About Us
About Us
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Deborah Lee Miller-Riley, Camp Director Canine Water Sports Director
Strongly influenced by the teachings of Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor, Deborah Lee's training beliefs includes:
Deborah Lee is a twenty-seven year veteran with the Norwalk, Connecticut Police Department, presently serving in the Patrol Division at the rank of Sergeant. Deborah Lee lives in Connecticut with her husband Thomas, three Portuguese Water Dogs and two cats. She has enjoyed a variety of canine sports with her PWDs including agility, (owner handled) breed ring, lure coursing at Wiz Kid Dog Camp, obedience, scent work and water work. Three Dogs Running Studio for Animals Only, her photography business, also keeps Deborah Lee busy in between training, teaching, and creating water fun. Her Email address is K9WaterFun@aol.com
Marsha Dominguez has been an owner, breeder and trainer of Portuguese Water Dogs since 1993. She and her dogs have successfully competed in Confirmation, Obedience, Agility and Water Work. Her dogs have earned multiple water work certificates and titles under her skilled guidance and fun coaching style. She has been active on the Nutmeg Portuguese Water Dog Training Committee since 1996 and is presently the committee chair. Marsha is an enthusiastic volunteer in local and national Portuguese Water Dog water trials and is an active supporter of Canine Water Sports for all kinds of dogs. She manages a dog training business in River Edge, New Jersey, where she provides private lessons in family dog training and practical obedience, using positive and no-force methods. A gifted and compassionate person Marsha also works in area public schools providing a Child Abuse Prevention Program. Melinda
Harvey has been involved with dogs for nine years.
She is currently owned by four Portuguese Water Dogs, Navarro, Juno, Paul
Revere and Evangeline. Melinda
trains and competes with all of them, attaining titles in Conformation,
Obedience, Agility, and Water work. She
has been competing in agility for over seven years and instructing for almost
six. She is also a licensed AKC Agility Judge. Melinda
and her dogs also participate in the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America Water
Trials, attaining a Courier Excellent title with her first dog, Navarro, Working
titles on Juno and Paul Revere and an Apprentice title on Evangeline. Melinda
has previously taught water classes for the Nutmeg Portuguese Water Dog Club and
has given water work seminars for other regional water clubs. Previous
teaching experience includes agility instructor for Port Chester Obedience Club, Staten Island Companion Dog Training Club and Skyline Agility
Club. She is currently on staff teaching agility at the Canine Sports Center in
Goshen, CT. She has taught at the Camp Gone to the Dogs Agility/Freestyle camp
(August 1998), Three Dogs Running Water Camp (June 1999), Clean Run Agility Camp
(March 2000), Competitive Edge Sports Camp (July 2000, June 2001 and July 2002),
and The Dog’s Camp (September 2000). Melinda also teaches water training for
the Nutmeg Portuguese Water Dog Club. Beside teaching classes for Canine Sports
Center, Melinda conducts agility seminars throughout the east coast and teaches
privately in her own business, Kokopelli Dog Training, Inc. Melinda’s
emphasis is on the relationship between the dog and handler, and the
communication skills required to achieve a good working relationship. She is a
good problem solver and has a keen understanding of her canine and human
students and is able to offer individual assessment and possible solutions to
problems. Her classes are taught with an emphasis on individual team’s needs
and always lots of fun!
