by Heather Kolesa | Feb 15, 2021
Lynsey started her canine obsession as a conformation junior handler with Rottweilers. As an adult, she trained two French Bulldogs, Zubi and Zelda, in agility and they have also appeared in national commercials. She currently trains her sheltie, Vision, in agility. At just three years old, Lynsey and Vision have represented Team USA at the 2025 World Agility Open and the 2024 Agility World Championships. She loves teaching agility foundations to folks who may be starting out with a nontraditional breed or are new to dog sports.
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by Heather Kolesa | Mar 15, 2021
Rosie Sutherland has been competing in agility since 1996, with an Australian Shepherd and several Border Collies. Tod and Rhyn both earned USDAA Platinum Lifetime Achievement Awards (LAA), the highest title in USDAA agility, as well as MACH titles in AKC. Rosie also earned an MACH with a friend’s Corgi. She is currently trialing Risk at the most competitive levels in both venues, and is closing in on his Platinum Lifetime Achievement in USDAA. FloJo recently earned her Bronze LAA and young Gem is working on MACH and Bronze LAA. Rosie trains regularly with Linda Mecklenburg and teaches classes and seminars for several New Jersey clubs in addition to Y2K9s Dog Sports Club, where she is the Agility Director. Both she and her students have been finalists in AKC and USDAA national championships, and one student competed on the AKC World Agility Team. Rosie enjoys herding with Spec, and recently adopted another young Border Collie.
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by Heather Kolesa | Apr 15, 2021
Diane Battis, CPDT-KA, CTDI, has been training and competing in dog sports for more than 30 years. She has titled multiple dogs in Agility, Rally, Nose Work, Musical Freestyle, Tricks, CAT, FAST CAT, and Competition Obedience. Diane continues to improve her own training by attending seminars and camps with some of the best in their fields including Rosie Sutherland, Mary Ellen Barry, Jen Pinder, Denise Fenzi, Deb Jones and other Fenzi Academy instructors, and most notably Kathy Sdao, where Diane's foundation of shaping and breaking down behaviors (whether for manners, Rally or Agility) into small pieces helps owners and their dogs to be successful. Diane has also studied with Leslie McDevitt, author of three books including Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog and uses these skills to help her students whose dogs are over the edge to cope as they learn to compete.
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Photo by M. Nicole Fischer
by Heather Kolesa | Jun 15, 2021
Sally Silverman, CPDT-KSA, started training dogs in 2000 and has been active in Y2K9s ever since. She has found that using positive reinforcement, play, and lots of understanding yields the best results. Sally has competed in Agility with six dogs, all Australian Shepherds. Her current Aussies Java and Piper have earned championship titles in USDAA, ASCA and UKI agility, and have qualified for and competed in national competitions. In addition to Agility, Sally has a passion for Canine Musical Freestyle which combines the challenge of training precise, complicated behaviors with creative presentation choreographed to music. In WCFO (World Canine Freestyle Organization) she has earned several titles in numerous divisions, including the highest musical freestyle titles with multiple dogs. She enjoys the problem-solving challenges of training tricks, and her dogs also have many trick titles.
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by Heather Kolesa | Jul 15, 2021
Winnie has been training and learning from her sighthound dogs for over 20 years. She has owned, trained and shown several Borzoi an occasional Whippet and currently a Silken Windhound.
Winnie has been active in Conformation, Obedience and Lure Coursing, with accumulated titles in all. Winnie’s training philosophy for her dogs is to base her relationship on sincerity, love and mutual respect, flavored with a heavy dose of positivity, fun, and patience. This philosophy has shaped her work with all breeds.
In 2007 Winnie joined Y2K9s to try agility training with her Borzoi; the two immediately came to love the sport and all its teaching aspects. Winnie has continued her agility training with her current Silken Windhound. In addition, she is actively training and competing with a rescue Borzoi in the sport of Canine Freestyle.
Winnie has assisted with numerous Y2K9’s Basic Manners and Agile Pups classes and team teaches the Conformation class. Her work in dog sports is heavily motivated towards relationship building. She delights in helping people establish good communications and strong partnerships with their four-legged companions. Winnie has taken several classes from the Fenzi Dog Academy in addition to other class training.
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