Our Instructors
Meet the My K9 Buddy instructor team—experienced, supportive trainers who use modern, humane methods to help you and your dog succeed.
From first-time pet parents to sport teams chasing precision, we make learning clear, fun, and effective.
Marta Coursey CPDT-KA
Marta Coursey, the owner of My K9 Buddy, has been training dogs professionally since 1998 and has helped dog owners across Carroll County build skilled, confident teams—at home and in the ring. As the owner of My K9 Buddy, Marta is best known for her Agility and Rally programs (all levels), where she combines clear instruction, positive training, and smart progression so both new and experienced handlers can succeed.
Marta also enjoys competing with her Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retriever in agility, rally, obedience, and dock diving—bringing real-world sport experience into every class.
Professional Certifications & Memberships
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT)
- Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Community Canine (CGCA) Evaluator
- Member, Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
- Member, Pet Professional Guild (PPG)
Val Koogle
Val teaches Puppy classes, CGC, Rally, and other specialty classes at My K9 Buddy. She loves helping people and dogs learn together in a way that feels clear, fun, and encouraging. Val enjoys working with puppies as they build important life skills and with Rally teams as they grow confidence, focus, and teamwork.
Her training style is positive, practical, and centered on building a strong bond between dogs and their people.
Val believes training should be enjoyable, supportive, and something both dog and handler look forward to.
Donna Sims
Donna is a public school teacher who has been involved in agility since 2003. She uses her knowledge as a science teacher to effectively analyze courses and determine the best paths to take with the dog she is running. She has put multiple championship titles on her corgis in both USDAA and AKC and has been a finalist in both USDAA and AKC national events. Donna believes that agility should be fun for both the dog and handler. She feels that it is important to maintain a positive attitude when working with your dog. She has experience both with crazy fast dogs (large and small) and dogs that are less motivated and fearful.
Brad Kimmel
Brad has been training and competing in agility for over 15 years. He began his journey running his aunt’s Australian Shepherds and soon developed a passion for the sport that led him to train and compete with his own dogs. Today, he runs two Border Collies, Reaper and Smash, and continues to focus on developing strong, effective handling skills.
Brad enjoys helping teams find the most efficient and successful paths on course, with an emphasis on clear communication between dog and handler. His training philosophy is centered on the individual team—whether that means building energy and excitement or creating a calm, focused approach, he works to bring out the best in each partnership.
Ruth Sheller
Ruth grew up in Gloucestershire, England, where she spent her early years walking and helping train her family’s Border Collies and competing with ponies. Those experiences sparked her lifelong interest in training and in building strong teamwork between people and animals.
At My K9 Buddy, Ruth teaches manners, tricks, and other specialty classes. She enjoys helping dogs and their people learn together, build skills, and have fun along the way. She has worked at My K9 Buddy since 2019.
Ruth competes with her own dogs in Rally, Agility, Dock Diving, and Trick Dog events. She is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, FitDog Instructor, AKC Tricks Evaluator, AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.
Tamara Smith, CNWI
Tamara’s scent work experience began in 2012 with her English Springer Spaniel, Maya. After training in general manners classes, agility, tracking, rally obedience, and barn hunt; Maya decided she liked K9 Nose Work® best and they grew together in their love of the sport. She started competing in NACSW K9 Nose Work® trials in 2013 and achieved the coveted Elite Champion title in Spring of 2020.
Tamara is a NACSW Certified Nose Work Instructor and has been teaching multiple levels of K9 Nose Work classes at My K9 Buddy in Westminster, MD for over five years. She is continually taking virtual classes, seminars, and attending workshops and camps to stay current on the most effective ways to train in the fast-growing sport of scent work. She understands it’s important to learn as much about the person working with the dog as it is the dog and enjoys the relationships she builds with all her students. K9 Nose Work® should be fun on both ends of the leash while building a better bond with your K9 companion while they grow in a recreational sport that encourages them to build on their natural instinct to hunt.
Diane Lagasse, CNWI
Diane began her K9 Scent Work journey in 2019 with her two German Shorthaired Pointers, Holly and Laci. Her interest in the sport grew quickly, and in 2024, she became a Certified Nose Work Instructor through NACSW.
Diane has been active in performance dog sports since 2008. Over the years, she has participated in agility, conformation, hunt tests, CAT, and FAST CAT. She especially loves scent work because it gives dogs the chance to use their natural hunting abilities while building confidence and independence.
Diane enjoys watching each dog work through a search, pick up odor, and solve the problem to find the source. She is committed to continuing her education and regularly attends workshops, webinars, and competitions through both NACSW and AKC to stay current in the sport.
Her newest dog, River, a Labrador Retriever, is already showing that searching with her nose is a very fun game.
Jan Manuel, CNWI
Jan has had dogs all her life and has been involved in training and competing with dogs for many years. She bred Belgian Sheepdogs with her mother under the kennel name Belmystique and has trained and competed in conformation, obedience, rally, herding, agility, and Nose Work/Scent Work. She currently competes in both NACSW and AKC events.
Jan’s passion for Nose Work began with her first dog, Raven, whose noise sensitivity inspired Jan to use the sport to help build confidence. That experience led to a deep commitment to Nose Work and to helping other dogs and handlers enjoy its benefits. Her Belgian Sheepdog, Archie, began Nose Work at just 8 weeks old and now competes at the NACSW Elite level and AKC Detective level.
Jan joined My K9 Buddy as an instructor in January 2022 and became a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) in April 2023. She currently teaches four intermediate and advanced Nose Work classes each week and enjoys helping teams build confidence, focus, and teamwork through scent work.
Debbie Maggitti
Deb Maggitti has been involved in therapy dog work for the past 24 years, both as a participant and a program leader. Over the years, she’s partnered with several therapy dogs of her own—a Cocker Spaniel, a pointer-mix, a Great Dane, and currently Lily, a miniature Australian Shepherd. All of Deb’s dogs have been rescued, and she and her husband, Joe, have fostered more than 90 dogs of various breeds and mixes.
Deb is also one of the founders of My Caring Paws, a pet therapy group that visits hospitals, assisted living communities, libraries, a 911 facility, rescue missions, The ARC, and more. She believes the keys to a great therapy dog include a genuine love of being around people, skilled handling in all situations, broad socialization in many settings, and the experience that comes from doing the work. With time, Deb says, the dogs learn what’s expected—and they truly enjoy their important role.
When Deb isn’t volunteering with pet therapy, she and Joe enjoy hiking, rock climbing, gardening, target shooting, and planning family events.
Chris Bevillard, Cpdt-ka acdbc FFT
Chris Bevillard has been helping people train their dogs for more than 35 years. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CCPDT), a Fear Free Certified Professional, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.
Chris believes that training should build a strong, positive relationship between dogs and their people. She uses reward-based training that helps dogs learn while also building trust, focus, and confidence. Her goal is to teach skills that make everyday life with dogs easier and more enjoyable.
Chris teaches small group classes through My K9 Buddy, where each dog and owner get guidance and support as they learn together. Her classes focus on clear communication, practical skills, and helping dogs succeed in real-life situations.
Over the years, Chris has worked with thousands of dogs and their families. She enjoys helping people understand their dogs better and watching teams grow into confident, happy partners.
CCPDT-KA - Certified Professional Dog Trainer knowledge assessed.
ACDBC - Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association
FFT - Fear Free Professional Trainer
Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers
Member of Pet Professional Guild
AKC - CGC - Canine Good Citizen evaluator
AKC - Tricks evaluator
Beth Pickett
Beth is formally expanding into the canine world of training after a lifetime of teaching, training, and competing horses. Although she continues teaching in the horse world, Beth has found a new love in a variety of disciplines with her dogs. She began purposely training her dogs in 2010, then branched into agility classes in 2016. Her desire to better herself and her dogs, along with her love of learning, pushed her into many educational ventures, some leading to achieving industry certifications: Certified Canine Fitness Trainer and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She draws from an eclectic background of teaching experiences to create a positive atmosphere for her students while focusing on the overall health and wellbeing of the animals (as well as their human handlers) in order to reach the goals her students are aiming for. Beth competes in agility with her Australian Shepherds, Carys and Lorecan.
Nick Decesare
Nick has been training Golden Retrievers for over twenty years, earning obedience, agility, field, and tracking titles. Nick was president of the Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club from 1999 to 2003. Nick has served as agility trial chairman for the Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club, chairing 38 agility trials since 2000. Nick is currently training his youngest Golden for tracking.
Cher Snyder
Cher has been “owned by” Golden Retrievers for over forty years. She has been an Obedience instructor for fifteen years, teaching Novice, Open and Utility classes. She earned an OTCH and UDX 7 with a very special dog, that competed into the finals of the National Obedience Invitational. She is working toward an OTCH with her current dog. Over the years, she has also titled dogs in Rally, Field, Agility, Tracking, and Conformation.
Cher believes that if Obedience is not fun for your dog, they won’t want to keep doing it. Make Obedience fun and you will both be happy in the competition ring!.
Jan Collins
Jan has spent most of her life starting young horses for the show ring. She has owned Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs for 15 years and her dog, Scopey, was the first Swissy to earn a MACH. She trains her dogs with lots of body awareness skills and use of their hindquarter just as she would start a young horse. She competes with her Swissies in drafting,obedience,rally,agility and conformation.
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JACQUI REARDON CNWI
Jacqui has been certified as a Nose Work instructor for 6 years. She has quickly become known for helping dogs and their people build confidence while having fun together. She loves working with dogs of all ages and personalities, especially those who benefit from gaining focus, independence, and problem-solving skills.
Her approach to training is encouraging, low-pressure, and designed to let each dog succeed at their own pace. Nose Work is a natural activity for dogs, and Jacqui enjoys showing owners how to tap into their dog’s instincts in a way that builds confidence, reduces stress, and strengthens the bond between dog and handler.
Outside of class, Jacqui is an active member of the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), where she volunteers at trials as a host, odor recognition test judge, and score room lead. She also competes in Nose Work with her chocolate Labradors, Blake and Chip.
Jacqui holds a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) credential and continues her education through workshops, seminars, and coaching clinics to stay current and bring the best experience to her students.