About Us
Welcome to K-9
Top Performance
K-9 Top Performance is a full-service dog training, boarding and daycare facility located in Reading, MA. Housed within its 8,000 square feet of space are three training floors and 18 state of the art 8X4 steel and concrete kennels for boarding. Services are available to all breeds of dogs.
At K-9 we understand that some dogs require specialized training and attention. Our doors are open to all dogs, which include dogs with past challenges and behavioral issues. K-9 Top Performance is fully equipped to address any issues including but not limited to: people aggression, dog aggression, anxiety, fear, and basic obedience. We want to help foster the kind of relationship that every good dog and owner deserve to have with each other. We use a balanced approach to training, focusing on what works best for each individual dog. We find this very effective, and feel it helps to create a strong relationship with you and your dog.
Meet The Team
Karen Stock
Karen originally started out at K9 Top Performance as a client, over 23 years ago, with her first working dog, her German Shepherd Nico. She is our longest continuous client!
After spending 30 plus years in the world of banking and brokerage firms, she decided she needed a change and took early retirement to join our team in May of 2018, and never looked back.
She is now our Operations Director for our parent company, overseeing all of our facilities, as well as the acting General Manager for two of our locations.
Besides keeping the businesses running smoothly and watching your dogs learn and grow, her favorite part of the day is greeting every dog as they come into our facility in the morning, and giving out treats and love before they go home. She believes that all of the dogs that participate in our Daycare, Training, and Boarding programs are an integral part of our Family, and treats/ loves every dog as if they were her own.
Karen is a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. She would like to eventually become a certified dog behavior consultant.
When she’s not at work, she spends her free time with her Dutch Shepherd, Rambo (a familiar face at K9, as he’s usually keeping an eye on things from our main training floor) and they enjoy hiking, training in different environments, swimming and spending time at their other home near Acadia National Park.
Nick Nastri
Nick Nastri started out at K9 Top Performance as a teenaged volunteer, working as a kennel technician, and in the daycare, working throughout his high school years.
After graduation, Nick became a full-time trainer, and Assistant Manager, at K9 Top Performance; working with all dog breeds and specializing in dogs with behavioral issues. Since then, he has become the Director of our training program for our obedience, behavior modification and protection training programs Nick believes that training is the start to your best relationship with your dog, and wants all of our clients to have as fun and fulfilling a relationship with their dogs as he does with his own.
Nick is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. He is a decoy for personal protection and sport dogs, as well as Law Enforcement K9‘s. He is also an Eagle Scout!
When he’s not at work, Nick trains with his personal dog Ares, a bicolor German Shepherd Dog. In October 2021, Nick and Ares earned their PDC at the Nomad Working Dogs PSA trial, and in the fall of 2023 earned their PSA 1 title and are actively training towards competing for their PSA2.
Carleena Sparrow
From a very young age ,Carleena has had a passion for animals and especially for dog training. One day, she found a video on Instagram of a man working his dog, and started following his account. As she watched his videos she learned that the trainer she was watching had originally trained at K9 Top Performance, and her interest in the company grew. She reached out to see if the company was hiring, and started out as a kennel technician.
In a short time, we realized that Carleena was a naturally talented handler and had an aptitude for training, and offered her a training position. Since that time, she has worked with all breeds and ages of dogs, and truly enjoys watching her students grow and progress. She is amazing at educating her clients on training and behaviors and believes that building a relationship between dogs and their handlers is of utmost importance.
Carleena is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her personal dog.
Jacob Whiteford
Jacob joined the K9 Top Performance family originally when he brought his German Shepherd puppy Bella to Steve Roberts for personal training. While working with and talking to Steve, he was intrigued by the business and asked if we were hiring, and started working in our daycare. He was very interested in canine behaviors and thought training might be something interesting to try, so after working with Steve for his own dog's training, and spending a couple of years managing our daycare and learning pack behavior, he asked Steve to mentor him.
Since he has been with us, Jacob has worked with puppies, adult dogs , senior dogs, and dogs with behavioral issues. He enjoys working with the dogs and their owners and watching the change in their relationship as the owner gets more confident in their handling skills. He has also started working as a decoy with our protection and competition dogs as well as working with and decoying for other dog clubs. Jacob is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program.
