Dog Training Classes

DogeZone now offers training classes! Please call for class times and starting dates. New classes forming all the time!

Training instructors are Laura Salvatore and Cathy Winkler formerly of Bokhara Pet Center. Laura and Cathy have been teaching these classes for over 20 years in the Traverse City area. DogeZone is thrilled to have them!

Current classes offered:

Conformation (Show Handling)
Puppy Kindergarten
Basic Obedience
Advanced Basic Obedience
Competitive Obedience

Training Application - Please print the training application and mail or fax it to us.

Directions to class

Question? If you have a training question and would like to contact Laura or Cathy, feel free to contact them directly at the email address listed below. If you have a question about class scheduling and availability, please contact us at info@dogezone.com.

Contact Laura at: Laura@DogeZone.com
Contact Cathy at: WinklerK9@aol.com

Laura Salvatore has been teaching Puppy Kindergarten and Show Dog Handling classes in the Traverse City area for over 20 years. Laura is the owner of Nitelite Golden Retrievers, breeding champion AKC Golden Retrievers for show, companion, and performance.

Laura's training philosophy is to teach the owners and handlers how to understand their individual dogs, and to build mutual respect, thereby utilizing the dog's natural instincts to please and creating a happy, loving team. She encourages families with children participate, so that the youngsters are empowered to handle their pets properly and successfully. And she is adamant that it be fun for both human AND canine! Her results speak for themselves, with many clients returning to her classes with their second, third, and even fourth dogs. She says she realizes how long she has been doing this when she sees the children and grandchildren of her first clients attending classes with their dogs! (She will then tell you that she was only 10 when she started teaching!)

"I consider it a privilege and a pleasure to help our community's families with their pets, and to be able to experience the joy and companionship that a well behaved dog can add to their lives. I am also thrilled beyond words when my Show Dog Handling students have successes and call me from a show to tell me they have won - I feel as if I have won, too!" Laura Salvatore

Cathy Winkler has been “in dogs” for over 30 years. She started teaching about 28 years ago and has enjoyed every minute of it. She loves the beginning classes the best, as the dog often comes in “a heathen” and in 6 weeks has become a civilized member of the family. “I feel that in many cases, I have helped the family keep the dog in the household.”

Teaching classes is mostly helping owners learn to teach their own dogs and it is Cathy’s job to use the method that works best for each individual and their dog. Each person and dog is unique and Cathy very much enjoys the challenge of discovering how to make them a team.

Over the years, Cathy has taught Basic, Advanced and Competitive Obedience classes, Beginning through Competitive Agility classes as well as some fun classes such as trick classes and more recently the new AKC Rally classes.

Cathy owns, breeds and trains Portuguese Water Dogs, under the RiverRun prefix, and enjoys training and competing with them in many venues, including competitive obedience, tracking, water work, agility, rally and the breed ring.

Have a question? Please e-mail us at: Highland's DogeZone

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