a more prominent role in my life, as they always brought me joy and happiness. It was this realization that motivated me to combine my love for training and passion for dogs and become a dog trainer”, Lara said. Soon after, she founded the San Diego based dog training company; Happy Dog Happy Owner. Lara’s very first client owned a young Portuguese Water Dog. The owner was interested in training her pup for an upcoming PWD water trial and couldn’t find a trainer to help her. Lara had never heard of “water training” or a “water trial”, but being an avid surfer, diver, kayaker, and paddle boarder, it sounded right up her alley. She dove right in and started learning everything she could about water training. Lara met with the local Portuguese Water Dog club, the Newfoundland club, and during her research stumbled upon the Canine Water Sports organization. The idea of water sports being open to all breeds really interested her, so she took a trip to Connecticut to check it out. After meeting Deborah Lee Miller-Riley, founder of Canine Water Sports, her dogs, and her students, there was no turning back. Lara was inspired by the CWS training philosophies, they really resonated with her own training style and values. When she returned home, she started offering water training classes in San Diego. Her first challenge was teaching Yogi (her Airedale) and Magnus (her husband’s Australian Shepherd) to swim. It wasn’t an easy task, especially since they were both close to 10 years old, but with A LOT of patience and creativity, their confidence and motivation grew. “It was quite a journey and we forged an amazing bond during the process. One that I will never forget”, Lara said. Her current dogs are a Portuguese Water Dog named Snorkel (b. 2010) and a Labradoodle named Hops (b. 2012). Snorkel competes in water and agility and loves to work and play. “He has wonderful drive, endless energy, and keeps me on my toes. Hops also loves agility and water, but also has a gentle, laid back nature. He is a certified therapy dog and we volunteer at a local children’s hospital and with Love on a Leash. It is a joy to have such wonderful dogs in my life and a privilege to build my bond and connection with them through water sports and training. It brings me great pleasure to provide others the opportunity to do the same with their pets”.  Lara is an honors graduate of Animal Behavior College, where she received her certification as an ABC Certified Dog Trainer.  She is also an authorized mentor trainer for Animal Behavior College students.  She is pet first aid certified through the American Red Cross and and an AKC certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator and a certified Dognition evaluator.  She is also a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Her dog training business, Happy Dog Happy Owner, offers obedience, agility, and water sports classes. Happy Dog Happy Owner has been a Fleet Member of Canine Water Sports since Jan 2013. Lara is an avid reader of the latest dog training publications and attends seminars and training classes to keep her knowledge and skills up to date. She has been influenced by Dr. Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, and Karen Pryor. In 2014 Lara became the first CWS Shoreline Judge in the state of California. 4.e._Judges.htmlhttp://www.happydoghappyowner.com/http://www.happydoghappyowner.com/http://www.apdt.com/shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3
Canine Water Sports
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D. Miller-Riley  / Kimberley J Gage  /  Denise Grimm   /  Marjorie Lineweber   /   Stacey Modica  /    Lisa Pattison /   Jilian Rakow   / Lara Schindler