When Jacob isn’t at work, he likes to fish in tournaments, is an avid Baltimore sports teams fan, and spends his time working with his personal dogs: Sully, Bella and Thor. Jacob is hoping to have his long coat German Shepherd, Sully, ready to compete in Protection Sports this upcoming 2024 season.
Karen Stock
Operations Director
Karen originally started out at K9 Top Performance as a client, over 23 years ago, with her first working dog, her German Shepherd Nico. She is our longest continuous client!
After spending 30 plus years in the world of banking and brokerage firms, she decided she needed a change and took early retirement to join our team in May of 2018, and never looked back.
She is now our Operations Director for our parent company, overseeing all of our facilities, as well as the acting General Manager for two of our locations.
Besides keeping the businesses running smoothly and watching your dogs learn and grow, her favorite part of the day is greeting every dog as they come into our facility in the morning, and giving out treats and love before they go home. She believes that all of the dogs that participate in our Daycare, Training, and Boarding programs are an integral part of our Family, and treats/ loves every dog as if they were her own.
Karen is a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. She would like to eventually become a certified dog behavior consultant.
When she’s not at work, she spends her free time with her Dutch Shepherd, Rambo (a familiar face at K9, as he’s usually keeping an eye on things from our main training floor) and they enjoy hiking, training in different environments, swimming and spending time at their other home near Acadia National Park.
Nick Nastri
Training Director and Assistant Manager
Nick Nastri started out at K9 Top Performance as a teenaged volunteer, working as a kennel technician, and in the daycare, working throughout his high school years.
After graduation, Nick became a full-time trainer, and Assistant Manager, at K9 Top Performance; working with all dog breeds and specializing in dogs with behavioral issues. Since then, he has become the Director of our training program for our obedience, behavior modification and protection training programs Nick believes that training is the start to your best relationship with your dog, and wants all of our clients to have as fun and fulfilling a relationship with their dogs as he does with his own.
Nick is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. He is a decoy for personal protection and sport dogs, as well as Law Enforcement K9‘s. He is also an Eagle Scout!
When he’s not at work, Nick trains with his personal dog Ares, a bicolor German Shepherd Dog. In October 2021, Nick and Ares earned their PDC at the Nomad Working Dogs PSA trial, and in the fall of 2023 earned their PSA 1 title and are actively training towards competing for their PSA2.
Carleena Sparrow
Assistant Manager
From a very young age ,Carleena has had a passion for animals and especially for dog training. One day, she found a video on Instagram of a man working his dog, and started following his account. As she watched his videos she learned that the trainer she was watching had originally trained at K9 Top Performance, and her interest in the company grew. She reached out to see if the company was hiring, and started out as a kennel technician.
In a short time, we realized that Carleena was a naturally talented handler and had an aptitude for training, and offered her a training position. Since that time, she has worked with all breeds and ages of dogs, and truly enjoys watching her students grow and progress. She is amazing at educating her clients on training and behaviors and believes that building a relationship between dogs and their handlers is of utmost importance.
Carleena is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her personal dog.
Jacob Whiteford
Trainer
Jacob joined the K9 Top Performance family originally when he brought his German Shepherd puppy Bella to Steve Roberts for personal training. While working with and talking to Steve, he was intrigued by the business and asked if we were hiring, and started working in our daycare. He was very interested in canine behaviors and thought training might be something interesting to try, so after working with Steve for his own dog's training, and spending a couple of years managing our daycare and learning pack behavior, he asked Steve to mentor him.
Since he has been with us, Jacob has worked with puppies, adult dogs , senior dogs, and dogs with behavioral issues. He enjoys working with the dogs and their owners and watching the change in their relationship as the owner gets more confident in their handling skills. He has also started working as a decoy with our protection and competition dogs as well as working with and decoying for other dog clubs. Jacob is working towards becoming a certified AKC Evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Family Dog Program, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program.
When Jacob isn’t at work, he likes to fish in tournaments, is an avid Baltimore sports teams fan, and spends his time working with his personal dogs: Sully, Bella and Thor. Jacob is hoping to have his long coat German Shepherd, Sully, ready to compete in Protection Sports this upcoming 2024 season.
Client Reviews
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Unleash Joy: K9 Excellence
Elevate your dog's happiness with
K9 Top Performance. Expert training,
dignified accommodation, and
unparalleled care.
