About Taize Shepherd Kennel

Who they are

Taize Shepherd Kennel has been operating in North Chatham since 1972, which makes it by some distance the longest-established training practice in Columbia County. It is run by Charlene Marchand, who the site identifies as a syndicated columnist on training, behavior and health issues and an AKC Breeder of Merit. The site's own description of the business is unambiguous about which half comes first: "Positive Reinforcement Dog Training in North Chatham, NY."

What they offer

Private and group training, all breeds and all ages, on a positive-reinforcement basis. The published specialty is the behavior and transition problems of shelter and rescue dogs — the period after an adoption when a dog is still working out where it has landed. Given the length of the record behind it, this is one of the more considered options in the county for an adopter who has hit a wall.

The rescue and shelter work

Charlene Marchand is described as actively involved in canine rescue and sheltering, and is the co-creator and trainer for the Columbia County Sheriff's "A New Leash on Life" cell dog program — a prison-based program in which incarcerated handlers train shelter dogs toward adoption. That is unusual local credibility, and it is consistent with the practice's stated specialty.

The kennel side

The breeding side is German Shepherds and the site lists what those lines have achieved: select AKC champions, a 2000 Canadian Grand Victrix, United States top-ten K-9 unit service dogs, AKC obedience, agility and herding title holders, NADAC and Schutzhund title holders, therapy dogs and Canine Good Citizens, and Golden Retriever Club performance awards. Those are the kennel's own dogs and their records rather than services on offer, but they show the range of work the household has been involved in across five decades.

Where they cover

The published service region is wide: the New York Capital District, Schenectady and Troy, Saratoga, the Mid-Hudson Valley and western Massachusetts. North Chatham sits close to the Rensselaer County line, so the northern half of that region is a short drive.

Getting started

Contact is by email through the site or on 518-766-3804; the mailing address given is PO Box 36, North Chatham, NY 12132.