About Me
My name is Sandy Hollins, and I am the owner of Fresh Start Dog Training. I have loved dogs and been around them from a very young age. Growing up, we always had English Springer Spaniels and my father was a dog handler for the Department of Natural Resources, during which he handled multiple German Shepherds. In 2016, I got my first German Shepherd puppy and named him Baron. We worked as a team through basic, intermediate, and advanced obedience classes. In 2017, I found the sport of Schutzhund (now called IGP) and fell in love with the high level of obedience training required to do the sport. I obtained an IGP1 with Baron in the fall of 2019, and he sadly passed away in the beginning of 2020.
Currently, I am training my two German Shepherds, Georgie (IGP3, AD) and Arwen (IGP2, AD), and competing at various levels in the phases of tracking, obedience, and protection.
I have been an active member in my dog training club for 7 years. I am on the executive as the treasurer, and I am a training assistant to help coach members within the club. I am a member in good standing with the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada (GSSCC) and I’m on the East Region Board as Regional Trial Director. I have attended numerous seminars taught by people from all around the world. The most recent was a 5 day workshop in BC taught by top level competitors!
Over the past 7 years, I have gained so much knowledge on dog training and behaviour and I am still learning! I made a fair number of mistakes with Baron’s upbringing, but mistakes are how you learn and grow. I want to share what I have learned with you all and help you become a better owner to your canine companion.
It is never too late to learn and make better choices for you and your dog.
It is never too late for a fresh start!