Anne Swan teaches Agility and Rally Obedience classes for GVDC – occasionally offering Scent Work training and Canine Good Citizen classes and testing as well. Anne earned her CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) Certification through the international organization of the Certification Council of Pet Dog Trainers in 2008. Canine Behavior is a field that Anne finds fascinating, and attends conferences and seminars annually with many of the top Behaviorists both Nationally and Internationally. Anne uses positive reinforcement training methods with her own dogs and in all of her classes, these techniques help to create enthusiastic and confident canine teammates. Anne truly enjoys working with her students and their dogs, and celebrates their progress and accomplishments.
After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Anne discovered her love for training dogs when she added a spunky Cattle Dog mix named Kiwi to her life. Anne has been training and competing in Agility for the past 25 years and Rally Obedience for 15 years and has truly enjoyed the time spent working with her dogs Kiwi, Zip, Kylie, Maizey, Avid and Traeger. Together, Anne and her dogs have earned multiple Champion titles in AKC and USDAA Agility, Rally Obedience, and Flyball as well. Kylie They have also attended several National Championship competitions around the country for AKC and USDAA Agility.
Some of the top competitive agility highlights with Kylie over the years have included winning the Grand Prix of Dog Agility at Cynosports, the AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando, FL, and the AKC Preferred National Agility Championship in Reno, NV. Keeping with the competitive spirit, Maizey won the Performance Speed Jumping Finals at Cynoports and the AKC Preferred National Agility Championship in Tulsa. Winning the AKC PNAC (Preferred National Agility Championship) back to back years in the same division with sister Cattle Dogs has never been done before or since – such a unique and proud accomplishment.
Anne feels very fortunate to have had amazing dogs as teammates for dog sports, exercise buddies for trips to the beach and on hikes, traveling companions on trips all around the country, and family members to spend time with at home.
Anne’s Teammates
Kylie
PNAC MACH6 PACH2 SwanSong’s Pretty Brilliant, LAA Bronze, PDCH Bronze, RN, MXG2, MJS2, MXP5, MXPS, MJP5, MJPS, PAX2, MXF, TQX, T2B5, T2BP, PTM Gold, ARCH, RL3, RL1X
Now having crossed the Rainbow Bridge at 15.5 years old, Kylie, an Australian Cattle Dog, was one of the most decorated dogs of her breed in the sport of Agility. Kylie won 4 National Agility Championships at premier events in California, Arizona, Florida, and Nevada. Every time they stepped to the line together, Kylie ran with all of her heart and tried her best for Anne. Kylie loved training and trialing in Agility and took to it very quickly as a youngster. She has been a dream partner for Anne during 10+ years together in competition: she was very smart, very fast, and not fazed at all if Anne was nervous about a run. Kylie brought her signature confidence and joy to every course she ran, and she excelled on a Jumpers course.
Anne knows she was fortunate to have had such an enthusiastic and talented partner in Kylie. She was a nice blend of athletic and sweet and was also an affectionate, mellow couch potato at home who loved her food and treats. Kylie’s most favorite way to celebrate victories after agility trials were with meat patties from In-N-Out Burger. Kylie never missed an opportunity to roll in the green grass, her favorite way to stretch and massage her back. Running along an open beach and swimming either in pools or through the waves made her very happy – usually accompanied with joyous barks. Kylie’s best role was being Anne’s velcro dog, always by her side. Anne knows how blessed she was to have a dog in her life who was as special as Kylie: such a talented partner but most importantly, a cherished family member.
2018 Preferred National Agility Champion, AKC National Agility Championship in Reno, NV
First place in all of her classes at the 2018 AKC National Agility Championship, 12″ Preferred Division
2017 AKC Agility Invitational, National Champion, 16″ Division – Orlando, Florida
2016 USDAA Cynosport Performance Biathlon Champion, P16″ Division – Scottsdale AZ
2018 USDAA Cynosport Finalist: Performance Speed Jumping and Performance Grand Prix
2016 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Western Regional, 3rd Overall – Huntington Beach, CA
2014 USDAA Cynosport Performance Grand Prix Champion, P16″ Division, Morgan Hill, CA
AKC National Agility Championship Finalist: Tulsa, OK 2016 (4th overall). Reno, NV 2015 (5th overall)
2009 USDAA PVP Team Finalist, 6th Overall (Scottsdale, AZ)
2008 USDAA Speed Jumping Finalist, 5th Overall (Scottsdale, AZ)
Australian Cattle Dog National Specialty:
* 2016 High Scoring Standard Dog, Agility (Lacey, WA)
* 2013 High In Trial ACD, Agility (Corona, CA)
* 2010 High In Trial ACD, Agility (Woodland, CA)
2014 USDAA Western Regional, 16″ Performance Division:
* Performance Biathlon Champion
* Performance Speed Jumping Champion
AKC Agility Top 5 Rankings for Australian Cattle Dogs:
2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
AKC Agility Invitational Competitor: 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017
USDAA Cynosport Competitor: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2018
Maizey
PNAC MACH11 PACH Swan Song’s Kiss From Kiwi, RA MXS3 MJS3 MXP3 MXPB MJP5 MJPS PAX MXF T2B7 SCN SIN SEN CGC
Now retired from competition, Maizey is a 16.5-year old Australian Cattle Dog and Kylie’s half sister. She joined Anne in May of 2009 and quickly made herself at home. Maizey is kind, intelligent, athletic and has a funny sense of humor.
Now a Sweet 16-year old senior, Maizey enjoys eating and snoozing throughout the day, but she was quite a spitfire in her early years. Maizey was a loyal sidekick to her sister, Kylie, they loved running up and down the beaches at top speed while barking and racing each other. Maizey was also Anne’s cherished work partner, attending lessons and helping shy and fearful dogs gain social skills and confidence. She was a staple at all of the CGC tests that Anne gave over the years, her rock-solid sweet and friendly temperament was one of Maizey’s best assets and made her a lovely ambassador for the Australian Cattle Dog breed.
Maizey is a very accomplished agility dog, winning the 2019 AKC Preferred National Agility Championship in Tulsa, the 2018 Performance Speed Jumping Finals and placing 3rd overall in the Performance Grand Prix Finals at the 2018 Cynosport Championship event in Scottsdale, AZ. In 2013, she was ranked the #1 Australian Cattle Dog in AKC Agility. She has had several career highlights to date:
2019 AKC Preferred National Agility Champion at the AKC National Agility Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma
2018 Performance Speed Jumping National Champion, USDAA Cynosport Finals in Scottsdale, AZ, 14″ Division
2018 Performance Grand Prix, 3rd place overall in the 14″ Division, USDAA Cynosport Finals in Scottsdale, AZ
2017 AKC Agility Invitational, 2nd place overall in the 16″ division (Orlando, FL)
AKC Agility Invitational Competitor, Orlando, FL
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
AKC Agility Invitational Finalist, Top Australian Cattle Dog at the Invitational
2012, 2014, 2015.
AKC National Agility Championship Competitor
2012 (Reno, NV) 2015 (Reno, NV) 2016 (Tulsa, OK)
USDAA Cynosport Competitor
2014 (Morgan Hill) 2016 (Scottsdale, AZ)
USDAA Western Regional
* 2016: Grand Prix, 2nd Place
* 2014: Steeplechase, 3rd Place. Grand Prix, 2nd Place.
USDAA Southwest Regional
* 2016: Biathlon, 2nd Place,
* 2014: Grand Prix, 2nd Place
2012 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, Western Regional
2nd Place Overall, Small Dog Agility
Maizey competed at the 2014 Cynosport Championship and earned medals in Team Standard and Snooker, and made the Finals in Team and Biathlon as well. In October 2011, Maizey earned her AKC MACH title, the highest title in AKC agility, and became the youngest Australian Cattle Dog in history to earn this. Maizey is my first dog with multiple MACH titles, and I am so proud of my super girl!
In October 2010 and 2013, Maizey competed in Agility and Rally at the Australian Cattle Dog National Specialty. At the 2010 Specialty, she earned the award for Fastest Time Overall in Jumpers with Weaves the first day, and had numerous High ACD in Class awards for Agility. Maizey won a Novice Rally class, and was part of a 4-dog team that won the Team Rally class at the Specialty.
After having officially retired from Agility at 13 years of age, Maizey trained and trialed in the sport of AKC Scent Work, earning titles at 15 years old. She had a Sweet 16 birthday party to commemorate this amazing milestone on March 31, 2025. Maizey enjoyed her tasty pupcakes and being the well-deserved center of attention.
Avid
MACH Game On’s Ambition To Wynn MXB MJB NJP XF NFP T2B
Avid is a 10-year old Border Collie and a well-loved family member and teammate. Avid is active, intelligent, playful, athletic and sweet – sometimes she is quite silly with a funny sense of humor. If not kept busy, she will find things to occupy herself – usually finding a treasure out of her toy box to play with in the yard.
Avid lives up to her name of being a fun-loving partner and is very light on her feet. Before retiring from Agility in 2022, she excelled in the sport as a teammate with power steering, very keen and very responsive to cues. Avid competed at Cynosports in Scottsdale, AZ in 2018 and the AKC National Agility Championship in Tulsa, OK in 2019. Avid ran clean in all of her classes in Tulsa and earned a trip to the Finals, where she had a clean run and a top 10 finish in her first Nationals at 3 years of age. After taking a break from agility trialing for a year and a half due to the pandemic, Avid finished her first AKC Master Agility Champion (MACH) title in early 2022.
Anne and Avid also train in the sport of Canine Scentwork, and Avid is a fantastic partner and showed skill and an interest in using her sense of smell to explore the world since she was a puppy. It is fascinating to watch Avid tackle a scentwork challenge using her very sensitive nose and problem solving ability, she is very intelligent and focused. In her first AKC Scentwork trial in March of 2022, Avid earned the High In Trial award for her Novice A division, and now competes at the Master level.
Avid is a quick learner and is always ready for a good time. She enjoys romps on the beach and swimming in the surf, playing tug, frisbee, or retrieving her ball, chasing water from the hose nozzle, and racing down the trails at the bluffs with her little brother, Traeger. Avid likes to start each day with a few yodels and silly sounds which are very endearing. Avid has done several sheep herding lessons, and with some time and effort (on Anne’s part) Avid would excel in this discipline as well. For now, Avid will have to be content being the #1 supervisor of the pet rabbit at home, a duty that she takes very seriously.
Highlights:
2022 Bay Team Regional, Grand Prix Finals 1st place, Steeplechase Finals 1st place, Biathlon Overall 2nd place.
Competitor and Finalist at the 2019 AKC National Agility Championship in Tulsa, OK. Finished 8th overall in the 20″ division with a clean Finals run at 3 years old.
Competitor at the 2018 USDAA Cynosport Championship in Scottsdale, AZ, Steeplechase semifinalist
3rd overall dog in the 20″ Division in the Cynosport Championship DAM Team event, Scottsdale, AZ
Competitor at the 2018 USDAA Bay Team Regional and the Southwest Regional
Zip
PC’s Zip Drive ADCH, ATD Bronze, AX, AXJ, RAE, TM, ARCHX, RL3, RL2X, RL1X2, FDCH, OGC, CD, RE, CGC, TDI, AXP, AJP
Zip is a 14 year old blue-merle Border Collie and is quite a character. He likes to remind Anne that a sense humor and patience are necessary qualities when training dogs. He has a zest for life and brings his high level of energy and heart to both agility and obedience.
He competed at the 2005 USDAA Agility National Championships by qualifying for the Steeplechase, the Grand Prix and the DAM (Dog Agility Masters) team competition. Zip qualified into the semifinal round of the Grand Prix at the USDAA Nationals by placing very well among some of the fastest dogs in the sport. In addition, he competed in the 2006 USDAA Nationals and won the Semifinal Round of the Performance Grand Prix and earned a spot in the Performance Grand Prix Finals. He won the 16” Performance Power and Speed class in 2006 as well. Zip had a great year at the 2008 USDAA Agility National Championships and finished 4th overall in the European Standard class. Zip participated in the 2009 USDAA Agility Championships, qualifying to run in PVP Team, Performance Grand Prix and Performance Speed Jumping. Zip competes in both AKC and APDT Rally Obedience, and has been nationally ranked in APDT Rally from 2005-2008. In AKC Rally, Zip finished his RAE Championship title in 2011 at the age of 12 years old, performing beautifully while dealing with a cancer diagnosis at the same time. In 2006, Zip became the #1 Nationally Ranked RL1 Dog, as awarded by the APDT Rally organization. In 2008 Zip has earned his APDT Rally Championship titles, both the ARCH and the ARCHX. Zip competes in AKC Rally Obedience at the Excellent Level. He also earned his ASCA and AKC Novice Obedience titles, has several titles in Flyball and is a certified therapy dog.
Zip’s greatest asset is his immense desire to try and keep trying, his desire to please sometimes outweighs his ability—this special quality is called “heart” and it cannot be trained, animals either have it or they do not. Zip has a great deal of heart and Anne appreciates his resilience as he was a large part of her learning process.
Zip has a great deal of heart and Anne appreciates his resilience as he was a large part of her learning process. He is now retired from competitive dog sports, and enjoys long walks on the beach and the trails—Zip’s favorite past-time these days is taking his time in sniffing all the things he finds interesting.
Zip made many cross-country trips with Anne, Mike, Kylie and Maizey over the years. He enjoyed seeing new places and was a great traveler. One of his most favorite places to visit was Mike’s parents’ property in Olympia, WA. He would spend summer days and nights walking all over their 7-acre wooded property, checking out the interesting smells and the expansive view of the Puget Sound. In September 2014, Zip crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to be reunited with Kiwi. He is so dearly loved and missed by Anne and Mike. Zip was such a special dog, an enthusiastic teammate, and a cherished family member. His zest for life and enduring spirit lives on in the many years of fond memories that Anne and Mike were fortunate to share with him.
Kiwi
SwanSong’s Kiwi MX, MXJ, PDIII, ATD, NGC-V, NAC-V, FM
Kiwi has been a skilled and patient teacher and was Anne’s first official Agility and Flyball dog. Kiwi was ranked in the Top Ten Australian Cattle Dogs in Agility for several years and in 2004 she became a National Champion in the 16″ Standard Agility class at the Australian Cattle Dog National Specialty. Kiwi was also a National Finalist in the Performance Grand Prix at the 2004 USDAA Agility National Championships in Arizona. Kiwi became a National Champion by winning the Performance All-Around Standard class that year and her second place finish led to Reserve Champion in the Performance All-Around Jumpers class at the 2004 USDAA Nationals. Kiwi returned to agility after a tendon injury and surgery and competed in the 2004, 2006 and 2007 USDAA National Agility Championships. She qualified into the Semifinals of the Performance Grand Prix and finished 8th overall in 2006.
Kiwi retired from Agility in early 2008 and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in March of 2009. She is deeply loved and dearly missed and Anne is eternally grateful for the adventures and fun they shared together. Kiwi was Anne’s close companion, teacher and teammate and Kiwi’s love for a ball was one of her trademarks.