Kristin Kaldahl

Kristin began training dogs at 14 years old when she trained her first dog, a collie, to his CD (Companion Dog) title in obedience.

Currently, Kristin and her dogs Aslan, a Sheltie, and Jericho (a hard-of-hearing Sheltie) compete in agility, obedience and Rally-O trials. Her dogs have earned 48 titles and certifications.  She is also training her new sheltie puppy, Asher, for agility and hopes to begin trialing him in the next year.

Kristin's show accomplishments include:

-Attending the AKC National Agility Championships in 2007 and 2008 (Aslan).
-Placing 20th in the Nation at the 2008 AKC Agility National Championships with a broken foot. (Aslan)
-Placing first in the Southern Regional Team in the 2007 AKC National Agility Championship ISC Tourney. (Aslan)
--Qualifying four times for the AKC Agility National Championships  (Aslan)
-Earning 2nd Place in Standard at the International Sweepstake Class Tournament in Houston, 2008 (Aslan).
-Took 3rd Place in Standard at the International Sweepstake Class Tournament in Houston 2007. (Aslan)
-Earning Aslan's MACH in 2006.  The first MACH in Oklahoma City!
-Earning Aslan's MACH2 in 2008 in Ponca City, OK.
-Multiple perfect 100 scores in Rally. (Aslan/Jericho)

Previous to starting City Dogs in 2004, Kristin helped owners of house dogs find solutions to problem behaviors. She believes in a positive approach to training as it is well known that corrections in agility do not lead to top level performances. Her students are encouraged to use clickers and food, toys or whatever motivates their dogs to peak performance. She believes strong foundations skills and keeping daily training session fun for both dog and handler lead to great performances. Kristin is known for molding handling systems to each individual human/dog team, not teaching a one-size-fits-all handling approach.

Kristin is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Oklahoma City University with dual degrees in Liberal Arts and Mass Communication. She has been a newspaper reporter, editorial assistant, columnist, office manager, and professional dog trainer, which is her favorite job to date.