Paula graduated from Carolina K-9 Command Dogs, Ltd. instructor program in 1976, and in 1995, from Julie Daniel’s Agility Instructor Certification course. The latter segued into teaching puppy agility programs at Wiz Kid Dog Camp for 1996-97 and The Dog’s Camp in 1998. Paula she has instructed and consulted in pet dog training, competitive obedience, agility, conformation, and behavioral issues. While tracking and herding are now her first loves, she has competed and titled, along with her dogs, in obedience, agility, conformation, and tracking. Paula and some of her dogs have also done extensive dog-assisted therapy. Paula lives in the mountains of western North Carolina and runs Her Wild K9's training programs. She is taking massage and integrative manual therapy courses to transform her home into the Southern Comfort Bed, Biscuit & K9 Spa-a Bed & Breakfast for dogs and their people and a physical conditioning facility with a pool, for dogs. If only there were room for sheep! Paula shares her life with two spirited Belgian Tervurens 6-year-old Trevor and 10-month-old Riggs. Plus, a new orange tabby kitten named Picard. Trevor, a suave, debonair, and smart fellow--can often be found at events like Career Days at elementary schools helping children learn "The Hokey Pokey." Riggs, while still young and learning his way in the world, often gets sheep to do his bidding during herding lessons with a simple look on his very sweet face. Picard, also young and rather kittenly-incorrigible, is learning the fun of clicker training. As a police officer, Steve White was trainer for one the largest police K-9 units in Washington State. With K-9 assignments occupying much of his 25 years in law enforcement, he handled and trained patrol and narcotics dogs for military, county, and city law enforcement agencies. Accredited as a Master Trainer in 1993 by the Washington State Police Canine Association. Steve is an instructor for the K9 Academy for Law Enforcement, and has instructed at police K-9 seminars across the U.S. He has been recognized as an expert witness by Washington courts in police K-9 and dog behavior matters. The force based methods Steve was originally taught troubled him. Through the years Steve came to realize there was better way to train. Marine mammal trainers and behaviorists taught him how to achieve better performance using positive reinforcement. Better yet, they taught him that the principles applied across species lines. They work as well for cats, birds, and livestock as they do for dogs and dolphins. Steve has taught obedience classes at parks, community centers, and boarding kennels. His articles have appeared in police K-9 and dog training publications in the U.S. and Canada. He has been a guest presenter at Karen Pryor's and Gary Wilkes's "Don't Shoot the Dog" Seminars and has taught with Karen at her clicker workshops. Steve has taught classes at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers national conferences. He was also invited by the U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency as a participant in its Plume Tracing Symposium. As owner-operator of the private business Professional Training Services, he specializes in teaching behavior management through the use of positive reinforcement based operant conditioning, as well as tracking and scent work. He also provides consultation and training to K-9 units on administrative and legal issues.
She has been interviewed or published in Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Cosmopolitan, Trends, Pet Health, New York Newsday, Parenting, Dog World, Dog Fancy, Dogs in Canada, and The Healthy Dog. Sara has trained professionally for more than twenty years, run kennels large and small, worked for veterinarians and groomers, taught people privately and in groups, lectured for such organizations as Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc., American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers. Her current project is GreatPets.com. At GreatPets.com, a team of training, behavior and veterinary professionals assist the public. Areas are also provided for professionals to relax, vent and exchange ideas. Newsletters are provided for trainers and shelter/rescue workers as well as the general public. When not glued to her computer keyboard, Sarah is working toward her Masters in psychology (focusing on the human end of the leash) and spends time learning from her dogs, horses and sheep. |
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Deborah Lee Miller-Riley has been an animal
guardian for over 40 years. Her first
water dog, a chocolate Standard Poodle named Chopin, was Deborah Lee’s
childhood sibling and devoted companion. In
1986 she met and fell in love with her
first Portuguese Water Dog. Two years later, eager to share activities
with her water-driven dogs, Deborah Lee created a series of non-competitive
PWD water tests for the Fairfield County Portuguese Water Dog
Club in Connecticut. This was soon followed by the first National PWDCA
Water Trial, which Deborah Lee was instrumental
in creating. For the past ten years she
has volunteered in all aspects of hosting a water trial, worked on
local and national water committees and created training workshops and water
work classes. Her dogs have earned a dozen water work titles including the
Courier Excellent Title. Deborah Lee is a National PWD Water Trial Judge
and has been a water work Instructor since
1993. She is the creator and director of
Splash Camp, a week long all-breed water training program first held
in 1999, in Monroe, Connecticut. Deborah Lee created Canine Water Sports
in 2000 to bring the fun and usefulness of water work to the world of
canine sports.
Melinda Harvey
Kathy O'Rourke
Paula believes in forming a deep, spiritual
connection with one’s dogs. "People
are their dog’s caretakers and guardians, not just owners," Paula likes to remind her students. Paula also
believes in a "Total Dog" raising
and training program, which enhances the "kindred spirit and holism"
aspects of the dog-human relationship. All that
usually translates into lots of fun!
Sarah Wilson
is an
author, trainer and website den mother. Her books include Good Owners, Great
Dogs, 1992, 200,000 sold, translated into Polish; Childproofing Your
Dog, 1994;
Good Owners, Great Cats, 1995, 75,000 sold, translated into German and Japanese;
Tails from the Bark Side, 1997; Paws to Consider, 1999; and Metrodogs, 2001. All
published by Warner Books and co-authored with Brian Kilcommons.
This Page Last Updated February 25, 2002.