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 NACSW™
& K9 Nose Work™
Founder/Nose Work Instructor
Amy is a professional K9 trainer and handler and
brings over a decade of experience to her work. She
has certified teams in Narcotics and Explosives and
has logged over 1500 instructional hours in
detection dog training. As co-founder of K9 Nose
Work, and the National Association of Canine Scent
Work Association,LLC™ (NACSW), she has sought to bring
that experience to companion dogs and handlers
through the development of nose work classes and
sport events. She and her partners launched and
sponsored the first organized Fun Nose Work
competition, a Nose Work Practice Match and the
first national K9 Nose Work™ trial, a titling event
in January 2009.
In the canine sport world Amy has trained dogs for
tracking, agility, sheepherding, protection sports,
and detection. She has competed nationally with her
Dutch Shepherd, Maya and took 3rd place in Narcotics
Detection at the Gold Coast K9 Working Dog Trials
and 1st place, open division, at the Oxnard Police
K9 Foundation Inaugural Trial, 2009. Her Belgian
Malinois, Seven, is a nationally certified
explosives detection dog and took 1st place in the
Explosives Building Search at the 2009 Ventura
County Sheriff's K9 Trial.
Amy holds a Bachelor of Science from NYU and is
nationally certified through the Certification
Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). Additionally,
she is a graduate of the Balu Academy for Dog
Trainers and is a John Rogerson associate here in
the U.S. Amy is an AKC Canine Good Citizen
evaluator and is certified in Pet First Aid and
CPR.
Her professional memberships and affiliations
include the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT),
Southern California Dog Trainers’ Forum (SCDTF),
Southern California Schutzhund Club, West Los
Angeles Obedience Training Club and International
Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI). Amy
gives much volunteer time and expertise to the
betterment of shelter dogs. Some of Amy’s other
achievements have been the 2007 President's
Volunteer Service Award, spcaLA's 2005 Outstanding
H.E.A.L. (Helping Enhance Animals Lives) Volunteer
and 2006 Volunteer of the Year.
In addition to her working dogs, Amy’s oldest canine
companion is her beloved rescue dog, Jesse, a German
Shepherd mix and Canine Good Citizen. Amy is owner
of the Los Angeles based All Good Dogs, LLC. www.allgooddogs.biz
Jill Marie
O'Brien,
CPDT-KA CNWI, Lead Instructor |
 NACSW™
& K9 Nose Work™
Founder/Nose Work Instructor
Jill Marie has been working with and training dogs
since 1987. Jill Marie spent fourteen years as
Director of Behavior and Training for spcaLA. During
her tenure with spcaLA, she supervised the creation
and development of that agency's first Animal
Behavior and Training Department since the agency’s
inception in 1877. Jill’s career at spcaLA started
in 1996 when she joined the agency to fulfill a
grant from KalKan to educate inner-city youth on dog
bite prevention and feral dog safety. While there
she participated in the Teaching Love and Compassion
program (TLC), a program that matches at-risk youth
with shelter dogs for a 3 week program that teaches
young people life skills in patience, anger
management and conflict resolution. Jill Marie also
developed a Canine Behavior Assessment protocol in
2000 that was the only in-house assessment used for
the evaluation of the shelter dogs housed at the
agency.
Jill Marie's years of dog training experience
includes agility, tracking, Animal Assisted Therapy,
Schutzhund and detection training along with many
hours of K9 Nose Work development and instruction.
Her training philosophy is one of building strong
working relationships and bonds between dogs and
their handlers using positive, fun and motivational
techniques. She is a strong advocate of ongoing
education and development of skills. Not only has
she attended many educational conferences and
courses, but she has also organized educational
events featuring some of the most sought-after
lecturers and behavior experts in the world. She
believes education for the humans is as important as
education for the canines. Jill Marie is a Certified
Pet Dog Trainer, long time member of the Association
of Pet Dog Trainers and is a facilitator for the
Southern California Dog Trainers Forum.
Jill Marie and her dog Beckett are a nationally
certified Narcotics Detection Team and took 1st
place, novice division in the Oxnard Police K9
Inaugural Trial, 2009. She has been a long-time
agility enthusiast and has competed and trained in
agility since 1990. In addition to her work with
Beckett, Jill and her other dogs have earned many
training titles and have competed at the USDAA's
Grand Prix of Dog Agility. Jill Marie’s newest
partner is Raven, a Belgian Malinois. Jill Marie
shares her life with her son and wonderful husband
for whom she thanks everyday for their patience and
understanding as she continues to build and develop
her understanding and skill working with dogs and
their people.
Certified Nose Work™
Instructor
 Originally from Michigan, Kim grew up with many
family dogs and cats. She moved to Southern
California in 1988 with her Abyssinian cat,
Josephine. She was very involved with the local
Animal shelter and gradually adopted another cat and
2 dogs who had many behavior issues to overcome that
required creative training solutions.
