Patrice Leipham

     ​Patrice Leipham grew up on a farm in a small town in Pennsylvania.  During her youth, she was never far from a horse or a dog and competed actively in horse events into her early adult years.  She chose an extraordinary career to pursue and majored in Piano Performance at Temple University where she received a Bachelor’s of Music degree performing with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and as a soloist.  A circulatory disorder ended her performance career and led her to teach the art of piano to students in Philadelphia, North Carolina, and Virginia. During this time, she created an approach for teaching piano to developmentally challenged students that was presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Music in Medicine given in New York City. Later she was featured in Keyboard Magazine for achievements in teaching physically and developmentally challenged students while at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, PA.

     Patrice missed her farming roots and returned to horses until an injury led her to downscale to dogs, specifically Rottweilers. Her first Rottie was a wild rescue that had a degenerative joint disease. Although this limited her obedience career, it didn’t affect her sense of smell. Jessie was the first dog to complete the qualifications for a TDX at Oatlands Plantation. Several more Rotts followed through the years and completed advanced titles in obedience and agility. Several were ranked in the Top 10 Rotts in America in both sports. She campaigned Tubbs, who completed his UDX, OM1, TD, and OTCH in 2014 at the age of 4. Patrice currently resides in Front Royal, VA with her husband, Neil and a Tubbs' son, Rip. Rip is actively training in obedience, tracking, dock diving, herding, and agility. 

​     Tubbs’ talent has led Patrice to seek out the best trainers in the country that share her training philosophy. It was during this search that Patrice started working with Celeste Meade, Bridget Carlsen, Petra Ford, and Brenda Aloff. Patrice's approach offers alternatives for the trainer, other than the conventional or traditional methods. The goals of "offering" behaviors for a reward through relationship building are very attainable for all breeds. Your dog will start tap-dancing before long to achieve his reward! Free-thinking off-leash training promoting strong focus and drive are some of the essential pillars in this innovative method of training. Ultimately the rewards of a strong partnership and excellent communication result in positive behavioral offerings that can be incorporated in any activity the handler chooses to do with his or her canine partner — inside and outside the home!