Marsha Smith
Owner - Canine Workout, Obedience Instructor
Marsha was born with a love of dogs and training. As a small child, long before she was able to have her dogs of her own, she spent hours “training” her stuffed animals. Today, more than one hundred dogs and their handlers attend Marsha’s obedience school, Canine Workout, each week. Noted as one of the “top trainers on the east coast” by a popular obedience magazine, Marsha loves working with dogs and handlers of all levels and delights in each student’s personal best performance – whether it earns a qualifying score, a title, a championship, or simply a genuine smile of satisfaction.
Canine Workout, located near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is known for producing successful competitors, with students earning numerous titles each year. Handlers and dogs from Canine Workout accounted for five of the 101 AKC Obedience Trial Championships that were awarded in the United States during the year 2001.
Marsha’s life-long interest in teaching led her to major in early childhood education in college which broadened her understanding of teaching methods and education theory. She has been a National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI) endorsed instructor since 1987 and has written articles on training for obedience and breed-specific magazines.
Marsha’s unique style of training attracts many students who are devoted competitors, as well as those who have no interest in showing but who enjoy the continuing education with their companion dogs. Whatever their reason for studying with Marsha, they all benefit from her distinctive method of helping them polish their performance while fine tuning their communication with their dogs. Many of her students continue working with Marsha for years – such as the student who has been coming to classes for more than twenty years accompanied by twelve different dogs or the student and her dog who went from Novice A to OTCH with Marsha’s coaching.
Marsha has always enjoyed the rewards of working with the more challenging breeds as well as those breeds that are more prevalent in the obedience ring. She began her years of participation in obedience trials competing with her two Scottish Terriers; Reed’s Bawdy Becca Bairn UD and Reed’s Highland Heather UD. Other partners through the years have been; Shetland Sheepdogs Jason’s Miss Pollyanna UD and Starhill’s Sweet Triathlete CDX (who passed away suddenly at two and a half years of age having earned two legs of his UD), Rottweiler Dana’s Oliver CDX, and Chinese Crested Expression–Mr. Mojo Working UDX NAJ CGC TDI, who has participated in two AKC Invitationals, one in Florida and the other in California..
Marsha’s Chinese Crested partner, Jack (OTCH Przemek’s Mr. Mojo Risin UDX CGC TDI), is the first of his breed to earn an AKC Obedience Trial Championship. Marsha and Jack have competed at the Gaines Eastern Regional Dog Obedience Championships for several years, at every level from Novice to Super Dog – placing 4th in Utility in 1997. Jack has been invited to compete in the Toy Group at the AKC National Obedience Invitational four times – winning a Silver Medal in 2000 and a Gold Medal in 2001. He was a finalist for Therapy Dog of the Year in 2003.
Marsha’s newest dog, OTCH Cedarhope Raynedance UDX2, a Shetland Sheepdog, continues to have fun in the B rings. The team plans to attend the Allstar Obedience Championships in August 2008. They will continue to polish their performances and have fun.
Marsha and her dogs have participated in Agility, Tracking, Rally, and Canine Freestyle – and for several years, she and her Chinese Cresteds, Jack and Dante, have visited weekly with the residents at a nearby nursing home.
Marsha's students' accomplishments for 2008
