Instructors

Adele Yunck

Adele began teaching obedience for the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club in 1987 while still working as a Software Engineer. She left the world of computers to start Northfield Dog Training in 1990. She teaches group classes and private lessons at her training facility in Ann Arbor. Her main passion is teaching competition obedience classes. She also teaches popular obedience seminars for clubs around the US. She is NDT's head obedience instructor.
Adele earned her first CD in 1986 on her little Austrlian Terrier Casey. Her dog's and titles:
Australian Terrier Casey (U-CD Hott Pursuitt on the Farm Am/Can UD) 1984-1997
Flat-Coated Retriever Tramp (Am/Can Ch. OTCh. U-CD Grousemoor Some Like It Hot TD WC) 1985-1994
Australian Terrier Rio (Ch. OTCh. U-CD Free For All on the Farm UDX TD; Can CDX) 1989-1996
Flat-Coated Retriever Treasure (Ch. OTCh. U-UD Grousemoor Forget Me Not UDX RN OA OAJ WC; Can UD; RL-2; 1 leg on her JH earned at 11.5) 1993-2006
Border Terrier Java (OTCh. U-CDX Riversides Magen’s Starbucks UDX2 RE AX AXJ; Can CD; RL3) 1997-
Border Terrier Joker (Kandu’s The Joker Is Wild CD RA; RL2) 2001–
Flat-Coated Retriever Gryffin (Ch. Grousemoor Gryffindor UD RE SH WCX; RL2) 2003-
Flat-Coated Retriever Ty (Grousemoor Timeless RN JH WC; RL1) 2004-

You can learn more about her training methods from the book she co-wrote with Judy Byron, Competition Obedience: A Balancing Act, or the video on retrieving, Positively Fetching. Her newest book, The Art of Proofing: Preparing Your Dog For Obedience Trials, is new for 2008.

Denise Tarby

Denise has held the position of head agility instructor at NDT since 1999. She has been certified to teach agility through the Julie Daniel’s Agility Instructor Certification program. To maintain a high level of knowledge of current techniques, throughout the year she attends camps, private lessons, and seminars in agility, obedience, dog behavior, and field. Her training has included most of the top competitors in their respective dog sport. Denise started training in agility in 1996 with her English Springer Spaniel, Mojo. As a team they competed in AKC, USDAA, UKC, and NADAC obtaining advance or higher titles in all venues. Her current agility dogs are Boomer, a golden retriever, and Trill, a Shetland sheepdog, . Both of these dogs have competed in CPE, and are competing for their MACH’s in AKC. Denise and Trill also competed in Canada’s AAC venue. They qualified for and competed in the AAC Nationals in 2005. In addition to agility, Denise has competed in AKC obedience with her golden retrievers, Boomer and Jubi. With Denise as trainer and handler, they completed Jubi’s CD in three trials, averaging 196 points and first place each time. Both Jubi and Boomer are presently working on their Rally Obedience Novice titles. In addition, Boomer will debut this fall in AKC obedience. An all-around canine athlete, Boomer also competes in the field. With Denise as trainer and handler, he completed his WC in 2005. They are currently working on his JH. Denise has vast experience working with a wide array of breeds over the course of her eight years of training at NDT. She has helped individuals and their dogs to accomplish their personal goals in agility. She has been particularly helpful training individuals and their dogs to compete in agility.

Marcia Cavan

Marcia Cavan has been actively training and competing with multiple breeds of dogs since 1980 when she completed the requirements for an AKC Companion Dog (CD) titles on her first Pharaoh Hound, Rohirrm's Kestrel. Kestrel was one of the first of her breed to achieve this obedience title. Since then Marcia has completed multiple obedience titles on 4 different Pharaoh Hounds along with a Whippet, a rescued mix breed and a German Shepherd Dog. Marcia and her Pharaoh Hound "Bristol" (Ch. Galadrial's Dream Weaver UD SC FCh CGC) became the first in her breed in AKC history to obtain a Utility Dog (UD) title. To this date Bristol is still the only Pharaoh Hound with a UD. Marcia also competed at the 2001 World Series of Dog Obedience with her rescued mixed breed, Jazzabelle, who went on to get her UKC CDX and multiple agility titles. "Jazz" is now retired from competition but still works as a demonstration dog for the PK classes Marcia teaches. Over the years Marcia has also competed and titled a number of dogs in many other areas of dog training including tracking, conformation, and has had multiple nationally ranked lure coursing dogs. Marcia currently is training in Schutzhund (tracking, obedience and protection ) with her 2.5 year old working line German Shepherd, Navarre, (B'Navarre zu Treuen Händen BH JJ) and looks forward to many wonderful years competing with Navarre in Schutzhund along with AKC obedience and agility. Navarre also completed his national Dock Dog Junior Jumper title and Marcia and Navarre also enjoy skijoring during the winter and have done some herding as well. Marcia has dogs certified as Therapy dogs that made frequent visits to local nursing homes she and very much enjoys helping people get off to a wonderful start with their puppies in teaching the PK classes and now a newly added CGC (Canine Good Citizen) class will help carry that training forward.

Gail Dapogny

Gail was Adele's first puppy class instructor in 1985. She was training director for the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club for 5 years and has taught everything from puppy kindergarten through Utility. She has put advanced obedience titles on her own Border Collies - most notably her OTCh. Nell TD - and a neighbor's Golden Retriever. Her current dog training passion is for sheep herding. She is a potter by trade and is a long-time member of the Ann Arbor Potter's Guild and the Clay Gallery.

Terry Jacobus

Terry has owned a variety of dogs throughout her life, and trained them mainly for household manners. It was when she acquired a 15 month old Blue Merle sheltie, Briar, with confidence problems that she started onto the path of agility. Having worked for 28 years on the afternoon shift, finding morning classes was nearly impossible. Research brought her to Northfield where she has taken private lessons under Adele Yunk and Denise Tarby. She has also assisted Denise in some of her agility classes and now helps Gail Dapogny. Then along came Rambo, (Shades of Rapscallion OA, AXJ), a sheltie puppy from very bad breeding and with extreme behavior problems that started her into serious training. Terry has worked closely with a behaviorist for the past four years gaining knowledge of training fearful, shy, and anxious dogs. She has attended numerous seminars for aggression/training and continues to educate herself about behavior problems. She competes in agility with Rambo and he has titles in both CPE and AKC. And most recently, Rambo earned his Canine Good Citizen.