Click on an instructor’s name for biographical information
Doug is a rotating instructor for Conformation/Show Handling. He has shown dogs for many years and currently owns Irish Wolfhounds.
Sue teaches our Scentwork classes
Chris Irvine currently is one of our rotating handling instructors. He has also taught Rally at the club. He has Basset hounds that he shows in multiple sports.
Nancy currently teaches Beginners and Advanced Beginners/CGC Obedience. She is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator who has been teaching at WKC for 14 years. Nancy became qualified to teach by apprenticing with experienced instructors at the kennel club, attending rally and obedience seminars, and attending AKC judges seminars.
She owned a Labrador Retriever who earned her UD and REA2 titles. Her pup also held her CGCA/CGCU titles, as well an agility title, Therapy Dog Distinguished and her Trick Dog Performer Title. She was working on her Barn Hunt Title. Nancy and Honey were a therapy team with
PAWS for People. Nancy now has an eight year old Labrador Retriever who competed in hunt trials with a former owner. They are a certified therapy team with
PAWS for People and are working on rally obedience skills.
Amy is teaching the Rally and Family Manners classes. Amy started out teaching dog obedience and rally by assisting with classes and learning from the judges in the field. She has owned multiple breeds and worked with multiple breeds in multiple sports, she currently has English Foxhounds and Longhaired Miniature Dachshunds. She is active in obedience, rally, tracking, fast cat, and confirmation currently but has also participated in agility. She has multiple dogs with titles in different disciplines.
When her first obedience partner, Juno, won alternate high-scoring GSD in pre-novice at a 1990 obedience match, Chris was hooked. Since then, she and her dogs have earned 59 titles in 5 AKC sports, mostly Obedience. The AKC ranks her Frankie in the Top Ten All-time Obedience Aussie. Her dogs have been her greatest teachers. Chris’ goal is to help owners realize their goals by becoming effective team leaders and handlers through consistency and clear communication with their dogs. Her training motto is “Obedience: the Bond made visible.”
Betsy is an instructor for:
Puppy Socialization Classes
My love for dogs and obedience training started in 1973 when I met my neighbor, Carol Lee Benjamin, and I got my first Golden Retriever, Heather, for
obedience. I discovered Chesapeakes and met Sue Cone who encouraged me to start titling my Chesapeakes. With the help of instructors this was all made possible. I have enjoyed and titled dogs in Beginners, Novice, Open, Rally, hunt tests, Dock Diving, CATS, Fast Cats, CGC, Pet Therapy, High in Trials and the show ring Best In Shows in US and Canada.
Being a breeder and puppy lover, I started Developing Training Programs and teaching KPT in 1998. My other love is Pet Therapy work and i have been involved since 1990 developing therapy programs for major medical centers in northern New Jersey. I also worked my therapy dogs during 9/11 and have continued working on advanced therapy dog programs.
I am currently an evaluator for Bright and Beautiful as well as AKC CGC/Trick Dog. I am currently an instructor for Wilmington Kennel Club for Pet Therapy Classes, Beginners and Competition.
Joanne Silver
AKC Platinum Breeder
Nancy is one of our handling class instructors. She is a current AKC judge and owns Dachshunds.
Val is a rotating instructor for:
- Conformation/Show Handling
Dee has owned and trained golden retrievers for the past 25 years. She has trialed in Rally Obedience, Agility and Conformation and trained in field work. Her current goldens are at the Masters level in Rally and are certified therapy dogs through Therapy Dogs International.
Chris is currently teaching our Show Handling 101 and 102 classes. He has been a professional handler showing multiple breeds for many years