Kim’s first Belgian Tervuren, Jazz, was adopted as
an adult. Jazz opened the door to the world of
competitive dog sports, especially Agility and sheep
herding. In 2001 Kim jumped into Agility with both
feet with a new Tervuren puppy named Oscar, who
proved to be an excellent sport partner. They
competed at the national level in USDAA, as well as
the AKC Agility National as a Finalist, AKC Agility
Invitational and Purina Incredible Dog Challenge.
Oscar and Kim provided Agility background scenes for
the movie, A Dog Lovers Symphony, participated as a
demo team for Animal Planet, acquired a CDX
Obedience title, their 3rd AKC Agility Championship
and their Schutzhund 2 title before Oscar was lost
to Cancer in 2009. Oscar was the first Tervuren and
one of the original dogs to earn an NW2 title in K9
Nose Work.
Kim also trains and competes with Emmy, a Belgian
Tervuren who is a little firecracker! Emmy has given
Kim the opportunity to travel and participate in
Agility and Dock Diving in various national
championships, the National Diving Dog Tour and the
Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. Emmy earned her NW2
title in 2009 and SchH3 in 2010. They currently
compete in Agility and have just returned from
Europe where they competed at the 17th Annual
Belgian Shepherd World Championships in Nieuwpoort, Belgium.
They also took some time out to do some K9NW
searches in the Netherlands, Belgium and France
while they were there. Emmy has the honor of being the first
dog to earn her NW3 titile in K9 Nose Work®.
Kim’s youngest Tervuren, Zen, is in foundation
training with an eye towards the Ringsports, Agility
and K9NW. Kim runs her own Interior Design and Dog
Training businesses. She has taught Agility classes
but is concentrating on K9 Nose Work at this time.
Kim is one of the “Core 7,” original certified K9
Nose Work instructors involved from the beginning of
the sport. She teaches K9 Nose Work classes at the
spcaLA in Long Beach and often participates with K9
Nose Work workshops and other K9NW activities.
Certified Nose Work™
Instructor
 Jacy
Kelley began his professional dog handling career in
the United States Air Force as a Military Working
Dog Handler where he performed Narcotic and
Explosive detection duties and protection details
for the Department of Defense, the Secret Service,
and The State Department for various heads of state.
Upon his departure from service, Jacy began working
for a government contractor conducting explosive
detection operations. This continued until he left
to pursue pet dog training. Jacy keeps busy teaching
both pet dog classes and eight Nose Work classes in
multiple locations in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Jacy has attended many training classes and seminars
by the industry’s top trainers and continues to
pursue educational opportunities. Jacy has become a
Certified Nose Work Instructor through the National
Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), and is a
Certifier and Judge for the NACSW. He is currently
working towards becoming a Certified Professional
Dog Trainer and is a member of
the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Jacy is a thoughtful instructor who strives to make
each class fun for both dog and owner.
Certified
Nose Work™
Instructor
 Gail McCarthy is a Certified
K9 Nose Work™
Instructor for the National Association of Canine
Scent Work. Gail has been training detection dogs
since 1992 and is the co-founder and head trainer of
the Massachusetts Rescue & Recovery K9 Unit, a
canine search and rescue (SAR) organization which
operates in Massachusetts. Gail also is a canine
handler and an evaluator with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR),
MA Task Force 1. Over the course of her SAR career,
Gail has certified five dogs to the advanced level
in urban search and rescue (rubble work), wilderness
SAR and human remains detection. Gail is the
Chairperson for the Massachusetts State Search and
Rescue Federation and serves on the Board of
Directors for the Northeast Wilderness Search and
Rescue. Some of the notable searches in which Gail
has participated include the search for six
firefighters who died in the Worcester Cold Storage
Fire, the search for seven astronauts who perished
when the Columbia Shuttle exploded over East Texas,
the search for two workers who died in the Quincy
Shipyard Collapse, the search for an apartment
dweller who died in the Gloucester Apartment
Building Fire and the USAR response to Hurricanes
Gustave and Ike. In recognition of Gail's consistent
dedication to the promotion of volunteer canine SAR
in Massachusetts and to the training she gives to
her dogs and to her fellow canine handlers, the
Massachusetts State Senate awarded her a
"Massachusetts State Senate Citation," a legislative
award of distinction. Gail is pleased to bring her
experience to Camp in this new exciting
sport.
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Barbara Schwerdt, CPDT-KA, CNWI, Instructor |
Certified Nose Work™
Instructor
 Barbara
was one of the first seven instructors to complete
her certification in the NACSW Instructor’s program
in early 2009. Her career as a dog trainer
began in 1997 when she adopted a dog-aggressive dog.
Barbara quickly learned that some dogs have problems
that only professionals can help with, so Barbara
sought the assistance of a trainer who specializes
in aggression cases. Thus inspired, she began to
pursue a career as a canine professional.
After applying herself to the study
of canine behavior and training theory, Barbara
advanced to the position of lead trainer at My Best
Friend Obedience in Southern California. She
teaches classes in beginning obedience, Canine Good
Citizen preparatory classes, and K9 Nose Work.
