Professor Lynne Stephens

Originally from England, Lynne Stephens has been living and working in North Carolina since October 2004. Her passion for dogs and dog training has spanned more than 3 decades, during which time she has achieved at the highest levels of competition both here and in the U.K.

In the U.K. Lynne qualified and gained top places in all the major U.K. agility finals, including Crufts and Olympia. She and her husband, Pete were regular competitors at this level from 1996 until they came to live and work in the United States in October 2004. The highlight of her agility career in England came just before the move when she was picked as a member of the British Agility World Championship team in Lieven, France in 2003 and in Italy 2004.

Since her arrival in North Carolina, she has competed at the USDAA Nationals 4 times (reaching the Grand Prix semi-finals twice) with 3 Border Collies (Chess, Tag and Turbo) and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Quiz, who also gained his MACH and finished overall 23rd in the 12” class at AKC Nationals. Before discovering agility, Lynne had a number of years of experience in other dog sports including British Working Trials, which encompassed tracking, obedience, agility and patrol work. Once again she worked her way to the top, achieving the highest accolade as winner of the Associated Police Sheep and Army Dog Society (ASPADS) Patrol Dog of the Year with Belgian Tervueren, Wings in 1987.

Lynne is currently agility specialist, trainer and co-owner at DogLogic in Statesville, North Carolina. She has many regular students who benefit from her vast teaching experience, spanning 26 years as a grade school teacher and, during the latter years, principal in the U.K. Clarity, patience and sense of humor are her teaching trademarks from which her many regular students benefit.

In addition to the vast experience gained over the last 30 years, Lynne makes a point of staying current with training techniques and the science of how dogs learn. Her sister, and co-owner / trainer at DogLogic , Karen, is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Clicker Training Academy. Both Lynne and Karen teach and train using the scientific principles of Operant conditioning. At their facility in Statesville, N.C. they teach regular classes in Basic Manners, Agility and, more recently, Treiball. They teach single or group private lessons and Agility and Clicker Training seminars both at home and in venues across the United States. They also take in a limited number of board / train dogs.

Lynne has learned and continues to learn from some of the top agility handlers in the U.K and the U.S.A. Her own handling most closely reflects that of Greg Derrett, with whom she worked directly for a number of years in the U.K. Since arriving in the USA, she has made a point of listening to and learning from the best on both sides of the pond. She is also coached regularly online by Anthony Clarke, British FCI World team member and British World Agility Open coach.