I am Kellie VanNuil and I started my dog career when I graduated high school. I got a job working at a kennel that offered boarding, daycare, grooming and training. I worked in all aspects of the company except grooming which allowed me to learn a lot about dog care and behavior. After a year of working there I got to help out with their puppy preschool program. Puppy raising and training has always had a sweet spot for me. I also was offered a internship training at a dog training business in west Michigan where I learned a lot about dog behavior and training methods which I used to develop my own training style. After six months I decided I wanted to do my own thing training dogs.

That’s when I got my personal dog Marvel to train. I have competed in some of the best sport dog clubs in the Midwest (currently I am a member of Lakefront K9 PSA in Indiana where I train for PSA. A club is very similar to a sports team.) Which is where I learned a lot about dog training and I decided to educate myself as much as I can. I train and compete with Marvel in multiple organizations and multiple sports. I currently am competing in AKC obedience, scentwork, rally obedience, Fast CAT, lure coursing and have done farm dog. I also have competed in UKC conformation, nosework, rally, obedience, weight pull and lure coursing. I also compete in NACSW (National Association of Canine Scentwork) which is the premier and most reputable organization for nosework. I also compete in PSA (Protection Sports Association) which is the sport version of police work but dogs are held to a much higher standard and we are judged on high levels of obedience (similar to IPO/IPG) and our control around high distractions in varying environments (it is a surprise scenario sport which means that every trial is different and we have to train for everything). The dog must do what we ask the second we ask in this sport. My dog is one who can compete in PSA and do protection sports but at the command of “all done” becomes a very social pet dog who has never met a stranger. Marvel is the highest titled conformation Dutch Shepherd in the UKC and also has completed five temperament tests (CGC, CGCA, CGCU, CSAU, SPOT-ON). His registered name is:

UCD UWP SN CAX EC URO3 EGCH Von Der Kings Superhero SPOT-ON CGCA CGCU SWA SCE RN FDC BCAT TKI CA CSAU CCSS-L1 NSA3 NW2 PSA2 “Marvel”

After training in sport dog clubs and educating myself as much as I can I had people start asking me to help them train their pet dogs which is how VanNuil Canine was born. I am a member of the National Association of Canine Scentwork (NACSW), the Protection Sports Association (PSA), and the Working Dutch Shepherd Association of America (WDSAA) and USCA (United Schutzhund Club of America).

I am currently a AKC Farm Dog Judge, a AKC ATT Judge, a CGC evaluator, SPOT evaluator and am pursuing becoming a scentwork judge.

What Marvel and I have earned: