AGILITY INSTRUCTORS

MEGAN (MAHOLSIC) BOLAND
​megm1125@yahoo.com
Megan has been competing in agility for just shy of 20 years.  
She has put 11 AKC championships(MACH/PACH) on her dogs that she has competed with over the years.
She has compeated at several national events,  placing multiple times in the top 10 or 15 of her dogs height class in the country. Megan has been teaching competitive agility for 6 years.
She has taken several seminars with different instructors, most notably Nancy Gyes, Tereza Kralova, and Lisa Frick.  
​Megan believes that if your not having fun playing agility, your not doing it right!
Joyce Tischler
 716-208-2836
GTisch1035@aol.com
I have owned Vizslas since 1995 and have been training dogs all of my life.  I have competed in the AKC events of conformation, hunting tests, field trials for pointing breeds, agility, obedience and rally.  My dogs are titled in Conformation, hunting, obedience, rally, agility and Canine Good Citizen.  I have bred Vizslas since 1992 and have worked nationally with the Vizsla Rescue Program.  I believe in treating dogs with positive methods, patience and fun.  

CONFORMATION INSTRUCTOR

Michelle “Missy” Hoelcle
 whiplashsmiler77@yahoo.com
716-903-4520
Missy has been showing dogs since she was 12 yrs old as a Junior Handler.  She is now a professional handler and has finished several Champions and Grand Champions.
She has competed at Westminster and has handled several different breeds.
She knows the ins and outs of the show ring procedures and rules.

OBEDIENCE INSTRUCTORS

Rally Obedience
Kim Alexander-Thomson
ladybugccv@yahoo.com
716-839-4379

Kim has been doing Rally in AKC,  UKC & CARO. 
In 2011 in UKC Abra & Kim were the #1 dog in UKC in RO2 and #2 in RO3. They were also in the Top Twenty for 2012. 
They continue to continue in all  venues. 
Additionally, Kim has judged matches for the Western Lakes Training Club.
​Kim is now an AKC Rally Judge.
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​Mary Ellen Pratt
(716) 947-5135 
pups4mep@gmail.com
Mary Ellen believes The Polite Puppy (any age dog) is welcome anywhere and at anytime. Her strong conviction that relationship with your dog is based on mutual  love and respect. Making training fun from the beginning sets the pace for how the dog will perceive training for the rest of their life. For more than 30 years she was Region Coordinator for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, raising puppies, developing dog and handler in a fun and rewarding way. A student of Suzanne Clothier’s Relationship Centered Training, and Sarah Wilson, she continues to attend seminars and training sessions on a regular basis. She enjoys training and competing in Obedience, Rally and Agility with her Labrador Retriever, Imogene who obtained her AKC UD, RE, NAJP, TDA & UKC CD, RO1. Recently having fun learning and competing in Agility. She is a member of Hamburg All-Breed Obedience, Western Lakes Training and South Towns Dog Training Clubs.

Presently offering private and semi-private lessons: 
Basics in Obedience
Rally & Obedience – Where do you begin? - Snips and tips for ring readiness   
Developing a Confident, Connected and Calm dog
Behavior Assessment
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Ester Pullano
716-368-7635​
k9renegades@gmail.com
  I have been training dogs for past 20 years. Since I started out with a Cane Corso who had a multitude of behavioral issues what made me get involved in dog training in first place, I felt for the underdog and spent many years working with shelter dogs helping to turn them into better candidates for adoption.
Later I found myself drawn to dog sports in competition field and in last 10 years I have put over 80 titles on my own dogs and dogs I have handled. I am actively training and competing in Obedience, Rally, IPO, APPDA, Barn Hunt, Scent work, Agility and Conformation. I am also volunteering with my Therapy Dogs in therapy work on regular basis.
Recently I have left my long time job as Veterinary Assistant to dedicate fully to dog training.
I believe that learning never ends, so I am constantly taking classes myself with many great trainers in our area and attend seminars and workshops on regular basis.
My own breed close to heart is Cane Corso which I have owned and competed with for past 20 years. I am a member of many breed and working dog clubs and also an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.
My three Keys to Success:
TRUST / RESPECT / BOUNDARIES
I believe owning and living with dogs should always be enjoyable - for both sides. My goal is to help you to build a better, relationship with your dog based on trust, using training techniques that are FUN, respectful and that set out using clear boundaries that will lead to the harmonious life you and your dog want.

NOSE WORK

ELENA RALSTON
yelenaralston@yahoo.com
716-834-0288
Lena has been training dogs and competing in multiple sports and performance venues for about 37 years - 26 of which were in her home country - the Republic of Belarus, and 11 in the USA. To her training dogs is a form of art. Her first experience in canine sport competition was when she was 13 years old and started training her first German Shepherd, Beeshka for the Summer Combined Competitions (incudes100 meters sprint with obstacles, military style agility and protection with shooting a rifle). In a couple of years of training and intense preparation Lena with her German Shepherd became the youngest members of the First Belarusian Summer Combined Competitions team and began competing on the National level. It was that voluble experience of a true teamwork with her dog and other team members that taught Lena many valuable lessons and fueled her life-long love for canine sport.
 
Currently Lena owns four German Shepherds that hold 42 performance titles combined in obedience, rally, agility and herding. Several of her dogs have achieved multiple High In Trial’s, Total Dog awards and perfect scores. Lena’s dogs have held top obedience ranking in the past 8 years in AKC and UKC.
 
She has been professionally training dog in competition obedience all level in WLTC for the past 3 years. Lena tailors her training program according to each dog’s personality and abilities to ensure that every one of them riches his/her highest potential. Lena uses variety of effective training techniques that are rooted in the animal science and based on each dog’s temperament and each owner’s ability. Cultivating deeper understanding of canine behavior and teamwork, training without conflict and clarity of communication between a handler and his/her dog are the pillars she builds her training on.