Meet the Instructors

Roz has shared her entire life with dogs. Her first dog, as an adult, was an Old English Sheepdog who was very rambunctious and in need of training. Through a friend she learned about obedience training. Roz and Hari signed up for an obedience class and they both were "hooked." Since that time Roz's training techniques have evolved from one of compulsion to one of compassion. Learning and applying the methods of positive motivational training have brought success in and out of the show ring. All three of Roz's Old English Sheepdogs earned many obedience titles. Early in the 1990s Roz learned of "a new sport" Dog Agility. At the same time Roz had added two Australian Shepherds (Kanga & Brava) to her family. As she stepped into the agility show arena, Roz continued to also show her dogs in Obedience. Both Kanga and Brava achieved the highest titles in AKC and ASCA obedience with Brava being ranked the number two obedience dog in Canada. As Roz continued to show her dogs (Coffee, Speed-Oh! and Eureka!) she continues to have success at local and National events. Roz has been invited to National Specialties in both obedience and agility where she has earned national acclaim and ranking.   Her dog Coffee was ranked number two open obedience dog in the USA and was a top ten finalist at the National All Star Dog event. Roz and her dogs continue to compete, and she can be seen running her dogs at many local events.

Not only is Roz a competitive trainer, she is also a gifted teacher. She earned a Master of Education degree from Wayne State University and spent many years teaching high school English composition and literature. She is a professional member of APDT and is both a certified APDT C.L.A.S.S.instructor and evaluator. She is also a certified AKC CGC & Puppy Star evaluator. Roz is continually learning new techniques and teaching methods by attending seminars, webinars and classes. She continues to be both a student and teacher. Roz is the owner of My Hero Dog Training.

Roz's dog Speed-Oh! recently earned four new Trick Titles including Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert Trick Dog.  At the same time Roz has taken the test and passed the reuqirements to become a Certified Trick Dog Trainer!  Both Roz and Speed-Oh! are now working on the requirements for Speed-Oh! to be a Trick Dog Champion.

 

Sharon has been training dogs since her very first training class in the early 1980's.
After acquiring a shy, timid dog that she found difficult to teach, she enrolled in a training class and has never looked back. Acquiring other dogs with different challenges drove Sharon's desire to learn more about behavior. Sharon was among the first to take the very first nationally recognized certification exam offered by the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and has earned the title of Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT).
Sharon is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and is an Associate Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is also a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Puppy S.T.A.R. Evaluator.
Sharon's dogs are all rescues and have been instrumental in helping her learn to deal with a variety of behaviors and to better understand the bond that can exist between human and canine.
Sharon stays on the cutting edge of training techniques and behavior modification by continued education through national conferences, seminars, workshops, video, DVD's, books and discussions.
Sharon has trained, competed and titled with various dogs in Obedience, Flyball, Rally and Agility. She currently trains and competes in agility but feels one of her biggest accomplishments was learning how to better understand and communicate with her dogs and helping others do the same.
Sharon teaches a variety of classes from puppy to agility, offers in-home private lessons as well as behavior consultations, Reiki and canine massage.

Nancy vonKoehnen has competed in AKC obedience since she was a youngster earning a CD on her Shetland Sheepdog. More recently, she and Golden Retriever, Takota, have earned their AKC Rally Excellent Title and are now working toward their RAE combined title! Takota and Nancy have found some extra fun and challenges in CWags Obedience and Rally in which they are currently competing as well.
Nancy and Takota are the World Canine Freestyle Organization's 2008 National Champions earning the title with their Heelwork To Music routine. Heelwork to Music is similar to traditional obedience/rally but performed to music. This team has also earned the highest titles available in BOTH Heelwork to Music and in Musical Freestyle: Perfect Dance Partners!

Deneane Hart has been competing regularly in Disc Dog events throughout the Midwest with a Miniature Poodle since 2005, a Border Collie since 2007, and even a tiny Yorkiepoo starting in 2009. Highlights include her Miniature Poodle's Skyhoundz Microdog World Championship Finalist and 3 time Quadruped Extreme Distance Finalist accomplishments, as well as numerous top finishes with her Poodle and Border Collie in Freestyle, Distance and Accuracy, Extreme Distance, Time Trial, and various other Disc Dog events. Deneane uses positive training methods with a goal of making Disc Dogging fun for both the human and the dog, whether you are playing in the back yard, at the park, or on the competition field.

Currently not teaching

Kathy has been competing in the sport of dog agility since 1992. She was a member of the USA World Team that competed in Spain. Her dogs Houston, Dory, and Austin have earned Lifetime Achievement Awards and Agility Championship titles in several agility organizations. Houston and Dory are ranked number one and two in the history of the United States Agility Association. Kathy's dogs continue to set new agility records.