Experience

  • Specializes in working breeds, power breeds and dogs with aggression issues. 
  • ​Volunteer Trainer for GSR&RC rescue GSDs in Foster Homes, Board & Train programs and Adopted GSDs, Evaluator and Foster Home
  • American Kennel Club – Trainer and Evaluator (# 93729) for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Community Canine (CGCA), Urban Canine (CGCU), Trick Dog Novice (TKN), Intermediate (TKI), Advanced, (TKA), Performer (TKP) and Elite Performer (TKE)
  • Trained her Rottweilers in IPO under Ivan Balabanov in Plant City, FL
  • Trained service dogs in specialized physical tasks according to ADA laws

Experience

  • National Search and Rescue School – Alumnus
  • Granite State Search Dogs – Search and Rescue (SAR) Team Trainer
  • Rockingham K9 – SAR Team Trainer
  • National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) – Member
  • Retired Army IG Inspection Team
  • Retired State Trooper
  • American Kennel Club – Trainer and Evaluator (#94865) for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Community Canine (CGCA), Urban Canine (CGCU), Trick Dog Novice (TKN), Intermediate (TKI), Advanced, (TKA), Performer (TKP) and Elite Performer (TKE) 
  • ​German Shepherd Resource and Rescue Center, Inc. (GSR&RC) – Evaluator, Trainer, Foster Home, Volunteer 
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Experience

  • The K9Edge Daycare, Boarding and Training Center – Owner, Operator, Trainer
  • North Boston Dog Training – Certified Instructor and Trainer
  • German Shepherd Resource and Rescue Center, Inc. (GSR&RC) – Founder & President, Evaluator, Trainer, Foster Home, Volunteer
  • American Kennel Club – Trainer/Evaluator (#94473) for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Community Canine (CGCA), Urban Canine (CGCU), Trick Dog Novice (TKN), Intermediate (TKI), Advanced, (TKA), Performer (TKP), Elite Performer (TKE)
  • United Schutzhund Club of America – Member
  • North Boston Schutzhund Club – Member
  • Simmons College Graduate School of Management - MBA

The K9Edge is proud to have some of the best and most experienced dog trainers in New England. Our Team comes from a wide variety of training disciplines and experiences and backgrounds. 


Our training methods and styles may differ and that’s ok; your dog may respond better to a particular method. Not every method works for every dog and handler. 


We work with owners to give them the knowledge, tools and guidance needed to communicate with their dogs and work through training challenges and behavioral issues. 

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Bottom line: we all have the same goal of training you and your dog to live a happy and safe life together. 

Dave has been handling and training dogs in Germany and the U.S. for “a hundred years.”  Dave is our Kennel Manager and runs our Obedience classes and trains our Daycare & Train and our Board & Train dogs. He also conducts private training lessons both In-Home and at The K9Edge.

He lives with his wife Rosie, nine German Shepherd Dogs (Sarge, Diesel, Mya, Blitz, Bea, Sadie, Sam, and Kaiser), 3 Yorkies (Skittles, Puff and Lizard) and a bunch of chickens. 

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Type your paragraph here.

The K9Edge Training Team

Kathy Copeland

Trainer and Volunteer Trainer - German Shepherd Resource and Rescue Center, Inc. 

Life is short.

Play with your dog. 

Dave Benoit

Trainer and Kennel Manager - Board &Train, Daycare &Train, Drop In Classes, Private Training 

Stephanie has been rescuing GSDs privately and as a rescue volunteer since 1991. Many were evaluated as “aggressive” and at risk of being euthanized. Some had issues that were easily solved with basic obedience and proper handling. In 2009 she founded the nonprofit charity GSR&RC and recruited professional dog trainers to evaluate and train these GSDs.

Pet owners of other breeds began to ask for help with their dogs. In 2015 she opened The K9Edge. Stephanie is a certified pet obedience instructor/trainer by North Boston Dog Training. Her graduation “thesis” was Nikko, a GSD evaluated as “aggressive” and turned away by several rescues. Two major Boston humane societies recommended that he be euthanized. Nikko now lives with a loving family and a sister GSD mix.

Stephanie is a two time Foster Failure to Bear and Cooper (“godzilla”), both GSDs. 

Stephanie Angiulo-Costa

Owner/Trainer

The K9Edge

Kathy has been training dogs since 1998 in Puppy Obedience, Basic Obedience, IPO (all phases) and Conformation.  She specializes in working breeds and power breeds. 

Kathy is also Foster Failure with her GSD Dino, now her Service Dog. Dino is a former rescue GSD who was saved by German Shepherd Resource and Rescue Center.