Meet the Oxford Dog Sport Team
It takes a village to raise a dog and we're here to help!
Sean Kent B.Sc., CPDT., FPMT.
Executive Director Head Trainer
Sean has been an active competitor for over 25 years in Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Agility, Nosework, Lure Coursing, Trick Dog, Disc Dog, Freestyle Dance, CARO, Barn Hunt. After retiring from a 20 years career in Children’s Mental health and Family Counselling Sean decided to do what he loves which is Dog Training and now has been training Professionally for 10 years as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and FitPAWS Master Trainer. Sean loves working with teams in a training / coaching model and loves watching them grow and succeed.
In 2014 Sean and his husband François opened Canine Athletic Care; a small dog training company which now still operates out of Wag Awhile Doggie Daycare in Newmarket and Oxford Dog Sports in Princeton. Sean continues to act as Operations Manager for Canine Athletic Care. In June 2019 Sean & Francois purchased Oxford Dog Sports where Sean is the Training Director and most recently, in December 2019, purchased All Breed International Dog Shows where Sean Acts as Executive Director. Sean also manages the careers of 5 outstanding Show and Performance dogs: Barbra-Jean (English Springer Spaniel), Nellica (Dutch Shepherd), Edwin (Rat Terrier) , Rowan (Rat Terrier),
Ty (Chinese Crested)
François Ginchereau
Trainer - Owner
François has worked for 40 years in customer service, conflict resolution, employee coaching, management and retail sales. He is our go-to guy for all things ODS.
François is also a Trainer in training. He is developing his skills in Urban Rat Race and Country Rat Race. He is also assisting to teach the Outstanding Citizen class.
Amanda Mercanti
Operations Manager
Amanda has a 30 year history working with dogs which includes being the youngest person to compete in flyball and achieving multiple sporting titles by the time she was 12 years old. Amanda continues her mom's legacy as a great trainer and canine behaviorist. Her mom passed away Christmas day 2018 and the love of dogs is something they’ll always share. In her spare time, when not working with the dogs, you can find her hanging out with her horse, Ringo or finding a good documentary to watch.
Trudy Kueppers
Trainer
I have been around dogs my whole life. Growing up with parents that were actively involved in dog shows, hunting companions, breeding, and water jumping competitions, it's no wonder my love, for these remarkable animals. I have always wanted to be a dog trainer, and when my first Rottweiler Memphis came along, is when I started to really pursue it, my kids are now older, and my current career as a RECE allows me the flexibility to be able find the extra time to research, read, and do online courses. After 2 years, Jäger, my other rottweiler came along, and then, I found ODS. A year later, here we are with two titles in nosework, completion of all the obedience levels, 3 levels of nosework, one tracking classe, Handler Discrimination and a Good Citizen class. I love ODS philosophy, it is just a good fit. Now, with my third Rottweiler here we are,.....looking forward to this amazing new adventure.
Cheryl Weston
Trainer
I was born into an active pet family. I grew up with dogs, cats, birds and a host of other pets. I’ve rescued wildlife and from a very young age
I was immersed in both the Cat and Dog Fancy worlds. I credit my paternal grandmother as my mentor in studying pedigrees, veterinary & daily care, training, grooming, diet, etc. as she was a world-renowned breeder of Persian cats.
My father was a professional photographer and our family travelled with him on weekends to many dog shows. While he worked, I entered junior handling and developed skills within the conformation ring.
As an adult I am a proud breeder/handler and have enjoyed the success of many titles, not the least of which was the Multiple Best In Specialty Show titles on my Leonberger, Carche.
I have participated & titled many dogs over the years in herding, dock diving, obedience, nose work, barn hunt, skijoring, bikejoring, & canicross.
In my volunteer roles I have fostered for the Leonberger Club of Ontario and various other organizations, often working with dogs suffering from global anxieties & reactivity who’ve required consistency and positive training which led to successful adoptions.
From there I shifted my volunteer focus to National Service Dogs (for approximately 10 yrs) and became a puppy raiser/ trainer for several dogs prior to their advancement to service. One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had was volunteering for Zachary’s Paws for Healing wherein I instructed Forensics patients on basic obedience skills as part of a pilot project for St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Three of my dogs and my rabbit routinely visited schools, hospitals, and community events in their roles as Therapy Pets.
I have a keen interest in alternative pathways to support health, promote longevity and strive for a balanced demeanor in our canine companions which led me to train as a Practitioner in Tellington Ttouch.
I now share these methods within my classes @ Oxford Dog Sports.
Thanks to my wee firecracker, Celle, and her passion for nose work I am now acting as a Judge for Urban Rat Race and Country Rat Race; 2 incredibly fun sports that allow me to spend time with my canine companions doing something they love.
