4RK9s
Dog Training Club
910 2nd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 - (319) 366-5668 - 4rk9s.com
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910 2nd Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 - (319) 366-5668 - 4rk9s.com
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Instructors Kim Anderson - Agility, Herding, Border Collie Foster Home
Julie Burgin - Obedience, Therapy Dog "I live in Cedar Rapids with my husband, Bob and our three Golden Retrievers. I have been training and showing dogs in obedience for about 15 years. On three dogs, I have a total of nine titles. Currently, I am training and showing Drummer, my five year old Golden Retriever. He has his CD and CDX titles and we are working toward his UD and UDX titles. Bob has also trained one of the Goldens and put both AKC and UKC champion titles on her.I also do therapy work with two of our Goldens. Every week we visit nursing homes or hospitals. Recently, I have been approved to be a Therapy Dog International (TDI) evaluator." Sue Curry - Obedience, Agility, Freestyle, Therapy Dog "I currently have two Curly Coated Retrievers, both females. Jessie is 9-1/2 years old. She has earned titles in agility and obedience: U-ACHX, U-CD, U-CDX, CGC, TDI, CD, CDX, and NA. Chance will be 8 soon and her titles are also in obedience and agility: AG-I, AG-II, U-CD, U-CDX, CGC, TDI, CD, CDX, and UD. Both the "girls" are very sweet and love people. Jessie, Chance and I are learning "Freestyle Dancing" so when we visit the care facilities and special needs centers we will be able to entertain the audience.Throughout the years, I have attended several obedience camps and many seminars for both agility and obedience." Liz Drexler - Agility, Obedience, Rally, Tracking "I'm an OLD woman who likes to train dogs. My daughter got me "hooked" on training several years ago. She was 12 years old and training her first dog in 4-H. I took her to classes and enjoyed it so much she got me A.J., a Shetland Sheepdog who was one year old and had spent most of his time living in a kennel. A.J. was afraid of everything. He completed his open obedience titles in both AKC and UKC. We became interested in agility and he completed his Open Jumpers and U-ACH before retiring in 2001. A.J. is now 12-1/2 years old.I found Sapphire in Tennessee. She, too, is a Shetland Sheepdog. She taught me everything I know about training dogs. She is my first UD and U-UD dog and completed her Open Agility, OAJ, and U-ACHX titles in agility. She was retired in 2003 due to ankylosing spondylitis. She has now begun tracking at age 9. Scamp is my first puppy and likewise, a Shetland Sheepdog. He was 8 weeks old when I got him and he makes me laugh. He is so different from A.J. and Sapphire because he love to play and loves to do anything with me. He has completes his OA and OAJ titles. We are having a lot of fun in obedience and tracking, too. Scamp is 3 years old. I enjoy watching dogs of all breeds and I enjoy helping people train their dogs. Training a dog is communication. You have to find out how to communicate to the dog what you want them to do and then make it fun for the dog. I live in Clarence with my husband, Fritz, and my three Shetland Sheepdogs, plus my daughter's Border Collie, Skip. Fritz does not like to train dogs, but he is very tolerant of me and training I do." Tammy Etscheidt - Agility, Obedience, Tracking, and Fly-ball "I love agility!! Together my teammates and I have earned an alphabet soup of agility, fly-ball, water work and obedience titles (MACH, MX, MXJ, U-ACHX, EAC, EAG, EAJ, FDGCH, CWDX, CDX, TD) and most importantly we've have had a LOT of fun along the way. My household consists of one very understanding husband, Bill, 5 dogs, (a Bichon, Miniature Poodle, Border Collie, and 2 Portuguese Water Dogs) 3 were acquired as puppies, the other 2 were "pre-owned" dogs which came to live with us as adults. Molly, the Bichon is our most accomplished dog being the first of her breed to obtain a MACH, U-ACHX, as well as FDGCH. Molly has participated in two AKC National Championships and two NADAC Championships. I enjoy teaching agility and like the challenge of solving problems. Currently, we have two dogs (Kruz, the Border Collie and Nina, one of the Portuguese Water Dogs) running in Excellent B and one (Mad Dog, Portuguese Water Dog) in the Open classes. HAVE FUN. RUN FAST. RUN CLEAN. . . and pass the chocolate!" Rilda Fish - Obedience, Agility "I have had dogs all my life but never actually 'trained' one until I got Sophie (Schnauzer). We had some issues early on so I got into obedience classes and then agility classes. From there on it became fun for both of us. I then 'inherited' a relative's dog, Ryelee (Bichon) and we keep busy with training, trials and just having a lot of fun. I have helped with both agility and obedience classes and I continue to learn as well as help others become their dog's best friend." Becky Gilchrist - Agility, Obedience, Flyball, Rally, Conformation, Boxer Foster Home "I became involved with dog training after my husband and I got our first puppy. He was what some would call "challenging" and we signed-up for classes to get him under control. We