Instructor Bios

Virginia Anziani (Ginny), Puppy K and Obedience Teacher

In 1986 Ginny entered the world of Obedience training. She attended many educational seminars with the leaders in the field and earned obedience titles as well as CGC titles on her dogs.

Ginny enjoys and appreciates the strong bond that develops between owner and dog through training. She has pursued this enthusiasm by teaching the puppy and beginning levels of obedience. There is no greater feeling then seeing the excitement of accomplishment in the eyes of the dogs and owners. Ginny believes that keeping training fun and challenging results in long lasting success.

Ginny has been teaching Puppy K and Beginner/ Novice Obedience/CGC classes at Doggie U since June 2005. She continues to share her enthusiasm for the sport of Obedience through her teaching efforts at the Dog Obedience Club of South Nassau. Ginny has also served as a Judge for the Pre-Novice/Novice classes at local match shows and stewarded in all levels of obedience competition.

As a member of the ADPT, Ginny continues to learn different ways to bring the concept of positive training and success to all in need.

Deb has been involved with animals her whole life. She trained and competed with horses for 29 years. Therefore, it was a seamless transition when she began training her Maltese, Brittany, in competition obedience in 2000. Since then, she has earned a CDX on both Brittany and her daughter, Avalon. They were the only two Maltese in the country to earn a CDX in 2006.

She began training in Rally with Pat Johnson at Doggie U, and went on to earn an RAE with Brit in just seven months; only the second Maltese with an obedience title to do so. Following in her mother's footsteps, Avalon has earned her RE and is half way to getting her RAE. Although Brit is retiring from obedience, Avalon is currently showing in utility, and has earned her first leg. Deb has also begun training Avalon's daughter, Miss Winkie, for the rally ring.

Louise discovered the sport of Dog Agility in 1990 became addicted and has been teaching it now for over 13 years. She also has been teaching agility at Doggie U since the facility opened in June of 2005.

She has experience training and working with all different breeds from Newfoundlands to Yorkies. Two of her students have deaf dogs and working with them both has given her even more insight into the training and understanding the body language and communication of dogs. Louise believes all dogs are individuals, no one method of training works for every dog or every person; so she tries to find the right way to motivate every dog/handler team. Her students have accomplished so much with their dogs; many are multi-titled in various venues. Many are working at the higher levels of the different venues. All students whether or not they compete in agility trials are having a good time playing, training, teaching and enriching their relationship with their dog.

Louise has recently attended these seminars, lessons and classes with top class instructors to add to her base of knowledge for her students and her own dogs, Barb DeMascio, Stacy Peardot Goudy, Sue Sternberg to name a few.

Louise's Papillons past and current have high level titles in all venues, USDAA, NADAC and AKC. Her BMD Sophie was the first USDAA titled Bernese Mountain Dog in the USA. Devin, the Border Collie is also multi-titled in the high levels of all venues.

She has put over 100 titles on her dogs in agility. Louise has also titled dogs in obedience, flyball and conformation. Devin, her Border Collie has legs in ATBA herding and the Kelpie, Kane is currently is training in the sheepherding pastures. Kane and Riki the Papillon are also titled in Flyball. Louise and her boys belong to LIRR, the first Flyball team based on Long Island and enjoying every moment of this fast paced sport.

Louise now has a new young dog, her name is Raven and she is also an Australian Kelpie. She is also training in flyball, agility and shows great promise and aptitude in both sports. Louise teaches home obedience lessons and taught beginner thru pre-novice obedience classes in 2006.

Kathleen has been involved in Dog Agility since 1999. A native of Queens, NY, she began her agility career at Long Island Agility with her Rottweiler/mix who's obstacle fear issues forced her to study a multitude of training styles, methods, and techniques from all around the Northeast and Midwest. From these, she was able to devise and synthesize new and modified methods of training.

Kathleen currently owns and handles her 7yr old Champion Golden Retriever and her 4yr old Champion Border Collie and 3yr old Border Collie at the Masters level in United States Dog Agility Association and Elite levels in NADAC.

