HerUpland Endorsed Dog TrainHers

Meet The HerUpland Endorsed Dog TrainHers

This incredible group of professional and amateur dog trainers is the lifeline to HerUpland’s dog training initiative. They have years of dog training experience, have earned elite titles and awards, and are at the top of their game.

Every single one of them volunteers for the organization because they are supportive of the mission and dedicated to getting more women and girls inspired and involved in the sport they’re passionate about.

Stacy Horst

Dog Trainer Stacy Horst
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Bridget Nielsen

Bridget Nielsen Dog Trainer
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Kat Pippitt

Dog Trainer Kat Pippitt
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Tracey Nelson

Dog Trainer Tracey Nelson
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Ruth Weiss

Dog Trainer Ruth Weiss

Angie Coenen

Dog Trainer Angie Coenen
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Christy Langston

Dog Trainer Christy Langston
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Aleah Marcoe

Dog Trainer Aleah Marcoe
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Jill Koren

Dog Trainer Jill Koren
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Mel Lueck

HerUpland Dog trainer Mel Luck on Horseback
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Lori Steinshouser

Dog Trainer Lori Steinshouer and Dogs

Kelli Aitken

Kelli Aitken on horseback with Irish Setter
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Kata Miller

Kata Miller with her 3 Vizslas
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Rustene Pagel

Rustene Pagel with her dog
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Linda Jugler

Linda Jugler and her Drahthaar
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HerUpland

34059 Sheep Camp Rd.
Bonner, MT 59823

501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit
Federal Tax ID Number:
88-1817113

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Stacy Horst

Dog Trainer Stacy Horst

Stacy Horst lives in North Carolina with her husband and their 4 German Shorthaired Pointers, where they operate Oak Creek Kennel. She has trained and handled versatile hunting dogs through NAVHDA, VDD-GNA, and AKC. Stacy grew up in the Midwest with hunting and bird dogs. She often hunted with her father over their Golden Retrievers and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Stacy had owned a couple of German Shorthaired Pointers before 2013, but it was her first NAVHDA-registered GSP that ignited her passion for training bird dogs. Often, you will find Stacy working with owners of dogs, helping them build confidence in training and handling their dogs. When not training, you can find Stacy out west chasing pheasants, grouse, and huns, and when on the east coast, she chases woodcock, ruffed grouse, and ducks.

Bridget Nielsen

Bridget Nielsen Dog Trainer

Bridget Nielsen, a retired USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist is currently breeding and training vizslas in South Dakota and Montana. She has spent the last 25 years hunting with vizslas on wild birds in the American West. She has also been a NAVHDA judge for six years and has traveled across the US to judge dogs. Her passion is to train dogs to perform to their highest potential while fostering enthusiasm and desire to work with dogs.

Kat Pippitt

Dog Trainer Kat Pippitt

Kat Pippitt and her husband have been training dogs for the last 13 years and own their own business Standing Stone Kennels. They also breed GSPs and have two little boys. Kat is a NAVHDA judge and has run dogs at all levels of both NAVHDA and AKC hunt tests.

Tracey Nelson

Dog Trainer Tracey Nelson

Tracey started hunting in 1997 with her mastiff boxer mix and then acquired her first German shorthair in 1997, the same year she joined NAVHDA. She became a judge in 2002 and is currently a senior judge, an Invitational judge, and a clinical leader. Tracey has served as a mentor and director of the apprentice judge program, the national office registrar, and the Invitational director. She has handled 42 unique dogs and 74 tests and judged 1973 dogs through all levels, including 444 dogs at the invitational level. Tracey operated a hunting preserve for 12 years and, during that time, trained dogs full-time for all levels of testing and hunting. She has also titled dogs in obedience agility and retriever tests. Tracey lives in southwest Iowa and enjoys upland, waterfowl hunting, turkey, and deer hunting.

Ruth Weiss

Dog Trainer Ruth Weiss
Wife, Mom,Grannie, Friend.
NAVHDA Sr judge.
Dog lover.
Dog trainer.
That’s me!

Angie Coenen

Dog Trainer Angie Coenen

Angie Coenen and her husband own, train, and test their six German Shorthaired Pointers and run Hurricane Kennels in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Angie is passionately involved in NAVHDA and sits on the NAVHDA Board of Directors as the Secretary. Angie is also a NAVHDA Senior judge and an Invitational judge. As the Secretary of NAVHDA, Angie oversees the planning and execution of the Invitational and the Annual meeting.

Christy Langston

Mount Vernon, MO

Dog Trainer Christy Langston

I live in Mount Vernon MO, and I am the mom of two wild little girls and wife to an amazing husband. I come from a very deep agriculture background and have a strong love for anything outdoors and conservation. Wild bird hunting is where my true passion is. I love the challenge, the traveling, chasing new species, and getting my dogs out where they were bred to be! After hunting season I roll into training season, currently I compete in NAVHDA and AKC events. When I am not chasing kids, cows, or training dogs, I will most likely have a camera in my hand! 

Aleah Marcoe

Nebraska

Dog Trainer Aleah Marcoe

Aleah Marcoe is the owner and trainer at Backwater Hunting Dogs located in southeast Nebraska. Born in Sitka, Alaska, Aleah has always been involved with the outdoors. She started training dogs at a young age and even helped teach obedience and agility classes throughout high school and college. Her love of training dogs collided with her passion for the outdoors about 15 years ago which introduced her to the world of hunt testing. It’s fueled her career ever since. She has been training professionally for 6 years and especially enjoys the challenge of training dogs for hunt tests. When she’s not training or testing, you can find her and her husband Connor hanging out on the river, waterfowl hunting, or hunting big game throughout the Midwest.

Jill Koren

Alabama

Dog Trainer Jill Koren

Jill Koren is a full time upland guide and dog handler from November through March in Alabama. During the summer months, she and her partner, Bob, travel the United States with their string of pointers, vizslas, and English cockers.  After years of managing preserve kennels, she now focuses on her own dogs and trains a few others on board, living full time in a 5th wheel camper. When guiding hunts or picking birds she handles her own dogs and kennel/client dogs. She recently has joined the Wildrose team and will be training in Wisconsin during the summer of 2023. Jill enjoys exploring new parts of the country with her dogs and finding new adventures

Mel Lueck

Dog Trainer Mel Luck
My passion is educating and bringing new individuals into the animal husbandry industry. Whether that be through the veterinary field, dog sport enthusiast, horse show/trail riders, outdoor sports, hunting, and/or recreational sports with their animals. 
 
I run a life-skills 101 program for youth that encompasses all aspects of the equine individual and herd management. I’ve helped several youth attain their college goals with scholarships and work study programs to pre-vet programs. The youth are our future and we must continue to help cultivate their passions.
 
I have shown many horses in local, regional and national level competitions. 
My love of dogs and horses brought me to the sport of field trials. It combines my passion, discipline and dedication of both worlds.
 
I have personally owned and hunted behind GSP, Setters, Vizslas, and my heart breed the Pointer.
 
I run Elhew Pointers and field trial in both American Field & AKC.
We travel many states and have been fortunate enough to compete with some of the most wonderful and talented individuals.

Lori Steinshouser

Nevada and Oregon

Dog Trainer Lori Steinshouer and Dogs

I’m passionate about pointing dogs, gaited horses, upland bird hunting and horseback field trials. I have been field trialing for many years. I am a professional trainer and generally speaking train for one owner. This sport has taken me all over the United States and Canada. I have been fortunate to have met many wonderful people through my love of bird dogs and horses. I currently live in my home town Reno, Nevada six months of the year and live six months in Halfway Oregon where my fiance and I are building a second home on his cattle ranch. I am learning all about cattle and now add ranching to my list of loves!

Kelli Aitken

Box Elder, SD

Kelli Aitken on horseback with Irish Setter

I was raised in the AKC dog world, primarily in the show ring but stumbled my way into the field world over a dozen years ago. I breed, train, and compete with my Irish Setters, but I have also handled and scouted Pointers, Gordon Setters, and Vizslas to the winners podium. I have been lucky enough to have put some nice wins on my dogs and currently own 5 National Champions who have won a combined 8 National titles. I’ve judged 2 AKC Breed National Championships, as well as one species specific championship. I’ve also judged two All-Age championship and one Classic, all three of which are Ames National Championship qualifiers, as well as three Open Shooting Dog Championships. For me, the only thing that beats watching a dog work the country from horseback is running my dog from horseback. I look forward to helping fellow women discover that excitement!

Kata Miller

Henderson, NC

Kata Miller with her 3 Vizslas

My first dog training experience involved training seeing-eye dogs in Budapest and over the course of my career I also worked for groomers and as a veterinary assistant. I changed the lives of unbalanced dogs in Boston, Chicago, Central Wisconsin and Dallas where in 2016, I began working with gun dogs. I graduated with honors from Animal Behavior College in 2007 and established Cave Canis with a focus on Obedience Training and Problem Behavior. I am member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and am an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. As a balanced trainer, I believe that owners can achieve their goals if they take the time to train and to build a bond with their dogs. My family and I are now located on 17 acres in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Hendersonville, NC, where we train and raise Wirehaired Vizslas. We test our dogs in both AKC and NAVHDA. During the summer, I focus on training dogs through board and train engagements, group training events and one-on-one training programs. During hunting season we guide at a local preserve so we can take our kids with us as well, who enjoy hunting more and more!

Rustene Pagel

Hurley, WI

Rustene Pagel with her dog

Bio informationOver the last year 20+ years, my husband and I have trained and tested 7 Deutsch-Drahthaars through the JGHV testing system. We are very active in the VDD-GNA and JGV-USA dog clubs, attending 10-15 JGHV events a year. I love hunting with my Drahts (and husband) for ruffed grouse, pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, ducks, geese, and blood tracking deer. I’ve been hunting deer for 30 years, but started hunting upland and waterfowl in my mid-twenties.

Linda Kugler

Casper, WY

Linda Jugler and her Drahthaar

I would consider myself a novice hunter, I started because I love working behind my dogs. My husband and I breed Deutsch Drahthaars, we currently have 6, 2 of those being pups that we are excited to see progress in our testing system. We have 2 daughters, 7 grandkids.