liked the classes and trained pet obedience for 2-1/2 years. After watching obedience at a local dog show, I decided my dog could do that and began to train for competition.I have three boxers, Brutus, Amaya and Ninya. I train them in obedience, agility, rally obedience and we are showing Ninya in breed right now. Brutus has earned his CD, U-CD and Rally Excellent obedience titles. He also has his UGI and UGII titles in agility. Amaya has her Rally Novice title and is working on her excellent titles in agility. And, Ninya is just getting started :-) I am also very involved with the boxer rescue. I foster for rescue and usually have an extra boxer at my home. I enjoy working with the rescues and teaching them basic obedience. It is amazing how fast they can learn and what a little training will do to help these dogs become good pets and find loving homes!" Beth Haley - Agility, Obedience, Rally
Michele Hartzler - Agility, Obedience, Rally
Robyn Hawkins - Agility, Fly-ball, Obedience "I can honestly say that my favorite thing to do is spend time with my dogs, playing, training, competing, or just cuddling. My dog family started with Calypso, my tri-color Shetland Sheepdog. She had lots of sheltie energy so we signed up for agility class, and LOVED it! Many classes and lots of training time later, Caly has earned the AG-I, NA, OA agility titles, and also the Canine Good Citizen certificate. Caly enjoys fly-ball classes and herding as well. A little over a year ago, we added Molly, a sable sheltie to our family when her family no longer wanted her. Molly is quite content to be a companion/lap dog and has no aspirations to be involved with dog sports. Kruz is the newest addition to our family, and came from a shelter in Waterloo. We think he is a young Border Collie/Husky mix and he has beautiful eyes and LOTS of energy! He is just beginning to train in fly-ball and agility. My husband, Damon, and I live in Cedar Rapids with our dog family. Damon enjoys playing with the dogs, but is happy to leave the training to me, and is very understanding about all of the time spent taking classes, assisting classes, training, and traveling to dog shows as well as mowing around the agility equipment in the back yard!" Kathy Heilenman - Herding, Agility, Obedience "I have lived with Bouviers for over 15 years and with Border Collies for about five and enjoy both. My primary canine activity is herding with agility coming in behind that. (I've also worked in obedience and in Schutzhund). I have put herding titles on a Bouvier (Kaz was running in advanced sheep and ducks and intermediate cattle when he retired) and on two Border Collies (Blu has two herding championship titles and Pepper is running in advanced and intermediate sheep, duck and cattle). I've put a CD on a Bouvier and several agility titles on Bouviers and Border Collies. My other major interest is canine behavior in general and how dogs and people communicate (or don't) in particular. I enjoy teaching and find working with people as rewarding as working with dogs!" Deanna Lettington - Agility, Obedience
Kay Lowe - Agility, Obedience, Freestyle, Therapy Dog "My husband, Kenny, and I share our home with many dogs. Most of them are dogs we have rescued from bad situations that are problem dogs, some have been abused, and just generally, K9 misfits. We have trained most of them and have earned titles, many advanced, in both obedience and agility. Other activities our dogs enjoy participating in are Therapy work (care centers and hospitals), Freestyle dog dancing, Rally obedience, and Presenting programs for schools and groups. One of my biggest joys is teaching people to train their dogs. It is so rewarding to watch the dogs and their owners make progress during their class time. When a dog has had obedience training, and the owner learns how to train and care for his pet, it greatly improves the chances that the dog will remain a part of the family and not become a "throw-away" dog. I have put over 60 obedience titles on dogs of many breeds and temperaments. Some with very serious problems. Our dogs have earned a total of 6 Dog World Awards, 10 Utility Dog Titles, an Obedience Championship and had a great deal of fun accomplishing them. My training methods are positive reinforcement, tons of praise, many treats and fun with toys. In my opinion, maintaining a positive attitude during training is the most important issue. I look forward to meeting you and your wonderful dog. Happy Training! To the world we are rescue people. To our dogs, we are the world!" Kay Lund - Obedience, AKC Obedience Judge "I have been showing dogs in Obedience since 1978 putting a total of 49 titles on various dogs, including 8 Utility Titles and 2 UDX titles. Currently, I am training my own dogs and showing. I am also a licensed AKC Judge certified through Utility and enjoy the judging aspect of this sport as well as showing and training. Being a judge allows me the opportunity of traveling many areas of the country. The classes I teach are offered through 4RK9's Dog Training Club and Iowa City Dog Obedience Club." Sheryl McCormick - Conformation, Agility, Obedience, Herding, and Tracking "I started in dogs with an English Springer Spaniel, Jed. I was reading a book about them and the part about obedience trials sounded interesting. I thought, "My dog can do that." Well, it was a bit tougher than I anticipated, yet I managed to put a CD on him.While training Jed, I was introduced to the world of Belgian Tervurens and have had them ever since. My first Tervuren - Foxhollows Brown Eyed Girl CGC, HIC, CD, U-AGI "Targa," introduced me to the conformation and agility world of dogs. My next Tervuren was CH Liberte's Just For Fun, "Cody." He was my first successful conformation dog but could not live up to his potential due to some serious health issues. Next came "Sage," CH Patana's Thunderstorm CGC, HIC, HCT, CDX, OA, NAJ, U-AGI. She is a once-in-a-lifetime dog. She is a Group Winner, multi Group Placer and for four years was owner-handled to a top ten ranking for female Belgian Tervuren in conformation. Sage's half brother then arrived - "Chase", CH Patana's Up-N-At-Em CGC, AXZ, OAJ, U-AGI. He too was a Group Winner and multi Group Placer. I am currently training two more, Group Placer CH Shumaker Hill I of The Storm, "Breeze", CGC, HIC, OA, OAJ, U-AGI, and CH Patana's Zero Gravity, "Rocket", OA, OAJ, U-AGI. I have been teaching obedience, agility and conformation classes for several of the local dog clubs for many years. I am also a member of the Cedar Rapids Kennel Association, Iowa City Dog Obedience Club, American Belgian Tervuren Club and a board member of the Great Lakes Belgian Tervuren Club." Sue Medberry - Obedience, Rally
Robin Morris - Agility, Obedience
Lou Ann O'Malley - Agility "I have been with 4RK9's since 1995. Along with teaching agility classes, I have held positions on the Executive Board as Treasurer and Secretary. Bailey, one of the two Brittany's I love and nourish, has been retired from competition and is 9-1/2 years old. He has earned his CGC, AG-III and NA titles. Guinness is 1-1/2 and just beginning his competitive career. He has earned his CGC, AG-I and AG-II titles. I enjoy teaching all levels of agility, but especially the 'Just-For-Fun' class which is more relaxed and fun-filled." Terry Ryan - Agility and Fly-ball "We have five dogs that compete and play in
Agility and Fly-ball. On four dogs, we have 36 titles in Fly-ball with
15 years experience. Another 15 years combined experience in Agility with
39- titles in UKC and AKC. The most important thing you can do
with your dog is have fun! Amy Steinbeck - Agility, Obedience, and Conformation "I share my home with eleven dogs (7 Min Pins, 2 American Eskimos, 1 Papillion, and 1 Standard Poodle). I got my first dog 17 years ago, which was one of the Eskies. She had behavioral problems and never having had dogs before we started in obedience classes. This was lots of fun for both of us! I got another Eskie the next year and attended some dog shows with a friend and the cycle began.I acquired the first Min Pin from my groomer who was also my obedience instructor and friend. She wanted to place this dog in an obedience home and now I have 4 generations of dogs from him. My Papillion came from another friend and well know Pap breeder. He is absolutely the most spoiled dog ever! The Standard Poodle was a rescue from a shelter and had been physically abused severely. He has turned out to be the most incredible, loving dog. I enjoy showing in conformation. Several of my dogs are champions. Together we have earned several CDs and 1 CDX both in UKC and AKC. Recently, I have been bitten by the agility bug and currently have my Pap in excellent and my Min Pin (who will be 12 soon) in open. One of my biggest thrills has been doing therapy work with my dogs, both in the nursing homes and hospital. This is one of the most rewarding things you can do. My dogs are my pets first and show dogs second if they have the desire. If they aren't having fun, then we won't do it. They are the most important part of the team. I have taught numerous obedience classes, and some agility and conformation. I enjoy teaching classes, especially obedience to the general public. We all have to start at the beginning, some due to dog issues. I love working through behavioral problems and find animal behavior extremely fascinating. If I can save one dog from the abuse that my Standard Poodle went through or from the shelter, then I have been successful in life." Helen Venneman - Agility, Rally, Freestyle Our three Shelties are an important part of our lives. They love agility. Cirrus has earned his CGC, AG-I and AG-II titles and Maxwell has earned his CGC and AG-I titles. Our newest little girl, Demi has her CGC and is an agility beginner.Obedience training is an important pre-requisite for agility success. In order to be happy companions, dogs need limits, guidelines, praise and love. Obedience training helps accomplish this. Making training fun and being consistent help dogs and their owners enjoy each other. Barb Wyatt - Agility and Fly-ball "We have five dogs that compete and play in
Agility and Fly-ball. On four dogs, we have 36 titles in Fly-ball with
15 years experience. Another 15 years combined experience in Agility with
39- titles in UKC and AKC. The most important thing you can do
with your dog is have fun! |