Meet Our Team 
Lauren Blackson, DVM, CCRP was born and raised in Hockessin, Delaware.  At 13 years old she began competing in dog agility, which sparked her passion for the health and fitness of canine athletes.  She pursued a bachelors degree in Animal Science at the University of Delaware, and then went on to complete her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida in 2018.  While in veterinary school, Dr. Lauren also became a Certified Canine Rehab Practitioner (CCRP) through the University of Tennessee and a Certified Fear Free Practitioner.   In 2019, she also completed her Walkin' Wheels Certification, enabling her to fit wheel chairs for disabled canines.  In 2019, Dr. Lauren opened Peak Performance to combine her love for teaching dog agility with her passion of canine rehabilitation.  While her main interest is in keeping the canine athlete fit and prepared for competition, she also enjoys working on improving pain management and quality of life in geriatric patients as well as the management and care of neurologic patients.

When not working in veterinary rehab, Lauren competes in and teaches dog agility.  Lauren began competing in agility in 2006, and has competed in multiple venues including AKC, USDAA, UKI, and CPE but mostly focuses on USDAA and UKI currently.  Lauren first began teaching agility as a volunteer assistant for the Academy of Dog Training and Agility (ADTA) in 2008.  In 2009, Lauren officially started teaching agility classes at ADTA.  Soon after, she began offering private lessons in addition to group classes, which enabled her to work one on one with handlers to address their specific needs.  In the last 10 years, Lauren has taught all levels of agility from foundation classes up through the masters level as well as private lessons.  Lauren's favorite part of teaching is being able to watch teams progress throughout their training and achieve their goals.  Her favorite skills to teach include assessing the dog's line to determine the most efficient and appropriate handling choices, as well as developing solid foundation skills with beginner agility teams.  
Lauren's Agility Accomplishment's include: 
Picture

​April: 
Titles include: AD, AAD, MAD, ADCH, TM- Bronze, NA, NAJ, OA, OAJ, AX, AXJ, MX, MXJ, MACH
  • First Master Agility Champion (MACh) title and Agility Dog Champion (ADCh) title on a dog in Delaware (April)
  • Attended AKC Nationals in 2008 and 2009 
  • Attended USDAA Cynosport World Games in 2008 and was a Grand Prix Semifinalist ​​
Picture
​
​Karma: 
Titles include:
Agility: NA, NAJ, OA, OAJ, AX, AXJ, AD, AAD, MAD, PMAD, TM-Bronze
Attended USDAA Cynosport World Games in 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2018
Steeplechase/Speed jumping Semi-finalist in 2013, 2016, and 2017
Placed 4th in PVP Gamblers and 5th in PVP Snooker in 2018
Trick dog: CGC, TKN, TKI, TKA​

Picture


​Ryker: 
  • Titles include:
  • Agility: NA, NAJ, AD, AAD, MAD, SSB, BID, IND, SSN
  • Attended the UKI US Open in 2019
  • Trick Dog: TKN, TKI, TKA