Merrimac Dog Training Club

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Merrimac Dog Training Club

Merrimac Dog Training Club is an AKC licensed club in Hampton, VA offering obedience, rally, agility, scent work, fast CAT and barn hunt

The Merrimac Dog Training Club (MDTC) is housed in a 10,000 square foot facility that supports our full range of training classes, run-throughs, seminars, and trials. With room for three regulation- sized, fully matted obedience rings, our climate-controlled facility allows for multipurpose year around use: obedience, agility, and conformation matches; special events; club meetings; and seminars a

nd workshops. For instance, obedience trials enjoy three rings, exhibitor crating space, dog exercise area, kitchenette, ample parking at the building, and motels accepting dogs within ten minutes driving time. In addition to supporting MDTC activities and classes, the building is available for rent by other clubs or organizations at reasonable rates.

09/23/2025

Moving from the fluffy C0llies to the fluffier Ch0w Ch0ws that are owned and loved by Linda Wilkinson.
After all his previous accomplishments in multiple sports, at 11.5 years young, Phantom earned five titles in Scent Work--Exterior Advanced, Interior Advanced, Buried Advanced for his overall SW Advanced title along with SW Container Excellent.
Linda tells us this about her boy: "In 2024, the Ch0w Ch0w Club Inc started the Ch0w Ch0w Versatility Award program for AKC registered and AKC titled Ch0ws. The "Gold Award" requires a total of 140 from at least four categories: Conformation, Companion, Performance, Citizenship and Education. During his career, through 2024 Phantom has achieved a total of 288 points in all categories except Conformation. Phantom is one of only three Ch0ws to achieve the Versatility Gold Award. Phantom is mostly retired now, however still competes in Scent Work and Barn Hunt which is his favorite thing, and he enjoys working."

Pharaoh is Linda's other boy and in 2024, he also achieved some Scent Work titles--Buried Elite Novice, SW Novice Elite and his SW Buried Advanced Elite.
Linda shares that "During his career through 2024, Pharaoh achieved a total of 230.5 points of the required 150 points for the Ch0w Ch0w Versatility Gold Award in all categories except Conformation. Pharaoh is one of the three Ch0ws that have earned this award. Pharaoh is mostly retired now as well but his still competes in Scent Work and Barn Hunt and hopefully he will achieve a few more titles."

09/22/2025

Continuing on with our club C0llies--
Dolly Wright has a Sm00th and a R0ugh variety.
Sunny is co-owned by Dolly & also Leslie Butler. Sunny picked up five titles in 5 different sports in 2024-- Scent Buried Novice, Companion Dog in Obedience, FCAT in Fast CAT, Novice Agility Jumpers and RATO-Barn Hunt Open.
Dolly shares with us: With only two months of training, Sunny earned her RATN and RATO with almost all High in Class. We haven't been able to practice Barn Hunt for the remainder of the year because of my health issues".

Gabby is Dolly's senior girl. At 12-years-old she was still showing off her performance abilities earning her Trick Dog Novice title.
Dolly tells us: "Gabby continues to be the #1 C0llie in Barn Hunt in the U.S. She had to retire in 2024 just before turning twelve. I'll sure miss watching her hunt for rats!"

09/18/2025

Here come the Smo0th C0llies!!
These lovely ladies belong to Susan Carbee.
Brenna is 6 years old, and she used her nose a lot in 2024. She picked up 2 Barn Hunt titles (Novice & Open) and 2 Scent Work titles (Interior Advance and Interior Excellent).
Susan tells us: "Brenna is my first Sm0oth Coll1e and it started a great tradition. She was retrieving her puppy toys happily the day I got her and hasn't stopped at six years old. Brenna finished her Breed Championship easily and has been a great teammate in agility, herding Fast CAT and how her favorite, Scent Work."

Lindy is 4 years old and in 2024, she earned four titles in three sports--Agility Excellent Preferred, Novice FAST, Fast CAT2 and Barn Hunt Open.
"Lindy is my most happy companion. She wants to be a full participant in everything we do and is the easiest to get excited. She finished her Breed Championship in 2 weekends, then she discovered how fun it was to run in Fast CAT and agility and herding (if nobody is watching)! Best of all, her sweet temperament makes her a joy to live with 😊"

Lyric is the youngster of the group and is two years old. In 2024, she picked up both her BCAT & DCAT in Fast CAT, her ACT2J in Agility and her Open title in Barn Hunt.
Susan shares that, "Two-year-old Lyric is Lindey's daughter, she is a very spirited and vocal young girl who loves to run, play and provoke! She would rate her time in Fast CAT as the most fun followed by agility then, Barn Hunt. I look forward to many more activities with her."

09/18/2025

Merrimac Dog Training Club is happy to announce its November 2025 Agility Trial, ACT Event and two Agility Run-Thru opportunities!

Save the date for our Fall agility trial to be held November 29-30, 2025, at MDTC with judge Patricia Dunseith. Online Registration will be available at www.secreterrier.com.

Agility Course Test (ACT) will be offered on Saturday, October 4. The ACT is an entry level agility event designed to introduce and welcome beginning dogs and their handlers to the AKC sport of agility. More information can be found on the calendar at www.merrimacdogtrainingclub.org.

The club will be offering a FAST Seminar on Sunday, October 12, covering the rules of FAST (Fifteen and Send Time) and strategies for success, followed by an opportunity to run a real FAST course being judged, timed and scored. Seminar starts at 11:00am with FAST runs to follow immediately after. Cost will be $20 for the Handler/Dog team. Additional dogs may run for $5 per run.

Finally, we will offer an Agility Run-Thru on November 22, just prior to our Fall trial. We'll run a Standard course designed for a past event at MDTC by judge Patricia Dunseith. Registration will be from 8:30am until 10:00am with runs starting at 9:00am. Cost will be $5 per run.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Agility Committee of MDTC

09/17/2025

Our Triple Crown Dog of the Day is Dante, owned by Krista Polansky and Katherine Boyle. Dante is an Austr4lian Shep3rd and he is 3 years old. In 2024, he earned four titles in four sports-- Dock Senior in NADD Dock Diving, Rally Intermediate, Trick Dog Elite Performer and his Fit Dog Silver.
Dante is a versatile young boy and has earned titles in multiple sports. His owners are excited to see what the future holds for Team Dante.

09/16/2025

Something to take your mind of this dreadful weather we're having today 💦🌧☔️Presenting Jim & Wendy Swimme's boy, Shiloh. Shiloh is a 9-year-old Keesh0nd. He is a breed champion and also has his Utility Dog title in Obedience. In 2024, Shiloh added his Rally Master 2 title to his resume.
Jim & Wendy tell us this about their boy:
"Jim and I first met Shiloh when he was 5 weeks old. As soon as we spoke to him, he rolled over and presented his tummy to be rubbed. At age 9, tummy rubs remain a frequently demanded stroke. His other request of his people is that the throw one of his many toys over and over and over for him to fetch. Shiloh is an enthusiastic eater and hangs out hopefully at his mom's elbow whenever she is eating. Shiloh is a wonderful friend and companion to his fellow people, we could not ask for a more loving friend."

09/15/2025

A new week and a new Triple Crown Award dog to share with you:
Sandi Platt's M1ni Amer1can Shep3rd, Cooper. At 2 years old in 2024, Cooper accumulated six titles in four different sports--Beginner Novice in Obedience, BCAT in Fast CAT, ACT1, ACT1J ACT2J in agility and he passed his Canin Good Citizen Test.
Sandi tells this about her boy: "Cooper and I have done so much together this year. I don't think there is anything I could throw in front of him that he wouldn't like as long as he is getting to do his work and be with me. Cooper and I were invited to Rally Nationals in 2024, and we were very excited to attend. What an experience for us. Having our good buddies Lori & Jersey go with us made it even better. Cooper loved jumping from bed to bed playing with Jersey, sometimes getting so wound up and noisy we had to make them quit. The luggage carts had to be by far one of his favorite things. He loved jumping up on them for a ride. However, we did get down to business during the day. Cooper ended up placing 36th out of 149 entries with scores of 97, 100 and 100. A huge thank you to everyone at MDTC who not only helped with his training but also helped train the trainer (me))".

