instructor

"Karen began training dogs in 1977 when she took her first Irish Setter to obedience class to become a "good citizen and neighbor". She started as a volunteer apprentice instructor in 1978 and trained people and their dogs strictly as a volunteer for over 15 years (you know she must have LOVED this!). She trained thousands of people and their dogs over the past 28+ years. She made it her "mission" in life that dogs not be given away, taken to the shelter, or euthanized because of problems that are simple to fix.

She also temperament tested litters of puppies for over 20 years to help breeders decide which dogs to place with each owner to ensure a proper match. She was deeply involved in the community as the local coordinator for the dog blood donor program and was a member of and certified evaluator for Therapy Dogs International, where her dogs lit up the lives of people in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, community events, etc. She became an approved American Kennel Club obedience judge in 1987 and enjoyed judging obedience trials all over the country throughout each year".

Like many people I was desperate when I enrolled my mixed breed Tilly at South Mountain Dog Training Center. I was having a lot of behavior problems with her - so off we went to dog school. I had dogs all my life but was not firm enough with Tilly. It became apparent to me that I did not have a “bad” dog---I just needed to learn the skills to handle a little dog with a lot of energy! We started to walk and practice every day…and soon things were getting better with Tilly’s behavior. From start to finish of the 8-week class Tilly’s whole attitude changed – she was becoming a different dog and I was amazed. I loved the classes so much that I enrolled in the Advanced Beginner class and then joined the South Mountain Dog Training Center Graduates Club!!! I have trained and had Tilly tested and passed the tests for both the AKC Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dogs International. Tilly & I visit children with handicaps in a group home. It is wonderful to see the children---their faces delighted to be holding a soft warm dog!!

Not too long ago I was able to adopt a little red rescue poodle dog named Rudy. He is wonderful, but very shy and scared so he is also going to classes at South Mountain to learn to be brave!! It’s already doing him a world of good. I see the socialization is changing him already.

My job as a Social Worker has taught me people skills so I bring some knowledge of counseling people---now my job is to work with the dogs & people together as a team. I am delighted to be an apprentice at South Mountain. I hope you’ll love the training as much as I do....

"I have always loved dogs since I was a child. There wasn't a time in our house that we didn't have a dog. My first dog was a mix German Shepherd/Collie. For the past 25 years, I have always had German Shepherds. I obedience trained some of my previous dogs elsewhere. I met Karen with the two German Shepherds that I have now. Both of them were very shy and presented problems to me that I had never encountered before. I've been training them with Karen for over two years and I'm amazed at how much they have changed. Makenna overcame his problems so much that he is now a certified Therapy Dog and he is enjoying Agility. Miah will be doing Agility in the spring. I have always had a love for obedience training but I have also become interested in behavior problems (ie: shyness, fearfulness, aggressiveness, etc.) and how to deal with them. Karen gave me the help I needed which, in turn, gave me the confidence to deal with these problems. I love dogs and love working with people. It's such a good feeling to watch how the dogs and the people change with each week of an 8-week session. By the end of the class, you see the dog and owner respecting each other and becoming a TEAM."

Come and bring your puppies to meet Belle and I at South Mountain Dog Training Center on Wednesday nights for Puppy Preschool. We're always looking forward to making new friends.

As a team, Belle and I are involved in Rottweiler rescue - Belle came from Southeastern Rottweiler Rescue. She was a New York pound puppy. We have been training and working at South Mountain DTC since April of 2000. After training, we became certified with Therapy Dogs International for Therapy Dog work. We
are also working toward showing in AKC obedience competition for our Companion Dog title.

I have had dogs all my life and have been actively involved a very successful kennel business for the past 10 years.

Born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, I graduated from William Allen High School in 1993. I attended Delaware Valley College and received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Food Science with a specialization in Food Technology in 1997. My husband, Mike, and I live in Lynnport, PA (a culture shock from living in the great City of Allentown!).

“Mike and I debated whether to adopt a dog while living in Allentown or to wait until we were settled in a single home in the ‘burbs. In 2000, a mutual friend from high school informed us that her husband’s family pet Golden Retriever was pregnant with a mixed litter of canines. At her brother’s wedding, we were informed that the puppies were to be ready in June. Mike said NO so, as all women do, I gave him evil eyes and the silent treatment. After a few moments of time had passed, he gave in. In June 2000, we adopted Teddi at six weeks old.”

“In November of 2000, I decided to look into obedience training for our mutt. I called numerous training academies and was NOT happy with the results. So, I opened the phone book and called South Mountain Dog Training. Karen impressed me with her theories on obedience (Mike liked the idea of using word NO!). Hence, Teddi was enrolled and completed the Beginner and Advanced Training in 2001.”

“As everyone knows, Labs are wild by nature so Karen suggested we adopt an older dog to tame Teddi. We answered an ad for a FREE German Shepherd and, upon her abandonment on our front door step, we received Jenni as a rescue. With many problems of neglect, I decided to take Jenni to Karen for obedience. In October 2002, Jenni was enrolled in the Beginner Class. Karen took heed to my ability to handle the large dog and asked me if I would be interested in Apprenticeship with her at South Mountain. I was honored and said YES! Jenni completed the Beginner Class in December 2002 and I have been attending various classes since. I truly enjoy working with the dogs and their owners.

I have always loved dogs. As a young child I was going to get married and have dogs - not children. As time went by I compromised; got married, had children and had dogs too. Luckily my husband and children share my love of dogs.

Through the years we have had Floyd a Shepherd/Coonhound mix, Orion an Irish Setter, Jill an English Setter who was a retired show dog and Rusher a Gordon Setter who we rescued. In the past, I have taken some obedience classes with a few different trainers- none made much of an impression on me or the dog I was training. Not seeing improvement, I never followed up with more than one session and just allowed the dogs to be the Alpha of the family.

We now have Riley, a Red Setter (the hunting breed of the Setters). We allowed my son to pick from the litter of dogs. Of course the one that appealed to him was the one jumping all over us and trying to bite his shorts. The breeder warned us that dog was filled with Piss & Vinegar. After a few days at home, our nickname for Riley was “THE DEVIL DOG”. We tried a puppy class other than South Mountain and we saw no improvement. I was disappointed but knew I had to continue trying with Riley to keep what sanity I had left. The South Mountain Dog Training Center peaked my interest. I couldn’t get into Karen’s classes soon enough. At about the second Beginner class “Sergeant Hertzog” used Riley as a demo for a dog who pulled on his leash. She did about 3-4 corrections (calling him stubborn after the 2nd correction) but from that moment on I knew there was hope. I was amazed when I saw what she did using the correct technique and how he responded to her. I was determined to soak up all the knowledge I could to continue using her methods to accomplish having a well-behaved dog.

Many people have commented on the change in Riley and I have told everyone about the wonders of South Mountain. Riley has passed the TDI and CGC. He loves going on Therapy visits. Our newest endeavor with him is agility training.

Many thanks to Karen Hertzog and South Mountain DTC from taking my “Devil Dog” and transforming him (and me too) into “most improved” in his beginner class.

Recently we rescued a handsome Gordon Setter from Missouri. Lou Rawls is a true sweetheart and a wonderful addition to our family. He has completed classes at SMDTC at his own very, very slow pace. Lou passed the TDI test and is currently a Therapy Dog. Training has also helped our transformation from a "one dog" to a "two dog" household.

I am enjoying the other trainers here and enjoy helping owners and dogs to become informed and well-behaved best friends.

LaRue with English Springer "Maggie"
and Peke-A-Poo "Tiger"

LaRue Christman (Apprentice):

The first time I ever had a dog was 40 some years ago with a 2 week old baby, a new house and a new puppy. From then on I always had a dog in the house & “trained” them myself. I didn’t realize how much
I didn’t know.

It wasn’t till my dog "Tiger", a stubborn 4 year old Peek-A-Poo, had behavior problems (pulling on his
leash during walks, not coming when called and barking in the house for no reason) that I didn’t know
how to solve. I decided to take him to training classes and I heard of South Mountain Dog Training
Center through my dog groomer.

We went through Beginner & Advanced Beginner classes with much improvement in his behavior. Both
Tiger and I learned a lot. Now it is a pleasure to go for walks, he comes when called and the barking
for no reason has stopped. Tiger has passed the test for Therapy Dog and I look forward to doing
visits with him.

Last December I lost an 18 year old Miniature Collie named "Sadie" and now I have a 1 year old
English Springer Spaniel named "Maggie". We have gone through Puppy Preschool, Beginner, and
Advanced Beginner Training. In the future I want to have Maggie tested for Therapy dog.

After going through the classes with "Tiger", Karen asked if I would like to apprentice and I jumped
at the chance. I look forward to meet you and learn with you.

Rita with her Golden Retrievers "Ella" and "Sam"

Rita Rudiak (Trainer - Temporarily on Leave):

Hello, my name is Rita Rudiak. I’m married for 20 plus years, though it seems like Michael and I have known each other all our lives. We live in Allentown, we have twins, a boy and a girl - though most
people refer to them as male and female - they’re Golden Retrievers named Sam and Ella..yes, if you
say it fast it sounds like salmonella.Sam and Ella were born on February 14, 2004 and are littermates; they are the loves of my life!

