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"About Us"
Since entering the agility ring for the first time in April 2000, John and
his border collie Connor have totaled over 400 qualifying runs in three
different agility registries, the Agility Association of Canada (AAC),
Canine Performance Events (CPE) and the United States Dog Agility
Association (USDAA).
In the AAC, they have been regional champions in Nova
Scotia in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. At the Canadian National
Championship level in the AAC, John and Connor placed 3rd in Calgary,
Alberta in 2001, 2nd in Palgrave, Ontario in 2002 and 6th in Montreal,
Quebec in 2004.
Their AAC titles include SADC, SSGDC, SAADC, SMADC, SMGDC,
SMSDC, SMJDC, SMTRDC, SMSCDC, SATChC and the Bronze, Silver and Gold
Awards of Merit.
In CPE their titles include CL4-R, CL4-H, CL4-S, CL4-F
and C-ATCh (the first Canadian dog to earn that title) and in the USDAA
they have been USDAA DAM United States National qualifiers in both 2003
and 2004.
In 2006, John and Connor were also honoured with the Clean Run
"Spirit of Agility Award" for their involvement and dedication to the
sport of agility.
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Over the last several years, John has been teaching seminars and
conducting workshops in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine using the
very latest handling and training techniques. He has attended, in-depth
seminars, with some of the top trainers in the United States and Europe.
These include, Guy Blancke (Belgium), Stuart and Patti Mah (USA), Gregg
Derrett (Great Britain), Nancy Gyes (USA), Kathy Keats (Canada), Gerry
Brown (USA) and Kim Collins (Canada).
John has also attended the week long
Clean Run Agility Training Camp held in the United States in 2004 and
2005, taking workshops from other notable agility instructors such as
Susan Garrett, Jim Basic, Jen Pinder and many others. He continues to
attend seminars in order to stay current with all the latest improvements
and changes in the sport.
His use of "positive reinforcement" training
methods ensure his students are exposed to a solid foundation training, a
key to good agility peformance. He teaches safe and reliable obstacle
performance and the use of clear and consistent handling while on course.
John also uses the "clicker training" method to ensure that handlers have
"thinking" dogs that learn more quickly and easily. He continues to compete
in Canada and the United States, attending approximately fifteen to twenty
agility trials every year.
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Most recently, John and his beloved Connor made their way to the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award" with a heart stopping run of a LIFETIME!
Connor is the 14th dog in Canada, and the 1st dog in Atlantic Canada to be bestowed this honor.
John truly portrays what agility is all about........fun, play, proper training, dedication, and a true love of the dogs and the sport.
He, his wife Lorna, and their three border collies Connor, Lucy, and Rebel, live in Halifax, Nova Scotia where they train and run their dogs.
John has recently launched "True North Agility", his
own agility training service and looks forward to helping others with their
agility needs.
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