Justine Espinoza teaches both of our regularly scheduled Conformation Drop-In sessions and our speciality Conformation class.

Melinda Grosch teaches our regularly scheduled Puppy Kindergarten, Beginning-2, and Obedience Maintenance Drop-in classes and our speciality Grooming and Handling class and our speciality Obedience Show Prep Drop-in sessions.

Melinda Grosch has always had a strong interest in animals.  Dog training started at age 8 when she received a Labrador Retriever puppy for her 8th birthday, the second Lab for her family, and the only breed she has ever owned.  She is a charter and life member of Hangtown Kennel Club of Placerville, CA.  Melinda started teaching obedience classes for Hangtown in 1983. 

She has a special fondness for Puppy Kindergarten classes and developed the curriculum and lesson plans for the Puppy Kindergarten program for Hangtown Kennel Club in the mid-1980's, when Puppy Kindergarten was just starting to become popular.  Melinda taught classes for almost 10 years for Hangtown KC before moving to Santa Rosa in 1993.  After a brief time focusing solely on her own dogs' training she started assisting Lee James with Puppy Kindergarten and Beginning II classes. 

Melinda was a professional dog groomer for 8 years but does not currently work professionally with dogs.  Instead, she volunteers her time to teach classes for County-Wide and organize field events for the Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Club and many other behind the scenes tasks for the various clubs she belongs to. 

An avid student, Melinda has attended numerous seminars on dog training over the years including a week long dog training camp with Diane Bauman, several Association of Pet Dog Trainers conferences, ClickerExpo, and many others ranging from retriever field training workshops to nutrition seminars.  Melinda is a graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning and Policy Analysis. 

Melinda currently lives with three Labradors and two Belgian Tervuren (her roommate's dogs) and one cat. 

Melinda has participated in Conformation, Obedience, Tracking, Rally, Hunt tests (AKC and North American Hunting Retriever Association), and Flyball and has earned the following titles: 

Braemar Abigail CD
Cinderhill Sweet Talk CD CGC
Cinderhill India CD WC CGC
SR Braemar Savoy Truffle CDX TD JH RE CGC
Water proof Olivia of Braemar CD TD WC FD CGC (TD title earned by roommate Kyla Smay)
Cinderproof Just a Dream CD TD RE WC CGC
Cinderhil Saddlehil Lastword (10 conformation points) CGC

CD = Companion Dog, CDX = Companion Dog Excellent, TD = Tracking Dog, RE = Rally Excellent, JH = Junior Hunter, WC = Working Certificate, FD = Flyball Dog, SR = Started Retriever, CGC = Canine Good Citizen

Linda Hause is the Training Director for County-Wide Dog Training Club. 

Linda teaches both of our regularly scheduled Beginning-1 classes and several of our speciality classes such as Jump Training, Open-1, Open-2, Open Proofing, Utility-1, Utility-Intro, Clicker Training, Fronts, Finishes, and Focus, and the Attention, Heeling, and Stays class.

Linda has been involved in the sport of obedience as an exhibitor and instructor since 1974, as an AKC obedience judge since 1991 and as a rally judge since 2009.  Her first training effort was with Siren, her in-law's 6 month old red Doberman puppy.  Linda did basic obedience training earning her first CD with Siren in 1974.  Linda's primary breed is the Siberian Husky although she has also owned and trained a black Labrador Retriever and a Finnish Spitz.  Linda has earned multiple titles on her dogs in obedience, agility, rally and conformation.  High points in her show experience include finishing two Utility titles within 10 minutes (one on her Labrador Retriever and one on her Siberian Husky) and finishing the first AKC Agility Excellent title on a Finnish Spitz.  In her 35 years of training and teaching experience Linda has worked with dogs and handlers of every description.  She has also attended numerous seminars addressing a variety of topics including (but not limited to):  teaching dog training classes, various behavior problems in dogs, working with rescue dogs, clicker training and training for obedience competition. 

Linda lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and three Siberian Huskies.  She has two grown children.  Linda has worked in special education at the high school level since 1983.  She has taught classes covering basic pet obedience through competitive obedience since 1974 in both Sonoma and Marin Counties, currently teaching obedience classes for County Wide Dog Training Club. 

