Virtual Nose Work Camp – Winter 2025

Carolyn has been training dogs and their people professionally since 1985. In 1991 she founded Gemini Dog Training, a full-service training and daycare facility and then DOGS! Learning Center in 2007. Over the years, Carolyn focused much of her time on behavior modification through private consulting and training classes. She has educated and coached owners of fearful, aggressive, reactive, and/or socially challenged dogs. Carolyn’s teaching background includes group classes and workshops on clicker training skills, reactive dog management, and a variety of dog sports that included: agility, obedience, tracking, and earthdog. Carolyn attended the first CNWI training course on the east coast and is currently teaching nose work four days / nights a week. Her students range from those using the activity for enrichment for dogs with behavioral challenges to those that have achieved their ELTCH and Summit.

In November 2001, Carolyn made dog training history along with 117 other dog trainers in the USA, passing the first standardized professional certification test created by what is now known as the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. For the last three decades Carolyn has trained and mentored 100’s of potential dog training instructors. Many of her previous students and staff trained through her instructor programs have gone on to become Certified Pet Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA), running their own classes and businesses.

The desire for a better understanding of the canine mind and behavior has been the motivating factor in all aspects of her dog experience. Beginning with traditional training techniques, she knew there had to be a better way. Pursuing that better way has evolved into clicker training and a more thoughtful scientific and effective use of operant and classical conditioning. Carolyn believes that training and behavior modification should be safe, enjoyable, and successful for both the dog and the humans who love them. Most importantly, she maintains an open mind to new information and what every dog has to teach the human student.
Along with her training and behavior work, Carolyn wrote Clicker Basics for Dogs and Puppies. Carolyn has 2 DVD’s from the Clean Run Instructor Conference, one on Agility Foundation and one on Scaredy Dogs. Carolyn has co-taught canine cognition/behavior courses at Harvard University Extension School with Bruce Blumberg PhD, lectures to dog trainers occasionally and worked for many years as a behavior consultant for the MSPCA, providing reactive dog training classes and behavior therapy for shelter dogs and their families. Carolyn rescued and trained service dogs for veteran’s full time for 8 years.
Carolyn has been training, competing, and titling dogs for 40 years in obedience, conformation, tracking, agility, earth dog, and for the last decade plus in K9 Nose Work™. Carolyn’s PRT, Steiff, earned the NW Elite title and participated in the 2014 NACSW National Invitational. Carolyn’s Border Collie, Breezy, has her ELTCH title and is a Summit competitor. She participated in the 2017 NACSW National Invitational winning one of the searches and placing in another. Her rescue dog, Sam, achieved his NW3 Elite in just 5 trials that included placements and a first overall for his NW2. Sam currently has his ELT1 with limited showing. Carolyn’s young competition dog, Opal, is a black Labrador Retriever. Opal is 3.5 and has her NW3 Elite and prepping for Elite competition.  Opal is a consistent worker, placing 2nd overall for NW1, 1st overall for NW2 and a 1st and 2nd overall as well as many element placements in NW3.

Michele has worked as a Professional Dog Trainer for over 20 years. Prior to being swept up in the Nosework craze, she worked mostly in behavior modification.  In 2009, Michele was among the first dog trainers in New England to become involved in the National Association of Canine Scent Work’s (NACSW) sport of K9 Nosework.  She currently works with the NACSW as a Certifying Official, Judge, and competitor.  It’s no secret the sport has skyrocketed, and Michele’s intense schedule of regular weekly classes, private lessons, specialty clinics, and new online virtual programs show it.  In addition to having the honor of teaching at multiple Dogs of Course K9NW Training Camps, she owns “The Dog’s PACE” out of Massachusetts, a school specializing in K9 Nosework.

