Understanding the dog in front of you.
Over the past three decades, my work with dogs has included training, showing, and raising German Shepherds. But the most important lesson has always been learning to understand the individual dog, and the relationship we build with them.
More than 40 Years in the Making
Long before von Lotta was founded, German Shepherds were already shaping the course of my life. This photo was taken in 1978 – my grandfather’s German Shepherd, Amur, sitting watch beside my mother and me.
My grandfather, a decorated World War II veteran, had seen these dogs working alongside soldiers. Their intelligence, loyalty, and courage stayed with him long after the war ended. In the 1970s, he finally brought home a German Shepherd of his own. From my earliest years, I grew up hearing stories about Amur – his deep loyalty and the enormous presence he held in our family.
After Amur passed, my grandfather never had another dog.
A Stray Dog and a Military Trainer
When my family moved to a military town in Kazakhstan, I found a stray dog and named her Naida. At 10 years old, I began training her using a dog training book I found, until a retired military dog trainer noticed us and took me under his wing.
He shared his experience in military dog training, as we trained together every week. Within months, we had a full regiment of off-leash obedience, retrieves, obstacle courses, and early protection work.
Those early years gave me something I didn’t yet have a name for: structure, timing, and an understanding of how clearly a dog responds when communication is precise. At the time, I didn’t think of it as a career. It was simply how I spent my time, but I already became deeply obcessed with dog training.
From Lotta with Love
In 1991 Ukraine, as the Soviet Union was falling apart and the economy was in shambles, I got my first German Shepherd puppy. I named her Yutana de Lotta, calling her Lotta for short. I was a teenager then, and with Lotta, I went to dog husbandry classes, show dog classes, obedience courses, and protection training. Eventually, I also apprenticed to become a conformation judge.
Lotta largely shaped my journey as a dog trainer, and even who I became as a person. In 2001, I moved to the United States and brought Lotta with me.
Two Decades of Elite Titling
After taking a few months to heal from Lotta’s eventual passing, I started looking for a new German Shepherd puppy. I quickly realized that American German Shepherds were very different from European bloodline dogs. This distinction led me to found Kennels von Lotta in 2005, dedicating myself to importing, training, and raising German Shepherds directly from Germany.
Over the next twenty years, I built an active career with the kennel. I imported five National Champions (Siegers), trained and titled my own dogs from puppies to SchH1, SchH2, and multiple BHs, and showed and titled dogs on competitive fields in Germany. This intensive journey allowed me to further hone my skills while learning from some of the best trainers in the sport.
Boutique Care and Selective Training
Twenty years of competitive kennel work taught me to see dogs with great clarity: their drives, their thresholds, their individual language. What I noticed along the way was that family dogs often don’t get that kind of understanding. They are loved deeply, sometimes to a fault, by owners who miss their subtle signals or unknowingly nurture the very behaviors that limit their dog’s world.
A dog that can’t walk calmly on a leash doesn’t get to go places. A dog whose anxiety goes unrecognized doesn’t get the help it needs. And that gap – between how much these dogs are loved and how well they are understood – is exactly where I work.
Today, I welcome a select few dogs into our home for boutique boarding and private training. Not because I’ve stepped back from serious dog work, but because this is serious dog work. Just with family dogs, where it matters most.
EXPERIENCE THE VON LOTTA DIFFERENCE
Elite Care. Tailored Training. Right at Home.
Because I intentionally welcome only a small number of dogs into our home at a time, availability can be limited. Whether you’re looking for boutique home boarding or personalized training, I would love to learn more about your dog.