Our Instructors

Our instructors compete successfully at the highest levels and several have been nationally ranked. They are not only knowledgeable and enjoy teaching! We understand that communication, teaching and people skills are as important as dog training experience.

All of our instructors have completed the White Mountain Agility Instructor Certification Course taught by Julie Daniels. We consider ongoing education important and our instructors attend multiple seminars and workshops to keep current on new information and training techniques.

Nancy Walker

Nancy has been involved with dog training since 1970. She has earned multiple obedience titles on a variety of breeds and has instructed several levels of obedience classes. She started competing in Agility in 1998 with her Miniature Schnauzer “Tucker” who was ranked by AKC that year #1 in Open and #2 in Novice for his breed. Tucker completed his MX/MXJ and now at 12 ½ is retired from Agility. One of the important things she brings to the sport is experience with lots of breeds of all sizes and personalities and drives.

Nancy currently competes with her sheltie MACH Jive. Jive has qualified for the AKC Nationals numerous times and has attended the AKC Invitational World Team Try-outs. She also competes with her Border Collie (Dillon) who has completed his MX/MXJ and is working on his MACH. She also competes with “Amazing Chilli”, another sheltie, who recently completed her MX/MXJ and is working on her MACH. Young Border Collie “ Vista” is currently getting ready to compete.  In addition to her own dogs, Nancy handles other dogs and is currently competing with a young German Shepherd “Jesse”, a sheltie “Mouse” and a Papillion, “Andre”.

Kip Kirby

Kip Kirby has been an instructor for Leaps and Bounds Dog Agility since the facility began in 1999. A certified agility trainer who competes throughout the Southeast, Kip has titled four of her own dogs at the Excellent and Masters level. In October 2004, Kip’s MACH 2 Sheltie, Soundbites of Sable Sunshine (Soundbite), scored her ADCH title from the USDAA, becoming only the second dog in the state of Tennessee to hold both a MACH (Master Agility Champion) and an ADCH (Agility Dog Champion). At the same trial, her younger MACH Sheltie, Legends High Velocity (Orbit), earned his MAD title and is now working toward his ADCH. Currently, Kip is training and showing her first Border Collie, Lock-Eye Silver Lining (Kyla).

As a freelance writer, Kip writes for Clean Run Magazine and Agility Action Online. One of her articles for Agility Action, “Agility Dogs on the Road,” won first place in the 2004 Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) Awards.

Diane Overstreet

Diane Overstreet joined the Leaps and Bounds teaching staff in 2005. She has been competing in agility since Jan. 2003 with her two Papillons, Hunter and Pierre both competing in the excellent and masters levels. Hunter earned his MACH title Oct. 2005 and is the first MACH Papillon in the state of Tennessee.

Diane and Hunter attended the AKC National Agility Championship in Tampa Florida, January 2006 where Hunter qualified four out of five runs. Pierre holds the title “High in Trial” for 2005 earned at the Papillon Nationals in Cincinnati, Ohio in May. She loves helping handlers and their k-9 partners learn the agility sport and become confident teams.