Olivia Joan Corbett
Trainer
Having recently moved from Niagara in the summer of 2020, Olivia happily stumbled across ODS while searching for a new training facility. After attending and volunteering at a nosework trial in November 2020, she immediately knew that ODS would be a great fit for her and her dog, Poppy. While Poppy is the first dog that Olivia has had the pleasure of training in formal obedience and sport, she has spent most of her life surrounded by and being obsessed with dogs. Olivia got her first dog, Casey, as a puppy when she was 8 years old, and learned how to train her through personal research and reading every book she could get her hands on. From the moment Olivia brought Poppy home, she knew her pup was a natural athlete and needed to be involved in sport, and their training adventure began. As a team, they have been involved in formal obedience training and sport since Poppy was 8 months old, and enjoy spending every second of their days together. Currently Poppy holds her CGN certificate, as well as titles in UKC nosework. They have also taken classes in flyball, agility, trailing and locating, and rally. Olivia has also done trick training with her cat, Fern, and volunteers as a puppy raiser for National Service Dogs.
Allison Pastoor
Show and Trial Secretary ABIDS Conformation + UKC Conformation - Trainer
Alli has been a Toller enthusiast for 20 years. Her dogs have trained in flyball, agility, conformation, nosework, and tracking. Alli volunteers with Toller Rescue Inc. and although Tollers are her primary passion she loves all things dogs. She lives in Woodstock, Ontario with her husband, 4 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 7 chickens. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and has a particular interest in animal behaviour. On the ODS side of things, Alli is Administrative Assitant assisting Amanda & Sean with tasks; on the ABI side of things, Alli is Show & Trial Secretary for ABIDS Show Operations.
Chikki Mair
Trainer
Chikki Mair has been a good friend of ODS for many years and we are so excited to have her join our team.
"I fell in love with my first Cairn Terrier when
I was 13 years old, and this love affair has lasted over half a century. In 1977, I chose our future together by purchasing my first "show girl", entering the Conformation ring, and starting my breeding program under the prefix of Skerryvore.
A few years later, we began working in Earthdog., and had the thrill of watching my dogs perform at what they were bred to do.
We have continued with Conformation and Earthdog, and since that time we have also engaged in Scent sports, Skijoring, Tracking, and Flyball and always a CGN title.
Since 1977 I have been an active member of Cairn Terrier Club of Canada, currently heading up the Versatility Award program, and I am a CKC Earthdog Council rep.
I am continuing as a Trainer for ODS.; a program I have helped develop;
Country Rat Race
Kathy Zubick
Trainer
Kathy has been involved in dog training for over 20 years. Training in various sports such as agility, flyball, disc and dock diving; she has a vast knowledge and skills to teach many aspects of the dog sport world.
She has a number of dogs that perform with the Superdogs and work in film, and many of her dogs and cats have credits behind their names for commercial and TV shows/movies.
Kathy also works as a vet tech and specializes in physical therapy.
Shelley Dzsudzsak
Trainer
Shelley comes from an equine background breeding and showing GOV Oldenburg horses in dressage. After taking in her first Labrador Retriever, her focus shifted to dogs.
She has a passion for puppy raising, service and therapy dogs, breeding and dog sports.
Dog sports brought her to the Oxford community, where she is excited to work with new people that share the passion for everything dog!
Will Alexander
Trainer
Will started handling professionally in 1986, and in 1987, took the Irish Setter Ch. McCammom Impresario to Top Dog All Breed. This also set a record as the youngest handler to have a Top Dog All Breeds. Will is one of only 5 handlers, who has had more than one Top Dog All Breeds. He has had a dog in the Top Ten All Breeds since 1991!Will also won Best In Show at Westminster in 2015. Will is arguably the most recognized professional handler in Canada. Will is now a CKC Conformation judge.
Lynn Warden
Support Staff
Lynn Warden is Program Support Staff and is assisting us with shows and trials. Lynn has been in the pet industry for well over a decade and a Veterinary Technician for the last 7 years. As her passion and love for animals continues to grow Lynn looks forward to immersing herself in new aspects of the Dog World. After graduating with honours from one of the top hands-on Veterinary Nurse College in Northern Ontario Lynn is excited to expand her knowledge base and skill set in the engaging and constantly evolving world of dog training. Previously a service dog puppy raiser for a company based out of Northern Ontario, she successfully raised and trained a guide dog who currently resides internationally for one of America's top Guide Dog Foundations. Currently owning two dogs Lynn has spent her time volunteering for St. John's Ambulance Therapy Dog program with her senior dog and an extensive amount of time dedicated to training at Oxford Dog Sports with her new puppy!
