Patti Engleman
Owner, CGC ELEVATOR, Agility Course Testing Evaluator, Foundation OBEDIENCE Instructor, Competition Obedience Instructor, foundation agility Instructor, competition Agility instructor, Trick Dog Instructor and evaluator
I have earned multiple master agility championship and preferred agility championships on multiple dogs while taking those same dogs and competing and titling in the higher levels of obedience and Rally. All three of my Labradors have qualified at least once if not multiple times for the National Agility Championships and my younger two Labradors have been invited to annual Labrador Retriever Club Specialty to celebrate their performance as a top 25 Labrador in the nation for agility. My dogs are first and foremost a part of my family and my working relationship with my dogs has made my home life that much easier as well as given me a lot of great memories. I have worked with Chihuahuas and Great Danes as well as a lot of dogs in-between.
I have taken classes from a number of folks as well as taken seminars from some of the top handlers in the United States/world in both agility and obedience. I have had some amazing instructors/coaches and I strive to continue to improve my knowledge of both handling and training. I have had the opportunity to learn more about dog training as well as more ways to teach it by watching the different ways teams approach training and handling. I learned how to tighten up my heeling from Connie Cleveland, my best serpentine from Joy Dolsby, my sends from Paula Lockhart, my K-turns from Barb Davis, how to cue the dogs better and faster as well as to trust my training from Heidi Vania and from Sheri Walsh I learned so much from basics through the excellent levels in both agility and obedience. There are a lot of amazing people out there that want to share their knowledge and I am grateful for them. I know I have picked up things from other classes, but these are the instructors and speakers I will always remember because my dogs loved, truly loved, the way they taught me to teach them.
My Journey
I grew up with sled teams, but my first true pet was a Labrador retriever that I received from Springwind Labradors at the age of nine. We were not Bell's first home, but after being taken back from a bad situation as a pup, she came to live with my family at the age of six months. It did not take long for Bell and me to form a bond that could not be broken. Bell was not a versatile athlete, but instead was my best friend and my constant companion as I went from a childhood into adulthood. I have so many memories that she is a part of and my heart still aches from her loss at the age of 16.
I waited to get my next dog as I knew I needed time to be fair to them as they could not be her. When I was ready, I returned to my breeder for a black lab puppy, but she did not have one available at the time. After much discussion I decided to take a 2-year-old yellow Labrador while going on a wait list for a black Labrador. I did not know how much my world was going to change. It was my intent to do obedience with my new dog, but she was not a confident girl. My breeder suggested that I try agility with her and we were hooked. In agility her timidity and fears melted away to reveal a possessed yellow Labrador who only knew that it was the greatest game ever. Agility gave her the confidence to earn her RAE (Rally Advanced Excellent) as well as her CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) from AKC. In AKC agility she was able to earn multiple titles and championships as well as qualify for AKC nationals twice.
In addition to Flirt I have added the little black puppy I had to have (Rizzo ), a chocolate puppy that we were growing out for the breeder and fell in love with (Zip), a possessed sheltie (James) that had belonged to my friend Debi Hill, and now a little spitfire Xolo (Tyra Banks). My dogs while similar in some areas are completely different in others and each has taught me something new. While I have had moments that were less than graceful, I have never given up on my teammate and they have never given up on me. Each of my dogs is a member of my family first and I cannot imagine my life without them. Each title I have earned with my dogs has been a journey that I would not trade for anything. I have competed successfully in multiple venues, but so far it is AKC that I have enjoyed the most. In AKC I have put over 50 titles on my first two dogs alone between agility, obedience and rally. I still look forward to the journey with my dogs, those actively competing and those that just get to practice, because ultimately it is about our time with them.
I have taken classes from a number of folks as well as taken seminars from some of the top handlers in the United States/world in both agility and obedience. I have had some amazing instructors/coaches and I strive to continue to improve my knowledge of both handling and training. I have had the opportunity to learn more about dog training as well as more ways to teach it by watching the different ways teams approach training and handling. I learned how to tighten up my heeling from Connie Cleveland, my best serpentine from Joy Dolsby, my sends from Paula Lockhart, my K-turns from Barb Davis, how to cue the dogs better and faster as well as to trust my training from Heidi Vania and from Sheri Walsh I learned so much from basics through the excellent levels in both agility and obedience. There are a lot of amazing people out there that want to share their knowledge and I am grateful for them. I know I have picked up things from other classes, but these are the instructors and speakers I will always remember because my dogs loved, truly loved, the way they taught me to teach them.
My Journey
I grew up with sled teams, but my first true pet was a Labrador retriever that I received from Springwind Labradors at the age of nine. We were not Bell's first home, but after being taken back from a bad situation as a pup, she came to live with my family at the age of six months. It did not take long for Bell and me to form a bond that could not be broken. Bell was not a versatile athlete, but instead was my best friend and my constant companion as I went from a childhood into adulthood. I have so many memories that she is a part of and my heart still aches from her loss at the age of 16.
I waited to get my next dog as I knew I needed time to be fair to them as they could not be her. When I was ready, I returned to my breeder for a black lab puppy, but she did not have one available at the time. After much discussion I decided to take a 2-year-old yellow Labrador while going on a wait list for a black Labrador. I did not know how much my world was going to change. It was my intent to do obedience with my new dog, but she was not a confident girl. My breeder suggested that I try agility with her and we were hooked. In agility her timidity and fears melted away to reveal a possessed yellow Labrador who only knew that it was the greatest game ever. Agility gave her the confidence to earn her RAE (Rally Advanced Excellent) as well as her CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) from AKC. In AKC agility she was able to earn multiple titles and championships as well as qualify for AKC nationals twice.
In addition to Flirt I have added the little black puppy I had to have (Rizzo ), a chocolate puppy that we were growing out for the breeder and fell in love with (Zip), a possessed sheltie (James) that had belonged to my friend Debi Hill, and now a little spitfire Xolo (Tyra Banks). My dogs while similar in some areas are completely different in others and each has taught me something new. While I have had moments that were less than graceful, I have never given up on my teammate and they have never given up on me. Each of my dogs is a member of my family first and I cannot imagine my life without them. Each title I have earned with my dogs has been a journey that I would not trade for anything. I have competed successfully in multiple venues, but so far it is AKC that I have enjoyed the most. In AKC I have put over 50 titles on my first two dogs alone between agility, obedience and rally. I still look forward to the journey with my dogs, those actively competing and those that just get to practice, because ultimately it is about our time with them.