Personally, Michele has taken 3 of her rescue dogs to the Elite level, and competed in the 2015 and 2017 NACSW nationals with her 12 lb Chihuahua/Terrier mix named Hemi.  Currently she is owned and loved by two dogs: Chaser, a 9 year old German Shepherd and Cannoli, a 3 year old Belgian Tervuren.  Through a carefully laid foundation, Cannoli achieved her NW1 title at just over a year old with a third place, followed by her NW2 with a first place finish, and 3 NW3 titles finishing first.   She is now beginning her ELITE career after taking a little break in competing to hone some additional skills.  Chaser is happily enjoying his time training for his Elite Champion title.  All of her dogs have enjoyed multiple placements, high in trial, and pronounced notations.

Although her professional and personal interests have led Michele to train in a variety of dog sports, Michele’s fondness for Nosework comes from the tremendous benefits it offers to all dogs.  From confidence building, bonding, mental stimulation, and pure enjoyment, this sport offers so much to both dog and handler.

Sue Frisch is a professional dog trainer with 30+ years of experience working with dogs and their owners.   After 25 years managing an animal shelter while also running a dog boarding business at her farm and teaching training classes at night, Sue’s expertise includes everything from basic manners training and behavior modification to dog psychology, nutrition, and exercise. Over the years she has worked with hundreds of families and their pet dogs. 

Sue’s nose work journey began when she attended a workshop in June of 2010 and she was completely hooked!  She enrolled in the NACSW’s CNWI course and completed her Instructors certification in October of 2011 and has been involved ever since.  Besides being a regular at many CNWI continuing education workshops and other NACSW seminars around the country, Sue hosts several NACSW sanctioned trials each year, is a Nose Work Camp instructor,  NACSW Trial Site Advisor Team Leader and is a NACSW approved Judge as well as a NACSW Supervising Certifying Official currently approved to officiate NW1/NW2/NW3 and Elite Division trials. 

Through her business, Your Dog’s Place, LLC, she and her staff help dog owners train dogs of all sizes, ages, and temperaments to be polite four-legged family members, as well as offering all levels of K9 Nose Work® classes, private and group coaching.  Her many students have successfully titled their dogs in all levels including the first 2 Collies in the country to earn their Elite Champion Titles!  

Sue and her Rottweilers, Sully & Obi compete regularly in the Mid Atlantic/North East Region and reside in Honesdale, PA

Wendy Krehbiel is the owner of Tell a Tail Dog Training and offers K9 Nose Work classes in Livermore, CA. Prior to starting her career in dog training in 2002, she earned her Computer Science degree at Michigan State University and worked as a software engineer until 2001.

Wendy got involved in K9 Nose Work in 2009. She started teaching nose work classes at that time and also became involved behind the scenes with NACSW. She helped grow NACSW from its first California trials into an organization with trial opportunities around the country. She also helped grow NACSW’s Certifying Official Training Program and was an approved Certifying Official until the end of 2022. She became the NACSW Trial Director and served in that role until the end of 2022. She has now transitioned to a Special Projects with the organization and will be prioritizing teaching K9 Nose Work classes at Tell a Tail and spending more time with her own dogs and family moving forward.

Wendy currently lives with Mica her 12 year old rescue Golden Retriever, Coal a 8 year old Border Collie, and Carbon a 5 year old Border Collie. Mica earned a NW3 title and is now enjoying retirement hanging out with her dad. Both Coal and Carbon are actively competing in agility. Coal has earned his ELT2 title and Carbon has earned his NW3 Elite title.

With three decades of professional experience, Nancy Reyes, CNWI is a dedicated dog trainer whose journey began with a childhood fascination for animals and is now addressing a variety of behavior issues.
In 2004, Nancy took the leap and established For Your K9 Inc., a thriving hub offering a diverse range of classes including Puppy, Basic Obedience, Agility, Barn Hunt, Rally, and Nose Work in Elmhurst, IL. She has worked extensively with a wide range of behavior issues from aggression to separation anxiety. At the heart of Nancy’s training philosophy lies the belief in nurturing the bond between people and their dogs through effective communication and mutual respect.
She holds multiple roles within the canine nose work community, serving as a Certifying Official and Certified Instructor (CNWI) for NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work), a CPE (Canine Performance Events) Scent Work judge, and a CWAGS (Canine Work and Games) judge. She has mentored many scent work instructors locally and internationally in person and virtually.
She is an international speaker and presenter on dog behavior and nose work, with travels to Japan and the United States. Nancy has written articles for various breed magazines and conducts webinars for various groups. Nancy is a certified Mental Management Instructor, coaching dog-handler teams to achieve their performance goals across different dog sports.

Jean is the owner of Wells Creek Dog Training on the Central Coast of Oregon and has been involved in dog training in various forms since 1984.  She began training her personal dog for obedience competition at that time and has continued to learn along the way.  She has competed and trained her own personal dogs to titles in AKC Obedience and Rally, Agility, Herding, Tracking, Field Trials and Conformation and K9 Nose Work. 

Since becoming a CNWI in 2011 she has brought K9 Nose Work to the Central Coast/Eugene area of Oregon, teaching many classes for various organizations in the area.  She has since gone on to become a NACSW Certifying Official and Judge and is the NACSW CO Director of Operations.

Before moving to Oregon in 2008, she was an Instructor for Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar, Ca, helping to train and then pair guide dogs with visually impaired recipients.   She has also been involved in teaching obedience, puppy and reactive dog classes in Southern California as well as Oregon.  

Jean and her husband currently share their home with two German Shepherds and a Labrador Retriever, all competing at different levels of Nose Work.

Laurel has been working professionally with dogs since 1996 with roles including animal control officer, veterinary technician, dog trainer, and behavior specialist.

She has trained and titled dogs in rally obedience, agility and, of course, K9 Nose Work®. Laurel teaches K9 Nose Work® classes and workshops, has been an instructor at PA, GA, and CO Nose Work Camps, is an NACSW™ Certifying Official, Judge and Trial Coordinator, and is an AKC Scent Work Expert Judge.

Laurel and her husband are currently owned by Agnes, a 3-year-old Brittany, and Walter, a 2-year-old “Malinauzer”.

Barbara and her German Shepherd Landis (R.I.P.) were involved in K9 Nose Work since 2008. At the first sanctioned NW1 trial they earned “The Harry Award”, which is given to the most outstanding rescue dog that demonstrates extraordinary ability and spirit in nose work. They received a “Pronounced” designation for each of the three title levels: NW1, NW2, and NW3. Barbara and Landis were the 3rd team in the country to earn an NW3 Elite title. They qualified for the first four National Invitational events and competed in the first three, placing 2nd, 5th, and 12th. He earned his Elite 2 title before retiring. Landis was also part of the United States Naval Research Laboratory’s Odor Discrimination Study.

Barbara and her next K9 Nose Work partner, “Cassandra Sue (Cassie)”, a Labrador Retriever/Border Collie mix, have been working together since July 2015. After spending nearly a year on “primary” in literally dozens of locations, Cassie is now competing at the Elite level, having just earned her ELT 2 Title and just 95 points from her ELT 3. Cassie has also earned her L1E, L1I, L2I, L1C and L2C.

Barbara and her newest K9 Nose Work partner, a German Shepherd named Renner, have been working together since February 2022. A firm believer in building a strong foundation, Renner searched for a primary reward for a year in nearly 50 different locations before being introduced to NACSW target odors. Renner has earned her ORT, L1C, LC2, L1I and NW1. She is also a “Feisty Fido” graduate!

In addition to her role of Trial Judge and retired Certifying Official, Barbara also serves the organization as a Senior Faculty member. Barbara has been instrumental in curriculum development and education of new nose work instructors, as well as continuing education for certified instructors. In partnership with Dogs of Course, she has been a K9 Camp Instructor since the very first camp in Pennsylvania in 2010. Barbara has been invited to speak, coach, and teach seminars throughout the United States and on the east coast of Australia. Seminar topics include Trial Prep for NW1, NW2, and NW3, Converging Odor, Inaccessible Hides, Problem Solving, and the ever-popular Hide Placement. She teaches weekly K9 nose work classes for students at the NW3, Elite, and Summit levels.

By day Barbara is a full-time corporate trainer where she has been since 1990. She holds the position of Director of Education and Training for a not-for-profit property management company that serves low to moderate income senior citizens, families, and the chronically-mentally ill. She holds a BA degree in Deaf Studies with a minor in Gerontology from California State University, Northridge. She worked as a nationally certified sign-language interpreter for nearly 20 years.

She shares her dog training company, Amante’ Dog Training, with her husband’s dog-walking and pet sitting business Safe at Home Pet Care. Barbara is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), a certified member of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), Pet Sitter’s International (PSI), AIDS LifeCycle Training Ride Leaders, and Shifting Gears Cycling Club. She and her husband have fostered numerous guide dog puppies in training, primarily German Shepherds, ensuring appropriate house-manners are part of the skills they learn. 

She has been an avid distance cyclist since 2011 and has raised over $50,000 for AIDS LifeCycle, a non-profit organization in California which provides much needed services to those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Barbara is grateful to share her life with her long-time husband, Gerry, their little black Labrador Cassandra Sue, and newest member Renner, German Shepherd Dog.

Sue Sternberg has traveled the world offering her insight in dog behavior focusing on the shelter or rescue dog and determining the dog’s adoptability for rehoming. She has authored the Assess A Pet system to assist in promoting safe rehoming decisions for shelter and rescue organizations alike. While Sue has often received stark criticism (even outright physical threats) for her work, she has preserved and still remains an accomplished observer and interpreter of dog behavior. She has been described as a “visual thinker” with great insight reading dogs.

Sue began her career over thirty-five years ago as a dog control officer in rural Massachusetts. At the ASPCA in New York City, Sue counseled the public regarding pet behavior problems, taught volunteers and staff how to safely and humanely handle shelter animals, evaluated the temperaments of shelter dogs, and made recommendations for placement and euthanasia. In 1993, she founded a not-for-profit animal shelter in rural New York, where she developed many innovative programs for the welfare of shelter dogs and the people in surrounding communities. She shares her knowledge of dog behavior on radio talk shows, as a popular speaker at national humane and dog training conferences, and through books and videos available at www.dogwise.com.

Her programs, including Assess-a-Pet, have been used with positive results at shelters across the country and abroad.

It is Sue’s undaunting capacity to “read” our dogs’ (and every dog) and enlighten those of us on the end of the leash, that makes her observations of our dogs doing nose work so invaluable.

Sue is an avid fan of K9 Nose Work® and NACSW™ and we are fortunate to have her expertise shared in webinars and workshops.  Since her nose work journey began, she has competed in all trial levels and is currently working at the Summit with her dog Chappy and preparing for competition with Nog.  With her broad background in the handling and training of dogs, this additionally makes her a valued coach in Nose Work teamwork.  She focuses on how our handling (on and off leash) affects our dog’s behavior and can help or hinder our success as a nose work search team.

Dorothy is a professional, full-time dog trainer in the Olympia, Washington area. Her business, Let’s Talk Dogs, specializes in K9 Nose Work®. She began dog training as a hobby in 1995 and quickly became involved with rescue and education work as a volunteer. She eventually transitioned to training others and quit her day job in 2002 to pursue dog training as a full-time professional. 

Dorothy teaches classes, private lessons and hosts educational seminars and workshops, trials and ORTs. She has traveled as the working assistant to Kathy Sdao, MS, CAAB (Bright Spot Dog Training). She is a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) and continues her education by attending and hosting seminars and workshops. She has graduated from the Dogs of Course Instructor Training Course, CNWI instructor training and three sessions of Bob Bailey’s “Chicken Camp.” Over the years, she has also volunteered and worked at her local shelters and various rescue groups.