Jessica King
Show and Trial Secretary for UKC ODS Nosework
Kayla Grant
Web Design / Technical Consultant
Kayla has a background in print journalism and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. She assists with our website and social media. She trains and competes in Nosework with her Alaskan Klee Kai and rent-a-Labrador.
Affiliate Trainers
We also have a number of trainers who train for ODS at a "satellite" location, visit, rent, or train out of ODS!
Arlene Bacon
URR / CRR Trainer
I grew up with dogs, cats and various wildlife. While in my 30’s I had a very reactive boxer after he had been attacked by a Jack Russell!
I needed help with his behaviour and discovered a love for training and a huge interest in behaviour specifically. After training him to the point where his reactivity level was minimal, I could leave him in a down stay beside other dogs with reaction, I started training other dogs and attended seminars whenever I could to learn more.
I became interested in Basenji’s after he became ill and eventually passed away. My first Basenji I took to Rally and obtained his title. One of the first Basenji’s. I was hooked into sports! I bred Basenji’s for the over 20 years and am now winding down and looking for other avenues of interest for them and myself. Also, at this time I went back to school and obtained my Social Work Diploma and have worked with Brain Injury, The Native Community, Autism, Homeless and Young offender Programs as well as Mental Health.
I still continue obedience training and have, in the past few years, started training psychiatric service dogs. Specifically for PTSD, anxiety and depression, not only for myself but for others and the Veteran and First Responder Community as well. It requires patience and repetition with the owner as their mental health needs a different approach.
I obtained a Basenji at the beginning of the Covid-19 period who developed a fear of people and who is reactive. I needed to find something for him to do. While he does do fun agility on lead, I needed to find something more for him.
I took a Sampler class with Oxford and was hooked on the Rat component!
While conversing with the Gentlemen at Oxford, we developed a plan to bring Urban Rat Race to the Niagara Area. I am very excited at this opportunity to have a working relationship as an outreach, or Satellite, post with Oxford Dog sports.
We work in the Port Colborne/Welland area of Niagara and hope to continue the program long term!
I am a member of CAPDT and IACP as well as a CGN Evaluator for CKC.
Wendy Walker
URR / CRR Trainer
Wendy has had a life long love affair with dogs. She has been training her own dogs for 29yrs.
She has a background as a Developmental Services Worker, a B.A. in Social Development
Studies, and 24yrs as a Paramedic.
This has provided insight into working with people with a variety of physical and mental disabilities, and the unique challenges that they face. Wendy herself has complex PTSD and has trained both her own service dog Riley, and her daughters service dog as well.
It was through training Riley, that Wendy met Arlene. The two of them began to work together with the Valhalla Service Dog program and to start Wendy’s apprenticeship under Arlene to become a more experienced dog trainer.
Wendy’s experiences with Riley in public access work is a strength that she brings to Focus Dog Training Niagara.
Wendy and Riley have flown to California, and have been on boat rides together. They have been to Dr’s appointments and procedures, restaurants, festivals, and concerts in addition to regular day to day errands. Riley has assisted Wendy in numerous ways. Riley and Wendy are competing in Rally obedience in CKC at the Master level, and also took first place in their category in Dock Diving this past summer.
Wendy is currently training her upcoming service dog Sully to assist her daily.
In an effort to provide enrichment for her dogs, Wendy brought them to Oxford Dog Sports to experience the Sport Scent Sampler class. Sully is quite keen to participate in Urban Rat Race, well actually all things rat.
Wendy hopes to continue to learn from her apprenticeship, and canine partner in order to help others who are struggling with regaining independence.
Rose Apollonio
Private Trainer
I’ve been competing with my dogs for 27 years, and teaching competitive obedience for 23 years. Teaching has given me the opportunity to work with a variety of different breeds from all seven groups. My dogs have titled in CKC, AKC, UKC, Shutzhund, Rally, Herding and Tracking events. I have over 500 HITs and over twenty 200 scores with 3 different breeds of dogs. I’ve had the #1 Obedience Dog in Canada 3 times, and been in the Top 10 twelve times. In addition, my dogs have achieved multiple Dog World Awards, placed second at the World Series of Obedience, won the Purina National, won the HIT of HITs, been invited to Crufts to represent Canada, qualified for the National Obedience Invitational (NOI) in the U.S., invited to compete at Westminster, as well as qualified for the Eukanuba Obedience Championships in Novice, Open, Utility and Masters. My Rottweiler (“Iko”) won the American Rottweiler Club Eastern Regional Obedience Championship; my Weimaraner (“Asia”) won the Weimaraner Club of America National Obedience Championship; and my Golden Retriever (“Edge”) won the Golden Retriever Club of Canada National Obedience Championship. I’m proud of the accomplishments that my dogs have achieved; but I’m also exceptionally proud of the accomplishments of my students over the years.