Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

262 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine G rowing up in Southern Illinois, Shawn Kinkelaar has been interested and involved in bird dogs from a young age. A pointing dog trainer of more than 30 years, Mr. Kinkelaar always held a deep connection with the dogs he has trained. By his sophomore year of high school, Mr. Kinkelaar quit playing sports to focus on his craft and attend dog competitions. He even attended college three times, but he always went back to working with dogs. Beginning field training in the 1980s and having learned from top trainers in the country, such as Jack Herriage, Richard Robertson and Harold Ray, Mr. Kinkelaar was recently named National Handler of the Year in 2019, for the fifth time. Ms. Kinkelaar has also won more National Dog of the Year Awards than any other trainer, which consists of 12 awards won by six different dogs. He has also won three English Setter National Awards. His training and competition have allowed him to cover a span of nearly all of the United States and part of Canada. Mr. Kinkelaar also owes credit to the dogs themselves. He recalls his first great English Pointer, Elhew Sunflower, who showed him what it means to have a great dog. Mr. Kinkelaar says the most rewarding aspect of his job is getting a dog to reach their full potential and a client’s satisfaction when they find out they had won a major championship. Mr. Kinkelaar is proud to be a member of and contributor to a sport that brings the nature’s differing landscape around the country, weather and horses/dogs/gamebirds together. Mr. Kinkelaar is aware that a lot of individuals get caught up in the physical appearance of dogs, but he focuses on dogs with brains and heart. If a dog has those two qualities, Mr. Kinkelaar is sure he can make that dog a winner. SHAWN KINKELAAR POINTING DOG TRAINER Effingham, IL HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE