It ’ s Question and Answer Time With : Master K9 Trainer “ Leri Hanson ” of
California K9 Services
By Andy Seguess
on the weekends , but at home during the week , was my time to put in the reps . Like most little girls , I grew up with a love for animals , particularly horses . As time went on I needed to downsize my passion to something more affordable and easy to access , so I traded in my horses for dogs .
Leri Hanson owns and operates California K9 Services . She developed a K9 safety awareness for everyone program called “ K9 S . A . F . E ” which is a family owned operation that services the Long Beach and surrounding cities . She has extensive experience in working dogs especially the American Pit Bull Terrier . She has been an active APBT enthusiasts for over 18 years and has competed regionally and nationally in Schutzhund , French Ring and Mondio Ring
Q . Can you give us a little background on yourself ? How you got into dog training and what it is about working dogs that make you so passionate ?
My parents always had a house full of dogs ; dad loved Dobermans and mom loved Chihuahuas . I would go with my dad to the local obedience class
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Q . Did you have any mentors and who have been some of your biggest influences ?
I have several mentors , both past and present . These are the people who have influenced me the most .
Sandy Comer was a big influence when I first started , not because I had her dogs but because she offered both handling and obedience training classes at her property in Riverside . Sandy had a knack for taking on newbies under her wing . At the time it made perfect sense for two reasons , it was convenient since I lived nearby , and more importantly , her classes were great fun .
Nancy Corbet ( UKC obedience judge ), who later became a strong competitive influence for me as well as a dear friend . My very first obedience competition was in Sub Novice and there my boy Frazier ended up tied with a Peach poodle ; and the sudden death run off began . I was new to competing , and without knowing what else to do , I just rolled with the flow . To my surprise , we rolled right into first place that day . I was indeed surprised , excited and proud of my self-taught pooch Frazier .
The judge too , was impressed by our victory . So much so that after the trial Nancy approached me about joining her club Pacific Coast Obedience Club ( PCOC ). Soon PCOC was working handin-hand with the local APBT clubs to offer both obedience and conformation at the events . Nancy was tough , no nonsense and became a huge fan of the breed . She was also a contributing author for