Meet the Pro
Meet the Pro
Hey there! I’m Trisha Koetter.
My love of dogs and training began when I was just 3 years old. My mother likes to tell the story of when she was expecting her second child and she asked me if rather have a baby brother or a baby sister? After pondering the question, I replied, “What I’d really like is a puppy!” They bought me a St. Bernard puppy and at 5 years old I won my first trophy at the local 4-H kids dog show in the category “biggest dog”. We later took in a medium sized black spaniel mix named “Bitsy”. She followed me to elementary school every morning and was waiting for me everyday when I got out. I taught her tricks and obedience from books that I’d read. Then one day when I was about 12 years old, I heard that there was going to be a kids dog show for the Harvest Homecoming. I leashed up Bitsy and walked to Community Park (my parents would have died had they known!) and won both the Trick and Obedience classes and then … Best In Show. I was hooked.
My first AKC registered dog for show was Breaker, a black cocker spaniel bought from an ad in the newspaper. I took my first real obedience class with her at Futter’s training center in Clarksville, IN in 1989. We won first place in the class, and I became friends with the group up there that competed with their dogs in AKC events. When Breaker was just 11 months old we entered our first AKC Novice Obedience trial, scored 195/200, and won first place. I was finally on the road to competing in real dog shows and I have never looked back.
I next competed with my beloved Bernese Mountain Dog “Stormy”. We accomplished so many things together with the pinnacle of our journey being the capture of first ever AKC OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) Bernese Mountain in history.
After Stormy, I switched gears and began the journey into agility with a little Havanese, Roxy. Roxy far surpassed any goals I could have ever imagined, competing and placing at tournaments on the National level and retiring with MACH8.
Stung by the agility bug, I moved into the wonderful world of Border Collies. My first Border Collie was Fury. We still compete today, though she is starting into the retirement phase of her career at 10 years old having finished 3 MACHs along the way. Fury finished 27/359 in 2017 at AKC Nationals in the 20” class. My youngest Border Collie is Proof. She is a speedy little rascal and a true joy. I am excited to see her full potential unfold as we grow and train together.
Outside of the dog world, I am a graduate of Indiana University with a BS in Business Marketing from the Kelly School Business and a Minor in Psychology.
Notable Accomplishments
Bernese Mountain Dog “Stormy”
5 All-Breed High in Trial’s
4 All-Breed High Combined’s
4 time BMDCA Top Open B winner
2 time BMDCA Top Utility B winner
BMDCA Top Utility A winner
2001 GLTC Superdog winner
1st OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) Bernese Mountain Dog in AKC history
Havanese “Roxy”
MACH (Master Agility Champion) title in 2008 (Novice to MACH in 18 months) and retired with MACH 8
3rd overall for Havanese in AKC Agility in 2008 & 2009, and 2nd in 2010
Eukanuba Invitational 5 years and finalists in ’09, ’10, & ’12 finishing 3rd in the 8” division in ’09
8" Jr’s Agility Champion running with Chase in 2012
Finished 18th in the 8" division at AKC Nationals in 2011
Finalist at the 2016 Westminster Masters Agility Championships in NY which aired on Fox Sports and Nat Geo Wild
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
— Walt Disney