09/12/2025

These two girls are Norf0lk T3rriers--
Rivah is owned by Mary & Tony Sweany. She earned five titles in 2024 in three different sports--DCAT in Fast CAT, passed her AKC Temperament Test and in Scent Work picked up her Exterior Novice, Interior Novice and her Container Novice titles.
Mary tells this about her--"Rivah is the most laid back Norf0lk T3rrier I have met with the exception of her mother. Her father gave her the hunting drive. At her young age, she is following in her father's footsteps, running and hunting are her gifts so we will have fun together".
Gema is co-owned by Mary Sweany & Joan Lutz. She earned six titles in four different sports--her Grand Championship in the breed ring, Virtual SW Beginner in Scent Work and in the Fit Dog program, she earned her Bronze, Silver & Gold titles.
Joan shares this "Gema has been my constant companion. She has earned her Grand Championship in 2024 which was great for both of us. I love her very much".

09/10/2025

This fine Pap1llon, Alexa belongs to Nicole Tougas. They had a very successful year in 2024, earning seven titles in four different sports--Companion Dog in Obedience, Rally Excellent, Novice Agility & Novice Agility Jumpers, Scent Work Buried Excellent, SW Interior Advanced and SW Exterior Excellent. She was also invited to Rally Nationals in the Intermediate class.
Nicole shares with us a personal story about her girl. "Alexa came to me in my time of need. As many of you know she was a gift from my breeder and friend after I tragically lost my 4 1/2 year old P4pillon, Fynn. She has been my rock ever since."

09/06/2025

Mark your calendars for our Saturday, September 13 Obedience & Rally Run-thru!
Please bring a crate for your dog to stay in while it is not warming up to go in the ring or actively working in the ring. Also, bring a tarp to place under your crate.

Let your dog practice in our building before our October trials!
Building opens at 8:00 AM for registration lasting till 10:30 AM.
Fees are $8 / $7/ $5 for each dog for Obedience runs and $5 for each Rally Run.
Fee for the 10-minute timed Utility/practice ring time is the same as obedience.
**We will NOT be providing a JUDGE for UTILITY**
Exact change or checks payable to MDTC are accepted. We no longer do pre-registration.
We will start judging at 9 AM with Beginner Novice/Novice, Open and Rally.
After Open is completed, we will start Utility/practice with the 10 timed minutes in the ring per dog WITHOUT A PROVIDED JUDGE.
The 10 minutes in the ring can also be for other level dogs wanting to practice with distractions. All props and equipment must be in and out of the ring in the allotted 10-minute time frame.
No throwing balls that may bounce into other rings or throwing treats in the ring. A steward will be at the table with the timer and will be available to set bars and put out articles/gloves.
You can partner with a friend and take multiple
slots of time to run each other through or work on a particular issue.
Rally will run all morning with Novice thru Master on nested courses. Walk thru will be any time before 9 am. There will be another walk thru later in the morning as well.
Merrimac has Rally/Obedience run thrus each month. Please go to Merrimac's website then check under "calendar". Run-thru dates for each month are listed for the whole year.

09/05/2025

Here is a very accomplished girl in Scent Work. CC is owned by Meg Lockwood. In 2024, CC earned three Novice Elite titles in the sport (Container Novice Elite, Interior Novice Elite and Exterior Novice Elite).
CC is a three-year-old, Nor0lk Terr13r and she is already a breed Grand Champion and has passed her AKC Temperament Test as well as titling in the Trick Dog program. Her favorite however is using her nose in Scent Work.

09/04/2025

Celebrating this little firecracker Y0rkshire T3rrier here--Daisy owned by MaryAnn Mullen.
In 2024, Daisy earned 5 titles in three different sports-Rally (Intermediate, Advanced and Excellent), Beginner Novice in Obedience and FCAT2 in Fast CAT.
Daisy loves Fast CAT. She was invited to FCAT Nationals in Florida as the 4th fastest Y0rkie in the country. Daisy has spread her wings in both Obedience and Rally as well. She loves to play with all the dogs, big and small.

Address

15 Newsome Place
Hampton, VA
23661

Telephone

(757) 723-8141

Website

http://www.merrimacdogtrainingclub.org/

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