Titled Dogs:

Prinz Erik's Red Siren CD  (Doberman)
Thor's Midnight Thunder CD  (Siberian Husky)
Kuchada's Toly Yarki Zarya CD  (Siberian Husky)
Gitana's Zarniva Keeta UD  (Siberian Husky)
Miss Money Penny UD (Labrador Retriever)
CH. Kalavala's Bo D Badman CD, AX, CGC  (Finish Spitz)
Alcinta's Fancy Lady CD, OA, NAJ, CGC  (Siberian Husky)
Zarniva's Going To The Sun RN, CGC  (Siberian Husky)
Zarniva's Rising Sun RN, CGC  (Siberian Husky)

Total of 7 CD, 2 CDX, 2 UD, 2 NA, 2 OA, 1 AX, 1 NAJ, 3 RN, 1 RA, 1 RE, 4 CGC and 1 Breed Champion titles. 

Leslie L. Heckathorn teaches our speciality Puppy Kindergarten and Holiday Skills classes.

Leslie has always had an array of animals in her life since she was a young girl.  She always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian.  She is particularly fond of dogs, especially golden retrievers. 

Leslie has an A.S. Degree in Assistance Dog Education from the Assistance Dog Institute, May 2007.  She is currently completing a Master's Degree in Human-Canine Relations at Bergin University of Canine Studies in Santa Rosa.  Leslie and her eldest golden retriever, Cody, volunteer as a K-9 Social Therapy Team visiting with local senior citizens and youth. 

Her passion for dogs has led her to develop a curriculum that educates the human so that they are their dog's best friend.  She uses positive teaching methods and a great deal of compassion.  Leslie teaches puppy class, dog education workshops and assists with the club's Tuesday night Beginning 1 class. 

Leslie lives in Santa Rosa with her spouse and three dogs (two golden retrievers and one golden/lab mix) and two cats. 

Lee James teaches our regularly scheduled Puppy Kindergarten, Beginning-2, and Obedience Maintenance Drop-in classes.

Lee first started training and showing dogs in AKC obedience at age 8.  She started teaching classes in 1977 and she founded HumDog in Arcata.  She has taught all levels of classes in Arcada and Fortuna.  She founded HOT Dogs in Healdsburg.  She taught all levels of classes at the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.  She organized dog drill teams for local parades.  She has taught all levels of obedience with County-Wide Dog Training Club since 19??.  She taught Beginning Obedience at Sonoma County Dog Training Club.  Lee's dogs have placed in many Gaines Super Dog competitions and she took High-In-Trial at Golden Gate Kennel Club.  Lee has put on scent discrimination demonstrations with vegetables which was broadcast on television. 

Lee has attended many training seminars in the 1980's. 

Lee has trained one dog through a TDX and many CD, CDX, and UD titles. 

Janice McCarthy teaches both of our regularly scheduled Conformation Drop-In sessions.

Judy Neuhaus teaches our regularly scheduled Rally-1 and Rally-2 classes and our speciality Rally Drop-in classes.  Judy also assists with our regularly scheduled Puppy Kindergarten class and occasionally teaches our regularly scheduled Conformation Drop-In sessions.

Judy began training her first dog in early 1986 through Marin County Dog Training Club, first working with her out-of-control mixed breed and then soon afterwards starting out with training a German Shepherd Guide Dog Puppy; neither dog went on to earn titles but were well behaved family pets.  Her first obedience title was earned on a Basset Hound named "Stormy" owned by her sister.  She joined CWDTC in 1997 after starting to train Zephyr, a young, fearful, GSD that she had purchased.  He was the first of her dogs to receive any obedience titles.  Zephyr went on to get a CDX and was one leg shy of his Utility title when he was retired from performance events due to epilepsy at 9 years of age.  She purchased and began training Lacey, her first Pembroke Welsh Corgi, in late 1997 training in Obedience, Agility and Conformation.  Since then Judy has bred and trained several Corgis in Obedience and Rally.  Her third Corgi, "Charm", earned both her CD and her CDX prior to turning two years of age with several placements along the way.  She has had two Perfect 100 Rally scores (ironically both on dogs bred by, but not owned by, her).  She has bred and shown one dog to an AKC championship and is currently working on attaining a championship title on her current Corgi, "Abby", who already has earned her first Rally title and is well on her way to being ready for Novice obedience. 

Judy also dabbles in herding with her Corgis as it's fun to see them doing what they were bred for. 

Judy has worked at Guide Dogs For The Blind for almost 27 years;  first starting out as a Kennel worker, then as a Vet Assistant, and currently as a Veterinary Data Entry Specialist.  She is very lucky to be able to have her dogs at her desk whether at home or in the office.  Judy lives in Penngrove with her three Pembroke Welsh Corgis. 

Judy has owned and trained with the following dogs:

Jerome – Mixed breed (Samoyed/Border Collie cross)
Brandon – German Shepherd (Guide Dogs Career Change)
Zephyr German Shepherd – Neuhaus' Gentle Breeze, CDX, RN, TT, CGC, HC
Lacey PWC – Carollee's Chantilly Lace, CDX, NA, NAJ, CGC, HC
Will PWC – Greenforest Good Will Hunting
Charm PWC – Zephyr's Three Times A Charm, CDX, RE, CGC, HC
Radar PWC – CH. Zephyr's Triple Doppler, RE, TT, HC
Abby PWC – Zephyr's Abra-Cadabra, RN, CGC, TDI, HC
Angel PWC – Zephyr's Midnight Tango, HC

Titles earned:
5 CD's, 3 CDX's, 1 NAJ, 1 NA, 6 RN's, 3 RA's, 1 RE, 4 CGC's, 1 CH

Judy has also trained and put titles on other Corgis that she has bred. 

Laurie Rubin is our club's Associated Obedience Clubs of Northern California (AOCNC) representative.

Laurie teaches our speciality Elements of Musical Freestyle and Motivational Training classes.

Laurie has been learning about and practicing musical freestyle since 1999.  Her first Aussie, Ebbtide Luna Sea, World Canine Freestyle Organization Freestyle Dog Excellent, was the second dog in California to earn a WCFO musical freestyle title.  Luna also earned an AKC UD and an Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) Obedience Trial Championship.  As of 2009 young Ebbtide Fennel Hill has earned his WCFO World Freestyle Dog Excellent and World Freestyle Dog Heel-to-Music titles as well as his AKC CD and ASCA CDX.  Laurie has trained with Terri Arnold and values having her dogs work with the utmost of joy and enthusiasm. 

Edwina Ryska teaches our speciality Introductory Agility and Agility-2 classes and our speciality Agility Drop-in sessions.

Edwina resides outside of Petaluma with her husband and a gaggle of Golden Retrievers.  She has been a dog trainer for over 30 years getting her first Obedience titles in 1976.  Since that time she has titled in Obedience, field, tracking and agility.  This includes 3 Goldens with multiple Master Agility Championships and 11 dogs with Utility dog titles.  Edwina holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Education.  She is a voted life member of County Wide Dog Training Club,  the Golden Retriever Club of America and Norcal Golden Retriever Club. 

Debbie Stoner is our CGC Evaluator.

Debbie is a Life-Time member of County-Wide Dog Training Club.  When the AKC first established the Canine Good Citizen test Debbie assisted fellow member Sandy Perez to hold them.  When Sandy could not continue running the test, Debbie took over and has been running them ever since.  Debbie helped establish the Pet Assisted Therapy program with her friend Sandi Brown for the Sonoma County Humane Society and suggested using the CGC tests at County-Wide to help screen pet therapy prospects for them.  Debbie also volunteers at the Humane Society's Paws to Shop weekly and helps with special events. 

Debbie began teaching Agility classes for County-Wide 16 years ago.  She now teaches Agility classes at her own school, Wheee Agility.  She has been the Trial Chairperson for County-Wide's Agility trial for more years than she would like to count.  She also was the club's Recording and Corresponding Secretary for several years.  She has also been a member of The Bay Team Agility club for many years. 

Debbie's new love and dog sport is K9 Nose Work that she is enjoying very very much with her sweet little Fox. 

Her three performance trained dogs are:
Golden Retriever   Tristan Stoner    UD AX CGC EAC EJC OGC   Pet Therapy Dog for 13 years
Papillon   ADCH MACH Matanzas Little Big Man    MXJP CDX RA EAC EJC OGC CL-4F CL-4H CGC
Papillon   MACH Matanzas Special Agent Fox    C-ATCH AAD RA CGC