In early 2010 Dorothy attended her first K9 Nose Work® seminar with Ron Gaunt. She was hooked. She knew this was a great activity that she wanted to share it with her clients. She began working with her dog and car reactive dog, Zoey, and never looked back. She had no plans to compete with this particular “problem” dog so was thrilled when Zoey not only earned her NW1 title but also took first place. Dorothy and Zoey had the honor of attending the National Invitational in November 2017. Dorothy is now a Supervising/Elite Certifying Official for the NACSW™. She is also an experienced trial and ORT host, National Trial Coordinator, Trial Representative and Score Room Lead for the NACSW™. 

She shares her life with her husband and 2 dogs (all mutts) in Rochester, Washington. She is currently trialing with her Chihuahua mix, Brigette, at the Elite level.

Silke was introduced to K9 Nose Work® in 2010 and became one of first two Certified Nose Work Instructors (CNWI™) in PA in 2011.  In addition to instructing group classes, private sessions, coaching clinics and offering video reviews, Silke has hosted multiple NACSW™-sanctioned ORTs, trials and workshops.  She has taught at several K9NW camps hosted by Dogs of Course and is a webinar presenter for the K9 Nose Work® Education Division and Dogs of Course Virtual Nose Work Camp.  Silke was an instructor at the Training Fest West in 2023. To stay current on her K9NW education, she revisits the CNWI training and attends workshops, webinars and coaching days on a regular basis.

Silke is a Supervising Certifying Official and Judge for NACSW™-approved trials and ORTs and is involved in various admin projects for the NACSW trial and the K9 Nose Work® education department. 

Silke loves to work on all aspects of this great dog sport while making sure that both ends of the leash have fun in a safe environment!  She has a soft spot for shelter dogs and introduced K9NW to several local shelters, two of which have now included it in their regular canine enrichment program. 

Silke is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant and has been running HeRo Canine Consulting LLC, a successful dog training and behavior consulting business since 2006, but focuses solely on K9 Nose Work® now. In 2024, she became a Certified Mental Management Instructor (level 2).

She currently competes with her 10-year-old Pit Bull Snap in NACSW™ nose work competitions and is an avid K9NW lover.

Dana Zinn has been working with and training dogs since 1999. Her many years of dog training experience include working at the spcaLA as an Animal Behavior & Training Specialist. It was the time working with dogs in the shelter that drew her to the sport of K9 Nose Work®; not only for her own dogs, but for the many dogs in need of a “job” to do.

Dana was involved in the first publicly offered Nose Work class in Long Beach, CA. She not only participated but eventually assisted in instruction. From there Dana became involved in the development of the K9 Nose Work® instructor certification program. Dana was one of the first participants to be certified as an instructor for the K9 Nose Work® curriculum approved by the National Association of Canine Scent Work, LLC. Over the years, she had many jobs with NACSW including certifying official, supervising certifying official, and trial judge.   

Her learning never stops as she continues to teach classes, instruct at camps, compete in trials, create webinars, and teach workshops. She recently co-authored a book with Sue Sternberg, The Dog-Driven Search, Handling Our Nose Work Dogs to Promote Independence, Joy and Enthusiasm.

Dana has participated in a variety of canine activities such as obedience, herding, agility and of course Nose Work. One of her proudest moments was placing first in the 2014 NACSW National Invitational. Dana moved from California with her family to Golden, Colorado in 2008 and brought the sport of K9 Nose Work® with her.  She hosted the first trials in Colorado and has absolutely loved watching nose work flourish there.  Dana is honored to be a part of the amazing community that has grown around the game and sport in Colorado and surrounding areas.  

Dana strives to increase her knowledge about canine behavior and instruction. She has attended and helped coordinate many seminars featuring some of the world’s most sought-after speakers. One of her most memorable educational experiences was working with and learning from the renowned dog behavior expert and trainer John Rogerson. She has traveled to England and Washington state to work with and assist him on many courses including his 21-day Instructors’ Course.  

Dana is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a member of the Colorado Trainers’ Networking Group. Dana was certified as a professional dog training in 2005 by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).

Dana currently shares her life with her wonderful husband Ken, two beautiful children Jessica & Ben, and her two Labrador Retrievers, Winnie and Sunny.