“Would Recommend Karen’s Classes for Anyone Whose Dog Needs a Confidence Boost”

“Skylar and I have been taking agility classes under the instruction of Karen since Spring 2014 – we most likely wouldn’t be doing as well as we are under another instructor. Skylar is quite environmentally sensitive and Karen found a way to work with it. While she was able to teach all the other dogs in our class in close proximity she would distance herself for the comfort of my dog. At a distance she was still able to describe what she wanted us to do clearly. I would recommend Karen’s classes for anyone who thinks their dog needs a confidence boost. Agility has given my dog a job she enjoys doing.”

– Lauren Hastie

“We Look Forward to Our Weekly Dog Agility Training Sessions with Karen”

“Zeeva and I started agility with Karen in the fall of 2015, and it was quickly apparent that we both loved it. With Karen’s expert guidance, we are now ready for our first agility trial! We still have lots to learn, and look forward to our weekly training sessions with Karen.”

– Alison Brydle

“Karen is a Keen Observer of Dogs”

“I have been taking agility classes with Karen for about a year. This is the longest I have committed to one instructor. I have stayed with Karen because of her ability to think through challenges from a dog’s perspective. Agility is much more than learning how to navigate physical obstacles. There are many mental challenges for both dog and human. For my dogs, learning needs to be safe and fun or they will ‘check out’. You need to develop a trusting relationship with your dog and that can be facilitated and mediated by a trainer such as Karen, with her years of experience as a competitor, an instructor and a keen observer of dogs.”

– Brenda Alexander, Director, Chilliwack Society for Community Living

“Treats Each Dog as an Individual”

“I have an extremely nervous dog who is afraid of people. I wanted to do an agility class to help him build his confidence but I needed the right kind of instructor. Karen is excellent. She gives my dog lots of space and doesn’t make eye contact. She really understands and respects a fearful dog. She treats each dog as an individual and lets them learn at their own pace. It took three weeks for Parker to go through a very short tunnel, but now he shoots through the long tunnel like a pro. We really enjoy the class, have lots of fun and Parker has definitely gained confidence. Thanks Karen!”

– April & Parker

“Fun Classes for All Types of Dogs”

“I found Karen Lau on the Internet after I was looking to get my very challenging “Desi Dog” (rescue dog from India) into some kind of activity that would be stimulating for her both mentally and physically. However on our first private session, Kira was too fearful to even get on the table no matter how hard I tried. Karen is so patient and does not believe in forcing a dog to do anything. Now Kira has improved greatly and loves to go to class – Karen has even set up a private Desi Dog only class where our dogs (who will never be agility champions) can learn and improve in an environment that they feel safe in! Thank you Karen for your fun classes for all types of dogs!”

– Teresa Beere Johnson

“Highly Recommend Karen’s Agility Class”

“I highly recommend Karen’s agility class. I took her beginner agility class and learned a lot. I particularly enjoy Karen’s style of teaching as she is very encouraging and gives positive comments freely. Karen conducts herself in a professional manner. I look forward to spending more time learning in such a positive environment.”

– Sheree & Sam

“Fell in Love with the Sport”

“I started dog agility in 2015, and from the beginning I fell in love with the sport, as well as my instructor, Karen. Karen has lots of experience, she is professional, personal and humorous. Our sessions are always exciting, as Karen changes course or exercises each week. She is open if you have a request to work and practice something. You can ask Karen for any advice and she will gladly share her experience and knowledge with everyone. I would highly recommend Karen!”

– Blanka Zeinabova & Luca

“Enjoying Your Classes”

“CONGRATULATIONS Karen on passing your exam for CPDT-KA!

I have to say that Aubrey and I are so enjoying your classes! Your knowledge and your patience make them so pleasurable!”

– Marian Bijsterveld-Smits

“Has Helped Me to Challenge & Raise Competitiveness”

“I have been training with Karen for about 8 months now. I travel 25 miles one way and cross the border from the US to train with her. For the 4 previous years I trained with my club in the US in a horse facility that has become less maintained and much more distracting over time to my beagle. She was being held back in the beginning classes by the instructors there, as they were only able to focus on her failures and seemingly missed the fact that she did have some brilliant moments and was actually more skilled than many of the dogs in the advanced classes.

Karen took me straight into her advanced class and has helped me to challenge her and raise her level of competitiveness and focus. Duchess is now turning into quite the little agility star! We have more Q’s this year than in our previous 3 years of trialing put together and hope to be in AKC Excellent level Jumpers and Standard by year end and likely get our first MACH points. I also hope to be in Advanced level in all the AAC classes by that time, as we trial less in AAC than we do in AKC at this point.”

– Charity Marlin & Borthwich Duchess Red

“I Look Forward to Every Session”

“Karen has a unique ability to instil a very high technical standard while maintaining a supportive and friendly relationship among her students. Though working in a group environment she takes the necessary time to assess and address the individual needs of each team. This individual attention brings an additional quality to the already enjoyable environment.

As someone new to this sport this balance has made me strive to a level I didn’t think possible in such a short amount of time. Karen truly cares about her students and their dogs. Thanks to Karen this sport has become a major part of my life and I look forward to every upcoming session.”

– Trina & Kenya

“I Highly Recommend Karen”

“I first approached Karen Lau as a complete beginner in agility about 3 years ago. She worked with me in the training of my first agility dog Rookie, with the result that he qualified and placed 12th for the BC / Yukon Regionals 2007 at under 2 years of age. Since that time, he has gone on to gain many agility titles.

My second agility dog Blaze, has also been training with Karen, and her innovative techniques for teaching handling skills for distance work have resulted in a 15-month-old puppy who already performs at a masters level when gambling or working at a distance. Further, after only a couple months of working with Karen on weave poles, my young dog is extremely fast and reliable, and is consistently and independently able to seek out find even very difficult weave entries on his own.

I highly recommend Karen to all agility enthusiasts; whether you are training as a hobby or planning to compete nationally and internationally, Karen has the dog handling and teaching skills to help you achieve your goals.”

– Arya Rutz & Blaze

“Holds Students to a Very High Standard”

“Over the course of my agility training, I have taken classes with many different agility instructors. However, I have found that since training with Karen Lau, my and my dog’s technical skills have improved dramatically.

Karen is a technical instructor, and holds her students to a very high standard. She also seems to have a plan for each training session, with a ‘big picture’ plan to develop our skills in each set of classes to the next level. I would not hesitate to recommend Karen as an agility instructor.”

Elke Starr & Rookie