I’ve either been around or had various pets all my life, my cousins had a farm and as kids we spent
lots of time on the farm. Who knew I’d ride cows and pigs before horses ? But that made my childhood
so much fun! When my husband and I talked about getting a pet, I thought we were planning on just
one. But somehow my husband suggested that we get 2, they’d keep each other company when we had
to leave them at home..it sounded like a good idea. We fell in love with our pooches the minute we laid eyes on them and knew we had to have both of them. It didn’t take long until I realized that 2 puppies were twice the work as one, and that I wasn’t able to spend enough time with each of them individually,
to train them.

That was when I called Karen. I heard a lot about her, and her training programs, and knew that was where we’d start. I remember calling Karen to enroll my 2, 9 week old Goldens in puppy pre school. And Karen asked me “what was I thinking, when I got littermates?” I knew then, that I was in for “lots” of work. Karen not only helped me enroll in the next session but told me to come up to her training center and she’d give me some “immediate” help and get us headed in the right direction. I LOVE my 2 Goldens, and know how important it is to have them both be well-trained. They just turned 1 year and we’ve
made LOTS of progress since they joined our family… we still have some “issues” we’re working on but
our issues list has certainly decreased.I remember telling my friends when we got our puppies, and ALL
of the issues we had, I used to think they’d never be well-behaved but with Karen’s instructions, and
many hours of practice, we’ve made lots of progress.

Ella has completed all 3 levels of training at South Mountain, Sam will begin his 3rd level next month
and I never knew how important the proper training was until now. I can’t walk them together yet, but when I take either one of them for a walk and I stop, whoever I’m walking stops, when I resume walking, they resume walking. We have received many compliments from neighbors as they’ve seen us walk the neighborhood almost every day since we go them, and some people passing by have commented “how did
you get them to sit automatically at the corner?" I’ve been trying to do that since I got my dogs. It makes me VERY proud of their progress, and I smile the rest of the walk!

When I completed the advanced class with Ella, Karen walked over and handed me a paper as she
asked me to join her team as an apprentice in training….I was shocked, and honored, I anxiously look forward to working with you and your pets to strengthen the bond you will share with them as you
practice Karen’s techniques. See you soon!

Brandon and "Claire"

Brandon McKee (Trainer):

I’ve been a big fan of dogs my whole life.This was a problem during my childhood because I was
actually allergic to most dogs. When I was twelve I finally talked my parents into getting a dog. He
was a Peek-a-Poo named Skezics. I read all the books I could get my hands on, and I was sure I
knew how to care for and train dogs.

Fast forward about sixteen years down the road and my girlfriend introduced me to another pretty girl named Claire.She was rescued from a shelter in West Virginia and needed a good home. Although she
is a very friendly and loving dog, she had a list of behavior problems about a mile long. She ate
everything in the house, everything in the backyard, and she liked to dig holes half-way to China.
When I took her for a walk I felt like I was water skiing behind a speed boat.Suddenly I realized
that I really didn’t know how to train dogs.

After hearing several good recommendations, I enrolled in the Beginner class at South Mountain Dog Training Center. I got an education in how to train and care for dogs and it showed. Claire and I
worked together week in and week out and she became a very obedient, friendly, loving dog. We now
had the tools necessary to communicate with one another. After successfully completing the Beginner
Class, we enrolled in the Advanced Beginner Obedience Class. We now learned to take our new skill off leash, and the night after graduation, Claire passed the Therapy Dog Test.

I was excited when Karen asked me to join the team at South Mountain Dog Training Center. I love helping people communicate with their dogs by the same methods that worked for me while in class and today. We have a lot of fun in class and I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Halina and "River"

Halina Skelding (new apprentice):

I have always had a great love for animals. When I was growing up my parents would only let me get a
cat and I knew that when I married I would have a dog. I now have 5 dogs and love them dearly -
each one is so special in their own way. I have 3 Shih Tzu’s that are 14 years old and Annie, my
Golden Retriever, is 10 years old.

I didn’t know about South Mountain Dog Training Center when I got my puppies and only did some puppy training at the vets. I thought that was enough and I was happy with it - or so I thought!!! Then we decided it was time for a new puppy and we got "River", an 8 week old yellow Lab. We
knew that we really needed help with him. That is when I found South Mountain Dog Training
Center. It was one of the best things I did in my life. We started with Puppy Preschool, then
took two Beginner classes and then went on to Advanced Beginner. I hated when classes were
over. I feared that River would turn into a monster, but I kept doing all of the training with him
and he is turning into a wonderful well-behaved dog. I will keep taking him to more Advanced
classes because he and I LOVE it and you just can’t learn enough. There is something new to
learn each and everytime that we go to class. The trainers are just wonderful people and really care about you and your pet and will go the extra mile to help you. I hope to help you to have a
well-behaved dog that you are happy to live with !!

