I started with Schutzhund around 1990 or so and soon after helped to start a local club where I spent many years. I discovered fairly early that while I enjoy training my own dogs, competing didn't hold much appeal to me. However, as a helper I found tremendous satisfaction in helping other dog and handler teams to understand the many skills needed to succeed in their work and to overcome the various training obstacles we all face. I've done trial helper work but found my niche as a training helper in helping "problem" dogs overcome their issues and reaching goals that at some point seemed unlikely, whether it be a Schutzhund title or becoming a more effective Police K9. I am happy to now be training with a great group where we share both a positive outlook and positive training methods to try to get the best out of the dogs and develop into the strongest dog/handler teams possible.

I am also a freelance artist who specializes in working dog art. Some people in the working dog community may have seen my designs through Topdog Designs and more recently Signature K9.