MEET THE TRAINERS
JBKC Class Instructors
Emily Nie, Senior Instructor
I enjoy teaching owners how to teach their dogs. I try to be low key so that new dog owners don't get too nervous training their dogs. I want the experience of training to be fun for both the dog and the owner. I don't require rigorous hours-a-day practice, just enough so both are learning and the owner begins to bond with the dog. For people who have experience with dogs, I like to also keep it low key so they have fun and not be competitive in class, but learn the rules and basics so they can go on to compete if they want to. Currently I am teaching Obedience, Puppy Socialization for 2-4 month olds, S.T.A.R. Puppy classes, and I sub for the Rally instructor when needed. I have also taught CGC and Conformation in the past. I am a certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. I have worked on becoming a Tracking Dog judge in the past as well. Over the past 43 years my dogs have earned 3 Champions of Record; 5 additional dogs earned championship points; 1 International Champion; 1 National Champion; Championship points in UKC shows; 7 CDs (Companion Dogs); 6 Tracking Dogs (TD); 1 Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX); 8 Rally Novice (RN); 3 Rally Intermediate (RI); 2 Rally Advanced; 2 Rally Excellent (RE) 2 Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE); 1 RAE 2; 1 RAE 3; 1 RAE 4; We have also done UKC Rally with two Rally Novice titles; We have competed in CPE Agility, earning Games titles, NADAC Agility, earning games titles and AKC Agility. Other Titles have come from Scentwork: 1 Novice Containers (SCN) and legs toward Novice Interior; Fast CAT: BCAT, DCAT, FCAT, FCAT 2; Barn Hunt: 2 Instinct (RATI), 1 Novice (RATN), 1 Open (RATO) and 2 legs toward Senior (RATS). Current dogs are working in Conformation, Rally, Barn Hunt, Obedience, Scentwork and Tracking.
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Questions for Emily? Email justlikerintintin@gmail.com
Cathy Cline, Senior Instructor
Hi! I’m Cathy Cline I have had collies since my first in 1969, but only started showing with my current dog 4 years ago. Sera has titles in Fastcat, coursing, Rally, agility, herding, FitDog , Canine Good Citizen and Obedience. I trained and showed horses professionally for over 20 years when I decided to completely switch over to dog training full time. I am an evaluator for AKC in Temperament testing, Canine Good Citizen, Tricks, Farm Dog, and Fit Dog. I currently teach classes in Family Dog, Puppy/Young Dog, Fit Dog, Tricks, Canine Good Citizen, CGCA and CGCU, and Reactive Dog. I believe in making classes fun for both the dog and the handler and look forward to meeting you and your dog and making you a team.
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Questions for Cathy? Email mightymaremeadows@gmail.com
Christine Ponder, Senior Instructor
I was raised by dog trainer parents, and have been a professional dog obedience instructor for over 45 years. My competition experience includes AKC Obedience, Rally, Conformation, Barn Hunt, Tracking, Nose Work, Schutzhund, and Ring Sport. I have worked as a Field Instructor for Service Dog/handler teams, and taught dog training classes to 4-H kids. I am a certified AKC CGC Evaluator, AKC Temperament Test Judge, and AKC Fetch Judge.
My teaching style is loud, enthusiastic, theatrical, and energetic. I love to watch the joyful teamwork develop between novice handlers and their dogs. I confidently report experience and success with more than a hundred different breeds and hundreds of dogs, from rescue dogs and mixed breed pets to purebred show prospects; from puppies to seniors; and all varieties of training challenges, including differently-abled and limited mobility handlers, as well as troubled and reactive dogs.
I enjoy teaching CGC classes, Basic, Novice, and Advanced Obedience, Nose Work, and Trick classes. I currently compete with my own Belgian Malinois and Belgian Tervuren in several AKC sports, and in Mondioring.
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Questions for Christine? Email wiheathen@gmail.com
Connie Grassl, Associate Instructor
Hi, my name is Connie Grassl and this is my wonderful demo dog Jynx DCAT GCGA CGCU HIT TKI. I’ve owned and trained Border Collies since 2004. Currently training and competing with Jynx in Agility, Rally Obedience and Fastcat.
I’m a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and ProDog Trainer. I really enjoy helping people train their dogs, turning their struggles into their strengths. My style is games based for real life results and my training philosophy is training for the situation not in the situation. Training sessions should be a fun time not a long time.
My current roster is teaching CGC, Tricks, and Family Dog. I plan on adding FitDog and Agility Foundations int he future. I look forward to helping you on your dog training journey.
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Questions for Connie? Email justlikerintintin@gmail.com
Dawn Czerwan, Associate Instructor
Hi, my name is Dawn Czerwan and I have two wonderful and goofy dogs that keep me on my toes. I have a yellow labrador that loves to do agility at our friend's farm. He so enjoys showing off his skills and looks forward to learning parkour this summer. My other dog is a German Shepherd and he is all about obedience and rally. We started our rally journey a couple of years ago and are currently working on our Masters title. He has also done scent work, barn hunt, and fast cat. This summer we plan to see how he does in herding and tracking.
I have had a dog ever since I was born. I can’t remember a time when we did not have one to several dogs. Most of my childhood was spent riding my horse with my dog tagging along on all our adventures. I just started competing a couple of years ago and recently started teaching classes. It has been a fun adventure and I can’t wait to see where it leads me.
My training style is a balance between positive reinforcement and mild corrections. My focus is on how to communicate with my dog and make it an engaging and fun time. I love to pass on my experience and knowledge to others and watch them connect with their dogs. I try to make learning fun and interactive and not just heeling in a circle.
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Questions for Dawn? Email dawnczerwan@gmail.com