Mike and "Lucy"

Mike Detweiler (apprentice):

I grew up having all sorts of animals that encompassed the family zoo: birds, chipmunks, mice, fish, all sorts amphibians, cats, and, certainly dogs. While enjoying all of them, the dogs were my always my favorite. All of them were Beagles, and each one carried the true spirit of a hound.

When I returned home after 5 years to the Lehigh Valley from upstate New York and bought my house,
I decided I wanted a dog to make my house a home. After much deliberation, I opted to get my
miniature dachshund, "Lucy", and while not a Beagle, she is still a hound in every sense of the breed,
and in some ways more. Soaking wet, she weighs barely weighs 10 lbs., but she has the attitude and
moxy of a dog 10 ten times her weight.

During her puppyhood, she started to exhibit some behaviors typical for a dog that is, quite frankly, spoiled. It was when my $150 running shoes were eaten that I decided to enroll Lucy in school. Since
then, we have taken the Puppy Preschool, Beginner, and Advanced classes at South Mountain Dog Training Center. From these classes, both of us have learned a great deal, and at the same time we have had a fun and enjoyable experience.

My eventual goal for Lucy is for her to become a therapy dog. I look forward to helping you reach whatever goals you have set for yourself and your dog.

Kevin, "Maya", and Leslie

Biography not yet available
Kevin Gordon (Trainer, Parking Lot Patrol, etc.) and
Leslie Phillips (Assistant Head Trainer):

Joanne with Rhodesian Ridgebacks "Gilda" and "Rudy"

Joanne Sora - (apprentice):

I have loved dogs all my life and have owned them most of my adult life. My very first puppy was a German Shepherd mix and I taught her every trick in the book. She could sit, stay, roll over, play
dead, shake, high five, you name it she could do it. However, when I moved from the country to the
city and needed to go on lead, she was terrible. One day she got away from me and I spent an hour
trying to get her. I realized that all the tricks in the world won’t cut it, we needed “obedience”
training. I signed up with Allentown Dog Training Club for Beginner Obedience and that’s when I first
met Karen Hertzog. Buffie and I took two Obedience classes and I was amazed at how she learned to
walk with me on city streets and stopped at the corners to wait for my command to cross the streets.
It was awesome.

In 1988 I graduated from the NY School of Dog Grooming. For the next 12 years worked as the pet groomer for my family’s full service pet shop. During that time I had Shado and Tarzan. Shado, a Lab mix, was too smart for her own good. We immediately signed up for puppy classes, and then beginner obedience. She transformed from a wild puppy into a wonderful companion. But not without a lot of work.Through training, Shado and I bonded and we had a lot of fun doing it.

Tarzan was my first purebred dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback. He was a bit headstrong, but after taking puppy kindergarten and a couple of obedience classes we really came together. Tarzan came to work
with me every day at the pet store. He would greet the customers, keep the kids in line, let me know
if anything was wrong and then be there as my guardian when it was time to close up. Tarzan, while
not certified, was a therapy dog as we would go into the nursing home to visit friends, and he would
stop on every floor to visit everyone. He would sit for an hour with his head on someone’s lap just
letting them pet him. I think he loved it as much as they did. Tarzan was also a Canine Blood Donor
for seven years.

Now I have Rudy and Gilda, two young Rhodesian Ridgebacks who are still in training and quite rambunctious. Rudy is almost two and Gilda is seven months. Rudy has gone through Beginner and Advanced Obedience at South Mountain and Gilda has just finished Puppy Socialization classes. They
are both being shown in the confirmation ring by their breeder, so we’re taking Show Handling Classes,
and Gilda and I are taking puppy agility. Gilda’s next class will be Beginner Obedience at South
Mountain. It is so much fun training with them and I truly believe they love it too. I am hoping that
Rudy will pass his CGC Test. We passed 12 out of 14 exercises--but he was just too happy a dog
to sit still so we’re working on that. I would love for both of them to become therapy dogs, and
perhaps at some point, get my courage to take them into the obedience ring.

One thing I’ve learned through the years of having dogs and raising puppies is that no matter how
much you think you know, when you get a new puppy, you are frazzled. After about 3 or 4 weeks,
you wonder why you did this to yourself!! Patience, persistence, and proper training, do bring things together. I know the great joy that I have had watching my dogs transform from little devil dogs
into true companions. When Karen asked me to join the South Mountain Dog Training Center as an Apprentice Trainer, I was flattered and very excited. Not only do I look forward to continue learning
all I can about dog training, but I also look forward to the opportunity to share with you what I have learned and to help you bond with your dog and transform him/her into that “best friend” you were
hoping for.

Mike with "Brutus"

Mike Frana (trainer):

Amy with "Clyde", "Loki" and "Andre"

Amy Dillon - (Apprentice In Training):