About Red Dog K9 Coach and our lead trainers
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A Balanced Training Approach for Dogs and Humans
A solid foundation built on a mutually respectful relationship is essential, whether your dog will be a working/competition sport dog or a treasured family companion. We offer small group classes and limited private lessons/consultations to meet your specific needs. We emphasize a motivational and reward-based approach to training where we help owners learn how to create and reinforce good behavior in a variety of situations. Our trainers are certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and STAR Puppy evaluators and have over 40 combined years of training dogs in working, competition, sport, and home environments. All group classes are held in a state of the art training facility with competition grade training equipment. and matted floors for safety. The number/size of classes and private lessons are limited to ensure we can provide the attention and focus that you and your dog deserve to help you reach your goals as a team. Our primary focus is on training the human at the end of the leash, as that is usually where the communication and process tends to break down. We firmly believe that there are no bad dogs….just dogs that need better communication and consistency to thrive in our world.
Joan Brehm
I began training dogs as a teenager in 4-H and by helping my neighbor train his German Shorthair Pointers for hunting. After college and getting settled in my adult life, I returned to dog training in 1996 when I got a Redbone Coonhound/Lab puppy (Chief) from a shelter in Montana and began training him for Search and Rescue (SAR) work – mainly avalanche, wilderness area search and human remains detection (land and water). I have been deeply involved in SAR K9 training for nearly 30 years and have worked with teams in Montana and Utah before moving to Illinois in 2003. My second K9 partner, Sula, (Redbone Coonhound), was certified in trailing and human remains detection and earned numerous barn hunt titles in her retirement, following the amputation of a rear limb due to osteosarcoma. My third partner, K9 Buzz (Golden Retriever) was certified in wilderness area search, disaster search, and water search with the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA). I currently train and work two K9s, Jessie (8 years old), a female Golden Retriever certified for human remains detection (land, water, and disaster) and Rip (2 years old), a male Golden Retriever certified for area search and disaster search. Both of my current dogs have also earned hunting titles with the AKC as well as trick dog titles. I was a volunteer trainer with Town and Country Kennel Club from 2006-2023 and I have been an operational volunteer K9 handler and Director of Training for the K9 Operations Team with the McLean County Emergency Management Agency since 2010. I regularly attend seminars and workshops to expand my knowledge and skills relative to canine cognition and behavior. I serve as a judge for NACSW and am involved with numerous professional and sport K9 organizations across the country. Training dogs is a life-long journey of learning and improving.
Kathy Yelton
I started training dogs over twenty-five years ago when I got my first Golden Retriever, Tonka. When Tonka turned ten, I thought it was time to introduce a new Golden puppy into our family. Harley was so eager to please and such a joy to train – we started taking obedience classes in 2007. Harley quickly moved through the obedience classes and got his CGC title. Harley had a gift; he had a healing spirit that he loved to share with everyone around him. After realizing that I needed to share Harley’s gift, I began working on certifying him as a Therapy dog. Harley and I became a certified Therapy dog team with ATD in 2011 and a certified R.E.A.D (Reading Education Assistance Dog) team in 2012. We spent over 9 years visiting the area nursing homes, colleges and libraries in our community where he earned several AKC Therapy dog titles. During the same time, I welcomed a new Golden puppy into our home. I started training Lambeau in obedience classes in 2012 when he was just 9 weeks old. He got his CGC title in September of 2012 at 11 months old. He excelled at agility and received multiple titles competing in Barn Hunt. My 4th Golden Retriever and I shifted our focus from Sport Dog Training to Search and Rescue training. K9 Elly (5 years old) was certified in Area Search/Live Find. I was an operational K9 Handler with the McLean County Emergency Management Agency K9 Ops Team until November of 2022 when Elly had a career ending injury that required us to retire from Search and Rescue. Elly and I have shifted to competing in K9 Nose Work. She really enjoys her new job and gets to use her years of training to continue to search! We welcomed our 5th Golden into the family in January 2023. Nash started obedience classes at 8 weeks old and got his CGC title at 6 months old! He loves to work and is training in Agility, Obedience, and bird dog training. We are just starting to compete in Hunt Tests - his future is bright!
Training my own dogs helped me realize that I wanted to help others see the potential in their own dogs. I have been a trainer at Town and Country Kennel Club (TCKC) for the past 10 years helping to build the Puppy and Life Skills 1 programs. I believe a strong foundation is key to developing a long-lasting relationship of love, trust and understanding between you and your dog – which is key to uncovering their true potential.
Professional and Sport Affiliations