OTTAWA — In Putnam County out on Road L-1, one can find Country K9 Kennels, LLC. Kathy Kaufman and her staff provide a variety of services for your furry family member. Grooming, boarding, and training are available in one location.
This is Kathy Kaufman’s second career.
“I was an accountant for 30 years. I decided I wanted to do something a little different, and I took about two years of schooling for it,” she said. “I am a master dog trainer; I really love the dog training part of it. It’s something that I love; it’s a God thing actually.”
Grooming is a large part of the business; completing about 120 to 122 grooms a week. Groomers undergo regular training to deliver top-of-the-line dog grooming. Groomers stay up to date on current styles and techniques, paying attention to symmetry and hair type, catering to all breeds and personalities.
“We need to work together with our clients to get our dogs so that grooming is a positive,” Kaufman said. “We’re holistic groomers. We make sure that we do what’s the absolute best for the dog. I am a holistic groomer. I care about the dog, how the dog is going to react, how it’s going to feel.”
The kennel is a climate-controlled facility, warm in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. They can board up to 50 dogs in the summer. With the additional summer help. dogs are brushed daily and exercised four times a day.
“We know our dogs, who does the best where. Some of the dogs we have to walk by hand, and some of them love to be on a 25-foot line because they run and play with the guy next to them. They can never touch face-to-face, because anytime you get a group of dogs together, you’re going to run into the problem of someone trying to find out who’s alpha. They are pack animals.”
Kaufman believes that many dogs are bred for certain purposes, and families need to thoroughly research the breed before getting a dog. They have to investigate a lot more before they decide to get a dog.
“Dogs that have been bred to herd animals, you know the Aussies, they will herd your kids if you’re not careful,” she said.
Kaufman particularly likes training dogs.
“Dogs are very intelligent. They can learn up to 500 words. We really underestimate them a lot. So they are amazing animals. They can learn so many things so quickly,” she said.
Basic obedience training, the Puppy Star and Canine Good Citizen Certification from the American Kennel Club are available. Classes are in a group setting and are six weeks long. In dog training, Kaufman says that consistency is everything.
“Keep it the same. The words the same. The rules the same. Everything the same, and that dog will learn quickly. So consistency is everything,” she said.
Four people had come in wanting their pets’ nails trimmed.
“They come in, and we trim nails for free. Vets are charging a lot to trim nails. We do them for free. It works good and only takes us a minute,” she said. “It’s easy. It’s just something we do to give back.”
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