COMMITTEES

Breeders Advisory Committee

Chairwoman, Dr. Megan Hilf

Committee members

Cindy Pfister, Susie Nies, Lori Raymond

Administrative help:  Ruth Georgia and Shelley Tarbox

Consult on Genetics and diversity: Lee Brewer

The ASA takes breeding seriously as the choices made in breeding inherently effect the health and welfare of the breed’s success as a whole. Genetic diversity is essential and our team of Breed Advisors is well equipped to give our breeders the best advice possible in choosing a mate.

Megan Hilf is a licensed veterinarian. She brings not only her own experience through her practices, but years of ongoing training and education. With her input, the
committee can carefully control and assess any potential health risks within the breeding matches. She maintains a database of the health on all North American Stabys.  Megan owns three Stabys – Stella, Melanie, and Asher

Cindy Pfister, is a dog trainer and behavior expert. Her knowledge into the “inner thoughts” and workings of the Staby make her an ideal candidate for evaluating
temperament. Owning a stable and mentally balanced Staby is a high priority for our members and we stress this aspect in shaping the pairings and in working with our
breeders during the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life.  Cindy owns Leeske, Saga and Nynke.

Susie Nies and her husband Dennis Anest have been members of the ASA since 2007. Soon after adopting their first Stabyhoun, Brie, Susie became a volunteer with the club. Susie has served on the board, the Specialty committee, and the BAC. Susie and Dennis currently have 3 Stabyhouns: Diede, Haven, and Amerins. Brie is forever in their hearts and over the rainbow bridge. Susie has bred two litters and is looking forward to breeding again. Susie is committed to the preservation of this amazing breed, and is thrilled to be working with our members as well as our partner clubs internationally.  Susie and Dennis own Diede, Haven and Amerins.

Lori Raymond previously served on the ASA board as Secretary, and has been active on the ASA Education/Training committee and as a volunteer at the ASA Specialties in Latrobe. She imported her dog “Intske” in 2014 and “Anne” in 2019, from the Netherlands.  While in the NL in 2019, she attended the spring Breeder Advisory Board meeting of the NVSW in Zutphen, NL and she has attended Fokkersdag (Breeders day in the NL, where litters are evaluated).  Her areas of interest includes canine genetics, puppy whelping and socialization, and positive training techniques.  She has completed several courses with the Institute for Canine Biology (ICB), attended the 2018 Canadian Kennel Club Conference on Stud Dog Management with Dr. Gayle Watkins and small animal immunology expert Dr. Laurie Larson of the University of Wisconsin; the 2017 Care Conference in Montreal, PQ with Myra Savant-Harris and Gayle Watkins of AviDog International, the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Successful Breeding conference in 2016.

Ruth Georgia and Shelley Tarbox have volunteered to help with the communication between the breeders and the new prospective owners. We get so many emails and questions from
interested parties about our breed and they wizards at keeping this important area fulfilled.

Lee Brewer has been breeding dogs since 1989, including her experience with Flat-Coated Retrievers and Stabyhouns. With a solid knowledge of canine genetics, whelping,
socialization and rearing, Lee is the ultimate “mid-woof”. Breeders can always count on her breeding advice, as she is willing to spend hours with pedigrees, studying
inbreeding coefficients, genetic disease carriers, and conformation details to suggest the best possible matches. Lee also travels annually to The Netherlands to meet with the Dutch breeding committee, the NVSW Board, other foreign Stabyhoun clubs, and Dutch breeders to exchange information about the breed. She is now heading up the Stabyhoun Diversity Project with the goal of lowering the mean kinship in the breed to improve litter size and longevity.

Finally, our Breeders Advisors are always in close contact with the Dutch advisors to stay on top of all new developments in the Stabyhoun worldwide. Since 2006, our association has been recognized by the Dutch Assocaition for the Stabij- and Wetterhoun, the NVSW, for our careful efforts to promote and protect this beautiful breed in all of North America.

 

Education and Training

Chairwoman, Elaine Wallace

Committee Groups:

• • Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Cindy Pfister
  • Puppy Development, Ages 3-12 Months, – Jessica Angel, Dawn Gilkison
  • Sports and Performance Activities – Elaine Wallace

  Please refer to the Training Webpage and the Training Group Tabs:  Behavior, Puppy, Sports.

  The education and training of our Stabys is a key element in the mental stimulation and health of the breed. This is a sporting breed and as such these dogs will thrive when asked to perform a task, be it basic obedience or a challenging activity such as agility or following a scent whether in competition or the backyard.