Authors (20)

Author Erin McNeill has been owned by and competing in dog sports with whippets since 2005.Although lure coursing (despite the risks!) is her first love, she has also titled her dogs in straight racing, rally, obedience, conformation, scentwork, barn hunt, dock diving, tricks, and agility. She has also competed in disc sports with them and trained but never competed in flyball. She is also an avid collar collector.

Amy Cook, Ph.D. has been training dogs for over 25 years, and through Full Circle Dog Training and Play Way Dogs in Oakland, CA, has been specializing in the rehabilitation of shy and fearful dogs for almost 20 years. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the IAABC, a longstanding professional member of the APDT, and was one of the first trainers nationally to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through independent evaluation. She is a graduate of the SFSPCA academy for dog trainers and has attended all 4 "chicken camps" in Hot Springs, Arkansas, taught by Bob Bailey. Amy also owns the "shy-k9s" list on yahoo, a 4000-member group dedicated to the rehabilitation of fearful dogs, and has moderated there since 2001.

Amy has worked for the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, the San Francisco Animal Care and Control, and has provided behavioral evaluations for shelters and rescues throughout the Bay Area of California. She currently works with the Anti-Cruelty team at the ASPCA doing behavioral evaluations and psychological enrichment of the dogs seized in dog fighting, puppy mill, and hoarding cases. 

Amy returned to school in 2006 to get her PhD in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Her research focused on the dog-human relationship and its effect on the problem solving strategies dogs employ. She has also studied causal inference in dogs and toddlers with Anna Waismeyer and Alison Gopnik, and currently works with Lucia Jacobs on dog olfaction. She has extensive experience as a graduate student instructor, having taught sections of Introductory Psychology (both in person and online), Human Emotion, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Stigma and Prejudice, Statistics, Animal Cognition, and has taught Fundamentals of Psychology and Developmental Psychology as a full instructor.

Her dogs have trained, participated, and titled in Rally, Competition Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Nosework and Barn Hunt, and her young whippet loves agility best!

Alla is a long time FDSA student and is currently working on obedience, rally, agility, nosework, and tricks with her great dane Lily and aussie Dante.

Liz started out training dogs in 1996, competing for fun in agility with her first rescue dogs.

Shortly afterwards, she shifted into pet dog training, teaching beginner and advanced pet dog manners classes, puppy classes and offering private training in both city/suburban and country areas. The time she spent working in rescue organizations, pet shops, in homes and quarantine kennels helped her develop a deeper understanding of dogs and other pets, and how they interact both with us and with each other.

Liz currently lives in rural Australia with a young daughter and three dogs, three cats and an assortment of rats, horses and sheep. She is now focused on online titling and training with her own dogs — the ideal alternative for country trainers!

Irith Bloom finds joy in helping people teach with kindness while developing choice-rich environments for their companion animals. She has been training since the 1980s and has worked with animals ranging from chickens and rabbits to dogs and horses—not to mention humans. She is a sought-after presenter, and her writing has been published in countless online outlets, as well as in print media including the recent book “Your Puppy and You: A step-by-step guide to raising a freak'n awesome dog.”

Irith is faculty and co-founder at Carefree Companion, which helps people teach greater stress resilience and emotional regulation to non-human animals. Her training company, The Sophisticated Dog, LLC, provides both peer-to-peer and trainer-to-pet-family services worldwide through the magic of online meetings.

Irith is a CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, VSPDT, KPA CTP, CSAT, CBATI-KSA, and a Fear Free Certified Practitioner (FFCP - Trainer). She is also certified in TAGteach, a positive-reinforcement method for teaching humans, and is on the faculty of Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior.

Irith has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is Chair Emeritus of the Education Committee of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and served on the board of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) from 2019 to 2024. She volunteers for National English Shepherd Rescue. Irith is between dogs at the moment, but shares her home with a well-behaved human spouse named Aaron.

Kristin is a truffle hunter, teacher, and trainer in the Pacific Northwest. She has been teaching and developing educational programs since 1998. Her business, Wagnificent K9 Truffle Dogs LLC, was founded in 2010 and enables her to explore her passion for truffle hunting with her own dogs while also teaching others to do so and educating them about the importance of developing a partnership with animals. For Kristin, when a student’s dog finds their very first truffle, it’s a magical moment! Every single time. And while her students are successful at finding truffles, she relentlessly reminds them that “it’s just a truffle” and everything comes down to the relationship they share.

Nicole Wiebusch started competing in dog sports as a teenager in the 90’s and quickly became addicted to the sport of obedience.

In 2001, she acquired a golden retriever named Tucker who taught her that traditional methods weren’t the best way to a happy confident dog. This realization started her on the journey to positive reinforcement training. 

In 2008, Nicole started her own dog training business, Golden Paws Dog Training LLC, and teaches both pet owners and dog sports people dog-friendly training methods.  She started taking classes with Fenzi Dog Sports Academy in 2013 and actively competes in a variety of performance events with her three golden retrievers. 

Nicole’s golden retriever Toby UDX2 OM3 RAE was retired due to physical problems just 30 points shy of finishing his OTCH.  Her current competition dog Strive has earned her UD and is working on her UDX.  Toby and Strive both have multiple High in Trials in Obedience and High Combineds in both Obedience and Rally.  Nicole’s dogs also hold advanced Agility and Rally titles, as well as hunting, dock diving, and TEAM titles. 

In addition to operating Golden Paws Dog Training, Nicole is a field dog trainer for a service dog organization, a Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog Evaluator, a Professional Member of the APDT, an instructor for the Fenzi Pet Professionals Program, a TEAM judge, and has earned the Obedience/Rally/Freestyle Trainer’s Certificate from FDSA.

Megan has been involved in the dog sport world nearly her entire life. Though her family did compete in obedience, agility was Megan’s passion right from the start. With over 20 years experience, she has competed with a variety of dogs, including an American Eskimo and West Highland White Terrier, Shelites, Border Collies, and Parson Russell Terriers, and has worked with an even larger variety of breeds. She got her first dog, a Sheltie, when she was 7 years old and since then she has competed with six of her own dogs and seven dogs belonging to others. Her accomplishments include many ADCh (USDAA Agility Dog Champion) titles, MACh (AKC Master Agility Champion) titles, Regional and National Championships, and representing the US on the European Open in 2015. Megan was also a USDAA judge for over 10 years, providing valuable insight into course design, course analysis, and handling styles throughout the United States.

Megan has been teaching agility full-time, in person and online, for 6 years, through her training school, Synergy Dog Sports. Her passion for sharing knowledge with her students drives her to constantly be learning, growing, and evolving. Megan became a OneMind Dogs Assistant Coach in 2016 and finished her Coach Certification in 2018. She believes in developing a system of communication based on the dog’s perspective and what dogs naturally understand and then individualizing that system for the humans that train and run them. Synergy Dog Sports is named for the truly great things a team can accomplish together when they focus on using the strengths of both the dog’s mind and body and the handler’s mind and body, and improving on any potential weaknesses.

Megan currently has three dogs of her own; Smack (11 y/o border collie), Shock (7 y/o border collie), and Shrek (3 y/o parson russell terrier) and lives with her partner, Graham, and his dogs, Skittles (11 y/o Sheltie) and Skrik (4 y/o border collie) in Stanwood, WA.

For more from Megan, visit her website, www.synergydogsports.com.

Dr. Spaulding has a PhD in Biopsychology and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society. As a graduate student, she acquired extensive experience in teaching the science of behavior and received an award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student. Prior to receiving her PhD, Dr. Spaulding earned her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In college, she volunteered and then worked at the local humane society. During her time at the animal shelter, she and a coworker established a training program for shelter dogs. She also served as an assistant trainer at Dog’s Best Friend which was owned at that time by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell. In 2001, Dr. Spaulding moved upstate New York and opened Smart Dog Training and Behavior LLC, where she continues to conduct private lessons for basic training and a wide variety of behavior problems.

In addition to working with clients, Dr. Spaulding regularly offers educational opportunities on the science of animal behavior at training and behavior conferences and online. She has a particular interest in increasing the flow of information between academia and those in the field to improve the quality of both research and applied work. She is a long-standing member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT) Education Committee and in 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the APDT’s Member of the Year Award. She is also a member of the Fear Free Advisory Group and an authorized Speaker for Fear Free which advocates for minimizing fear, anxiety and stress for pets around the country. She chairs two task forces for Meeting of the Minds, a coalition of top dog professionals across the country charged with improving quality of life for our dogs. She also regularly conducts staff training on dog behavior for local veterinary clinics and animal shelters.

Amy Johnson's (she/her) start in professional photography came when she was taking pictures of her friends' dogs at conformation shows, and quickly surpassed both her interest in showing her own dog and the capabilities of film. She was quick to make the move to digital, starting with Canon’s first digital SLR, the D30.

Amy is the official show photographer for many of the premier agility events in the United States, including the AKC National Agility Championships, AKC Agility Invitational, USDAA Cynosport World Games, UKI US Open, UKI West Coast Open, and NADAC Championships, as well as numerous local trials, regional events, and breed national specialties. She has photographed a wide variety of dog sports, including agility, obedience, rally, and conformation. She also enjoys the challenge of photographing birds and other wildlife.

Amy merges her passion for photography with a strong background in education, which includes a MA in education and five years of experience in the classroom teaching middle and high school math.

Amy has lived in northern Minnesota since 2000. She has two boys, Micah and Cameron, and two dogs, Zorah (yellow Lab mix) and Spy (Great Dane). The name of the business, GreatDanePhotos, is a reflection of Amy's love for this particular breed.

Amy is fluent in both Canon and Nikon, using the Canon R3 or Nikon Z9 paired with a 400mm f/2.8L as her primary agility gear. For birds, wildlife, and landscapes, she has a Canon R3, R5, and R7 in her kit, paired with a range of Canon lenses. She knows just enough about Sony to be dangerous (i.e. answer basic questions about it).

Amy’s businesses can be found online at

www.focusedwild.com

www.greatdanephotos.com

Amy's email address is amy@focusedwild.com

Pronouns: Amy goes by she/her.

Erin (she/her) is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, North America Diving Dogs judge, CWAGS scent judge, and breeder of performance focused Labrador Retrievers under the “Eromit” kennel name.

Erin’s journey in dog sports began as a junior handler, first in obedience and then more seriously when her family took up dog sled racing. She spent ten years as a competitive sprint racer specializing in 4 and 6 dog class with both Labrador Retriever and Alaskan Husky sled dogs. During her university years, where she studied Biology and Animal Science, Erin fostered a variety of breeds and mixes through her local shelter- also working as an adoption councillor and animal attendant for 6 years. It was around that time that a friend introduced her to the sport of agility and that brought about a whole new training passion!

Currently, Erin’s primary dog sport is dock diving and she also competes in agility, obedience, rally, and nosework. She has earned multiple national and regional championships, high in trial and perfect scores across various sports and set records in dog sledding and dock diving. Erin enjoys training her dogs for upland, waterfowl and shed antler hunting as well as canicross. In doing all the things, her dogs are most well known for their joyous and enthusiastic attitudes towards their activities.

As an instructor, she takes the most pride in teaching her students with a ‘fun-first’ philosophy for both the people and the dogs, and helps them develop a special bond with their dogs whether training as pets, in fitness or in sports. Her training facility - Eromit AIRcademy- was voted the North America Diving Dogs 2019 Canadian Facility of the Year, and hosts NADD sanctioned dock diving trials throughout the summer months as well as lessons, seminars and year-round online training.

Erin shares her home with her equally dog-loving husband Tim and a dozen or so wild and wonderful labs ranging from 9 month old Pounce to 12.5 year old Ruger. Their family also includes 2 cats any many rabbits, chickens, pigeons, and American Blackbelly sheep.

I’ve always lived around, and loved, dogs. 

And science. 

Which is why for the last 20 odd years, starting with a BSc in Animal Behaviour and Psychology, I’ve been studying and applying the scientific underpinnings and practical application of compassionate dog training. 

2 years ago, after many years as a professional dog trainer, I decided to concentrate on my writing – my second big passion! I now freelance; creating content such as blog posts, emails and articles for professional dog trainers who’d rather be tossing treats than tapping keys.

In my spare time I’m  a competition obedience junkie. I love the challenge of teaching beautiful heelwork with snappy, flashy precision!  I have one Obedience Grand Champion and hopefully, a new one in the making. Time will tell with that, I’m sure.

Want to get in touch? Please email me at sarah.ripley@orcon.net.nz

Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the past president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and provides private consultations working exclusively with dog aggression cases through his business Complete Canines LLC. Michael is fully certified through the IAABC and is a full member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT).

He is sought after for his expert opinion by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, New York Post, Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World.

Michael is a featured speaker at conferences, universities, and seminars around the world, and offers a variety of workshops, webinars, and online courses on the topic of canine aggression.

Julie Symons has been involved in dog sports for over 25 years. Starting with her mix, Dreyfus, in flyball she went on to train and compete in conformation, agility, obedience, herding and tracking with her first Belgian Tervuren, Rival. Rival was the first CH OTCH MACH Belgian Tervuren and they competed and placed in many regional and national events, winning Ultimate Dog (High Combined in Utility and Agility) and repeat 60 weave pole champs at the All Star tournament in 2002.

Julie’s current Belgian Tervuren, Savvy, is nearing retirement and has earned a CH, MACH2, UD, TDX, VCD3 and the following nose/scent work titles: ELT-CH, SWN, SIM, SCE, SEE, L2C, L1V, L2I. Earning their TDX and competing in nosework intensified Julie's love for scent sports! Julie also shares her household with her Belgian Malinois Drac, who is is well on his way as another versatile teammate, earning his NW3, SWN and SHDN titles and focusing their efforts on tracking, herding and nosework. The newest member of the family is her young Belgian Tervuren Moxie. Finishing her breed CH and NW1 titles at 1 years old, they will be starting their competitive agility career soon!

Julie is an AKC licensed Scent Work judge for all levels of competition as well as an "expert judge", providing apprenticeship and mentoring to judges in training.

One of Julie’s favorite things is a versatile team! She truly believes that participating in multiple sports is enriching to both person and dog and builds on that mutual partnership and trust. Nosework is an ideal sport to compliment your other activities. It’s intrinsically motivating for the dog and it’s also pretty cool to have a pet detection dog!

Julie is a consummate learner and energetic instructor, immersing herself in everything dog training! While teaching agility in the early 2000s, she found how rewarding it was to teach and help others. The simple truth? People just really love their dogs and enjoy doing activities with them. Knowing this helps set the tone for how she runs her classes: giving students ample working time, staying positive when things get challenging, and giving more than 100 percent of her efforts toward their development.

In her other life, she is married with a teenage son. As a family they enjoy skiing, participating in kid sports and staying home with the dogs! It goes to show that you can “do it all” with just a little bit of planning and smart training. Julie is also owner of Savvy Dog Sports, a local dog school covering many sports including nosework, obedience, agility and more! More information can be found at: www.SavvyDogSports.com.

Deborah Jones, Ph.D. is a psychologist who specializes in learning theory and social behavior. She taught a variety of psychology courses at Kent State University for the past 20 years. Deb has been training dogs for performance events for the past 25 years and was an early innovator in the use of clicker training techniques in dog training. She has owned and worked with a variety of breeds and has earned top level titles in agility (MACH), rally (RAE), and obedience (UD) competitions. Her focus is on developing training methods that are enjoyable and effective for both the dog and the trainer. Her mission is to help others develop strong positive relationships with their dogs. Her favorite saying is “it’s all tricks!”

In 2004 Deb developed the FOCUS training system, along with agility trainer and World Team member Judy Keller. FOCUS stands for Fun, Obedience & Consistency lead to Unbelievable Success. They first applied FOCUS training to agility dogs but quickly realized its usefulness for all dog sports. Their latest work is “The Focused Puppy,” which lays out a strong and systematic foundation for all future training. Deb has written a series of 4 books with Denise Fenzi titled “Dog Sport Skills.”  She also recently finished a book on cooperative care.

Deb has taught a variety of dog training classes, workshops, and seminars. She loves teaching in an online format!  

Deb's website is www.k9infocus.com.

Laura Waudby (she/her) trains and competes in obedience, rally, and agility. She was halfway to her OTCH with her UDX corgi, Lance, before his unexpected early retirement. She also has championship titles in USDAA and UKI agility. Laura was previously a service dog trainer for 10 years in a variety of roles from directly training the dogs for their specific jobs, to helping the puppy raisers and clients with how to train their dogs.

Due to the special behavior needs of her duck tolling retriever, Vito, Laura developed a strong interest in learning how to create motivation and confidence in dogs that struggle, either through genetics or through less than ideal training, to make it into the competition ring. Laura is excited to bring her insight and talents to the Fenzi Academy team!

Laura's personal website is TandemDogSports.com and Laura shares training content regularly on facebook (Laura Waudby), Instagram (@laura.waudby), and TikTok (@laura.waudby).

Hi! I'm Liz Joyce. I'm a personal trainer, a movement nerd and a dog enthusiast. I excel at splitting and transferring the concepts of R+ training into fitness programming.

I've been in the fitness industry since 2006 logging over 15000 client training hours to date. I've tried most avenues of fitness and then field-tested the best of the disciplines on hundreds of clients. I've also competed at the National and International level in 2 sports.

I've studied program development, strength training, athletic development, applied movement mechanics, best practices for menopause, osteoporosis, dog agility sports movement, and much more. I drew from the best of all these regimes and education to create accessible and effective programs.

I am the founder of Canine Handler Fitness and work closely with agility handlers of all fitness levels to improve their athleticism, agility and speed.

Shortly after adopting her Chihuahua, Barbara Currier got involved with agility. She started teaching in 2004, and has trained with some of the best agility trainers and handlers in the world, including Susan Garrett, Tracy Sklenar, Kayl McCann, Jaakko Suoknuuti and Janita Leinonen and has implemented what she has learned from them into her training program.

Barbara became heavily involved in the OneMind Dogs handling method in 2014.

She has successfully competed over 10 different breeds of dogs since she started competing in agility. Her current competition dog is her 3-year-old mini poodle, Miso.  Miso started trialing in March 2016 and in 7 months qualified for AKC NAC and USDAA Cynosports. After 4 clean runs at the 2017 NAC, she earned her way into finals and finished as the 9th ranking dog in the country in the 12’ division.  She then went on to to win RD 1 at AWC World Team Tryouts April 2017.  Barbara continues to teach all over the country.

Barbara is also the head dog trainer for the F.I.D.O. Program run at Georgia Tech, which creates wearable computing for military, SAR and service dogs. She has also worked as an animal wrangler for Marvel’s Ant-Man, 90 Minutes in Heaven, the TV series Satisfaction and various commercials.

Today, she resides in GA and shares her home with her very supportive husband, Mike, border collies Brazen and Blitz, Parson Russell terrier Piper, mini poodle Miso, field English cocker Eggo, and bearded dragon Saphira.