Melissa Chandler, Faculty (Nosework)
Main info
Melissa Chandler (she/her) lives in Ohio and is owned by her Weimaraner and Vizsla. Melissa has been addicted to dog sports since starting in 4H and AKC Jr. Showmanship. She has competed in conformation, agility, obedience, hunt tests, nose work, and rally. She has also successfully trained and handled non-owned dogs to many titles and championships.
Melissa’s Weimaraner, Edge, was so excited about nose work she sought to learn everything she could to give him the best foundation and build his confidence and drive. Melissa and Edge trained with FDSA since the very first nose work class and never looked back! Edge stressed down and was very fragile, but through Amy Cook’s Bogeyman class and drive building games, Edge gained confidence in ways never imagined, allowing him to be a very successful NW competitor. They earned their NW1, NW2 and NW3 with many placements including overall trial placements. They also earned their NW3 title in their very first trial! And another NW3 in their second trial. Both with placements and multiple "Ps"!! Melissa attended many nose work seminars and volunteered at many trials, allowing her to expand her knowledge and gain different aspects of the sport. She now teaches classes locally and presents seminars, including Nose Work Games!
Melissa has been competitive in agility for many years. She owned 2 of the 3 ADCH Weimaraners and the only USDAA Metallic Champion Weim. She has also bred/trained/handled the #1 Weim in agility (AKC/Weimaraner Club of America) for many consecutive years and placed 10th at AKC Agility Nationals. She has earned a CDX on two different dogs and trained Edge through Utility, but he indicated that nose work was his passion. Bam!, her young vizsla, is just starting his agility career, is training for nose work, obedience competition and has been very successful in the field.
Melissa was doing parkour before “parkour” even existed. She and her Weims have always loved playing on playgrounds and enjoyed playing in and on things, especially in wooded areas. Her love of agility and love of outdoors is a great combination for parkour.
Melissa’s strengths are problem solving by looking outside the box and working with soft dogs. She enjoys helping others and brainstorming to help other teams succeed. She has taught private lessons in agility and nose work, focusing on solving specific training problems. Owning and working with soft dogs has given her the ability to coach others to help build confidence and setting up training sessions specifically with soft dogs in mind.
Pronouns: Melissa goes by she/her.
Why choose us?
We offer a variety of online training solutions designed to help you and your furry friend achieve success
FAQ
Explore the questions we get asked most often and find out everything you need for a smooth experience with us.
Start by clicking on the Course Schedule link at the top of this page. If registration is open, select the course you wish to take from the list and click on that link. From that page, click on the registration link and choose the enrollment level you are interested in. This webpage describes the steps in more detail.
Registration opens on the 22nd of the month preceding the course start date (ie March 22 for courses beginning April 1st) and close on the 15th day of the month the session has started (ie April 15 for courses starting April 1st). You cannot register for 6 week courses outside of this period.
Scholarships are offered to students who do not feel they can afford the full tuition, but who have a sincere interest in expanding their skills as a dog sport trainer. Scholarships are offered in the form of a 50% tuition credit at the Bronze level. To apply, select the Scholarships link from the top menu (under new students) or click this link. We ask that if you are on a scholarship, you limit yourself to one class. There are a maximum of three scholarships per student permitted in a calendar year.
Our testimonials
Don't just take our word for it — see what our clients say about their experience working with us.