Barbara has been a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen
Evaluator since 2003.
Barbara became interested in canine
scent work in 2005 while attending a tracking
seminar by John Rogerson with her Yellow Labrador,
Jarrah. Barbara and Jarrah both trained for a short
period of time with Missing Pet Partners, an
organization that trains dogs to find missing pets.
In 2007 Barbara and her husband Gerry
adopted Landis, a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy
from a local shelter. They quickly found out
that Landis would not be satisfied with the quiet
life of a house pet. So in January 2008, Barbara
began training Landis with Ron, Amy & Jill through
K9 Nose Works. Having no prior canine
competition experience, Barbara was astounded when
Landis placed second overall in the Inaugural Fun
Nose Work competition in 2008. He went on to earn
his NW1 and NW2 titles, placing first for each
title. As a team, they received “Pronounced”
designations from the judges. He now competes at the
elite NW3 level and is the first dog to obtain the
NW3-V (Vehicles) title.
Barbara and Landis train twice weekly
with Amy and Ron. Barbara also teaches weekly Nose
Work classes, and most recently has been a
co-instructor for several Nose Work workshops in
California.
Some of Barbara’s other
accomplishments include the founding of Amanté
Dog Training, a division of Safe at Home Pet
Care, a pet sitting/dog walking business Barbara
owns with her husband. In addition, by day, Barbara
is a corporate trainer helping employees to be more
effective and efficient in their daily work lives.
Barbara holds a degree in Deaf Studies from
California State University Northridge. She is a
member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the
National
Association of
Canine Scent Work, and the
American Society for Training and Development.
Barbara shares her home with her very
supportive husband, along with 3 dogs and 3 cats who
are still trying to keep up with her frenetic pace.
Certified Nose Work™
Instructor
 Dana
Zinn has been working with and training dogs since
1999. Her many years of dog training experience
include working at the spcaLA as an Animal Behavior
& Training Specialist. It was the time working with
dogs in the shelter that drew her to the sport of K9
Nose Work; not only for her own dogs, but for the
many dogs in need of a “job” to do.
Dana was involved in the first publicly offered Nose Work class in the
Long Beach area. She not only participated but
eventually assisted in instruction. From there Dana
became involved in the development of the K9 Nose
Work instructor certification program. Dana was one
of the first participants to be certified as an
instructor for the K9 Nose Works curriculum approved
by the National Association of Canine Scent Work,
LLC.
Dana has participated in a variety of canine activities such as
obedience, herding, agility and of course K9 Nose
Work. Dana recently moved with her family to Golden,
Colorado and has brought the sport of K9 Nose Work
to the Colorado area.
Dana strives to increase her knowledge about canine behavior and
instruction. She has attended and helped coordinate
many seminars featuring some of the world’s most
sought after speakers. One of her most memorable
educational experiences was working with and
learning from the renowned dog behavior expert and
trainer John Rogerson. She has traveled to England
and Washington state to work with and assist him on
many courses including his 21-day Instructors’
Course.
Dana is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a member of
the Colorado Trainers’ Networking Group. Dana was
certified as a professional dog training in 2005 by
the Certification Council for Professional Dog
Trainers (CCPDT).
Dana currently shares her life with her wonderful husband Ken, two
beautiful children Jessica & Benjamin, as well as
two resident cats and her best learning tools: her
canine partners Sierra, a Belgian Sheepdog Mix, and
Kudos, a Belgian Tervuren.
More instructors will be listed shortly!
Dana Crevling CPDT-KA, CNWI, Camp Director |
 Dana
has made working with or for shelter dogs part of
her career since 1986. She worked for not for profit
animal agencies for 13 years, until 1999, when she
started Dogs of Course with the first Instructor
Training Course class. Her dedication to improving
the lives of dogs and their owners through quality
education at all levels was the motivating factor
when she started the business and is the guiding
force for all projects she creates. Dana continues to support charitable
organizations by periodically running fundraising
events and activities.
She started her professional career in dog training
at Red Acre Farm Hearing Dog Center, as a trainer
and then the Department Director. Her professional
experience in training and behavior also includes
animal shelter program coordinator for volunteers,
pet training instructor, lecturer, shelter
consultant, and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue’s
adoption coordinator/counselor.
Dana is driven by her thirst for her own personal
education. She has attended hundreds of events
including seminars, dog camps, chicken camps,
courses, and conferences. Committed to promoting dog
training to the public as a skilled profession, she
is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
She passed the first national certification test for
dog trainers earning the title Certified
Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Accessed. She
also has a B.A. in Business Administration from
Babson College.
Dana has been competing in dog sports since 1984,
believing in having fun first and foremost. She has
titled in obedience, field, conformation, earthdog,
rally, and agility. She plans to compete in K9 Nose Work™ in 2011.
Dana shares her home with her husband, John, as well
as Flat-Coated Retriever, Dazzle; Rizzie, the
Norfolk Terrier.; and Monty,
the PW Corgi.
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NACSW