While Kathleen is an active top level competitor, she also remains a student of the sport continuing to train extensively under the direction of world class competitors Ali Roukas and Joe Canova. She is also a student of Barb Demascio and has studied under Sue Tovino, Wendy Pape, Linda Mecklenberg, and Paulina Renee Hope.

Kathleen makes it her business to stay abreast of new research, theories, and training techniques. She has a vested interest. You see, Kathleen has a 6 month old puppy for whom she is steadfast in her resolve to deliver the highest quality training program she can muster. That resolve is only equaled by her determination to deliver that same high quality training to her students.

Dawn grew up on a farm and was always around animals, but her love was for dogs and horses. As a child she would jump the horses over the jump course then run the dogs around the same jump course. Little did she know that she would be still doing that 30 years later in agility. Dawn has always shared her house with many different breeds of dogs and worked in three different animal shelters on Long Island.

In 1988 Dawn got her first Rottweiler "Yauser" were she put a SCH 1 and a CDX with the help of John Brown and Scott Smith. At that time Dawn became an employee of Scott Smith and worked for Smitty's guard dog service, where she trained protection dogs and did obedience in-house for pet people. During that time Dawn discovered agility and was training Yauser to compete, when he was diagnosed with autoimmune disease. At age 4 his career as a working dog was over. Having a house full of rescues she waited for the right time to get another pup and in 1996 she got a new Rottweiler "OZ" V2 rated U-CDX, UDX, MX 2, MXJ 2, MXP2, MXJP2, PD111, EAC, EGC, EJC, V-EAC, V-EGC, V-EJC.. In obedience Oz has many high in trials and high in combined. Three years in a row at the Rottweiler National Specialty he was high in trial and high in combined. Oz's has finish second place two years in a row at the All Star competition in the Ultimate dog challenge 24" division, were he did utility obedience and agility together and finished 8th place over all other jump height divisions and breeds. In agility Oz competed in AKC, NADAC and USDAA. He has shown to the highest levels with many placements. He is now competing at the preferred and veteran level due to old age (10 years old!!!!) and arthritic

. Oz has dabbled in herding and is pointed in the breed ring with Dawn as handler.

Dawn has trained with many top trainers in both obedience and agility and has attended many seminars. The newest addition to her family is her 21 month border collie "LOUD". Loud has her AKC NOVICE STANDARD and NOVICE JUMPER titles at her first AKC show with 3 straight legs in each with 100 score and all first places. Loud has also shown in her first NADAC trial at the novice level and Q'd in standard and all the games, with first places. Loud has also shown at her first USDAA trial and Q'd in standard and all the games, with all first places and one second. Loud has received 4 Platinum Awards for agility from Front and Finish. She will be ready for obedience as soon as Dawn has the time.

Both OZ and LOUD now share Dawn's house with her 15 year old shihtzu and 16 year old shepherd mix. Also living with them are 6 cats, 2 ducks, 9 chickens and 1 horse, and they all have one big-big Rottie looking over them all and his name is OZ.

Since 1985, Kathy Adams has been training dogs professionally. Her goal has always been to educate both the owner and the dog. By transferring her training knowledge, she helps them establish a mutually beneficial relationship. She prefers to use positive motivational techniques of training, and will modify those methods to fit the dog’s needs and the owner’s training capabilities. During the early years she sought apprenticeship under trainers with diversified training methods in an effort to obtain a well rounded knowledge of training. She keeps current with the changes by continuing her education thru reading, attending seminars and participating in training camps whenever possible.

She has appeared in Court as an expert witness in dog behavior. During the summer, she teaches dog obedience classes for the Towns of Huntington and Babylon under their Parks and Recreation Department. On a personal note, she is active in rescuing and rehabilitating Belgian Shepherds. She has trained her personal dogs to AKC certified titles in both breed and obedience. She is a charter member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) and is one of a limited number of trainers to obtain their certification from the Counsel of Certified Pet Dog Trainers (www.ccpdt.org). She is also a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator.