Doggie U K9 Academy

I’m very glad we found Doggie U K9 Academy. They’re a top notch go to facility for all things canine, from basic home training to preparing for national AKC competitions. I originally started with Doggie U over a year ago for basic obedience classes and to investigate what dog agility training was all about. It looked hella fun and like a great way to build a special bond with your canine companion. I have a little schipperke, Storm, a dog many professionals told me is ‘off breed’ when it comes to performance sports and obedience. More specifically, one much awarded 40-year veteran trainer elaborated, ‘You don’t have a border collie, golden, sheltie or any other breed known for agility/rally/obedience prowess. What you’re dealing with is one step away from a wild animal.’ Other comments compared training schipperkes to ‘herding cats,’ ‘a losing battle,’ and simply ‘oh honey, bless your heart.’ Right from the start of working with Rolissa Nash, the creator of Doggie U and a legendary trainer who in her words says ‘I’ve been doing agility since agility started,’ I was surprised by how naturally talented Storm was on the agility obstacles; however, I also experienced the frustration of what everyone else said. Schipps are known to be as extremely loyal and intelligent (great things!) as they are impulsive, defiant and easily distracted (terrible things!). Storm could do a perfect recall one time and run outta the ring the next. We’d have a stellar multi obstacle agility run and then she’d do uncontrollable zoomies, insanely running around the room until caught. Thanks to Rolissa’s unique insights, undoubtedly gained from a lifetime in all areas of canine performance that few others have, and a lot of my research as I got increasingly sucked into the fascinating world of dog training, we overcame many seemingly insurmountable roadblocks in our journey so far… a journey that started with just wanting to build a special bond that’s miraculously led to three AKC titles. It’s a team effort and I think that’s what Doggie U is all about.. being part of your team to help you accomplish whatever goals you and your dog have. A very valued new member of that team for Storm and I is Mara Bovsun, a rally instructor at Doggie U. We love rally and we adore Mara. Mara is a RACH (Rally Championship Title) holder who puts a huge amount of effort and attention to detail into her classes while sharing her expertise. She’s an absolute joy to work with and is very committed to the success of all her students. Doggie U K9 Academy has opened up a new world to us and we’re excited to continue our journey with them. We face various challenges as our training progresses and I’m thankful the folk at Doggie U are always there to help us figure things out. I recommend them very highly to any dog owners wanting to conquer new horizons or simply have a better behaved canine companion. JB & Storm