Ed MinarTrainer
Ed Minar earned his Bachelor’s, Masters, and Doctorate degrees from Harvard University. He is currently a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arkansas, where he teaches a variety of courses including an interdisciplinary course on Animal Minds. Ed began teaching people how to train their dogs after training his own dog, Poco, an Australian Shepherd who was very challenging. His Australian Shepherd Bess achieved titles in the highest levels of obedience, agility, and rally. He is currently training Copper, Josie, and Loki to follow in Bess’ footsteps. He has been the Training Director at the Canine Connection since the business opened.
Diana NagelTrainer
Ed’s wife Diana Nagel is also a college professor and dog trainer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Stanford University, a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University of Maryland. She is an Professor of Psychology at Northwest Arkansas Community College, where she teaches the research foundations of the methods used in dog training. She teaches several classes at the Canine Connection. As co-Training Director, she consults with Ed on all the training curriculum and teaching methods.
Valerie Murphy
Valerie Murphy, was the beloved owner of The Canine Connection for 16 years and will be sorely missed by everyone. She brought together many dogs and people through her business and we can’t express enough how much that means to all of us. We are blessed to have had her teach us many things and we are proud to say she carried on one of the oldest and longest Dog Daycare and Training Facility in Northwest Arkansas. Thank you Val for your service to the dog community.
