All About Olya

UK9BG Club Member Spotlight: Olya Bogdanova

Olya moved to Calgary over 20 years ago, and it quickly became the place she called home. After graduating high school, she began her career in Supply Chain Management at one of the largest oil and gas companies while attending the University of Calgary part-time. While exploring various courses, she discovered a passion for the stock market and programming, which ultimately led her to pursue a different career path. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance with a minor in Computer Science and has been enjoying her career in the field ever since.

Her early experiences with working dogs trace back to childhood when her grandparents owned a German Shepherd named Alisa, who competed in a police-style bite sport. Fascinated by Alisa’s intelligence and working ability, Olya would often accompany her grandfather to training classes, sparking a lifelong interest in canine training.

More than two decades later, she found herself with an unruly American Bully puppy named Enzo. It quickly became clear that he was a handful, prompting her to explore different avenues of dog training. In her search, she came across a video by Bulletproof K9s showcasing impressive obedience by a bully breed dog, which led her to reach out to the trainer. That trainer recommended she contact his really good friend Stano Thankachen - a seasoned veteran of bite sports and the president of the UK9BG PSA Club.

Shortly after, Olya started taking private lessons with Enzo at UK9BG. Recognizing Enzo’s potential, Stan suggested they try bitework, and it was love at first bite! Before long, she decided to pursue the PSA-PDC with Enzo. Under Stano’s mentorship and with the support of the UK9BG PSA Club, Olya and Enzo successfully earned their PSA-PDC. And with the dedication and hard work of Shaun Thankachen, UK9BG’s head training decoy, Enzo became the first American Bully in Alberta to earn PSA-PDC in the Suit Division.

Following this achievement, Olya became a member of UK9BG PSA Club and, after much consideration, decided to get a Belgian Malinois to further her involvement in the sport. The timing was perfect, as Shaun and his wife, Kristin Thankachen, were breeding their dogs, Vato and Chola, at that time. And Olya was one of the lucky handlers they chose to entrust with a puppy from the litter.

Transitioning from a bully breed to a high-drive Malinois was no easy task, so Olya decided to enroll in a course with Inferno Canine IGP Club, where she received coaching from Cassandra St. Pierre. This training helped strengthen Olya’s bond with her new puppy, Agera, and further refine obedience behaviors. She continues to work with Cassandra and aims to achieve a BH-VT in IGP with Agera under Cassandra’s mentorship.

Agera has been a handful from the start - determined, stubborn and full of drive. Coming from a great lineage that boasts six PSA 3-titled dogs, including her parents, she has shown exceptional aptitude for training. Agera is a quick learner, mastering behaviors in record time. During her very first introduction to dock diving, she surprised everyone by launching off the highest dock before Olya could even close the gate behind her. At just nine months old and with no prior experience in water, she fearlessly continued jumping off the dock for the rest of the class and went on to compete in a trial the following weekend, jumping further with each attempt. Agera excels in nearly everything she tries. Her recent endeavors include working toward her trick dog title, attending agility classes and training for her PSA-PDC.

Olya continues to refine her handling skills and train Agera with the unwavering support of her UK9BG PSA Club. She attributes her progress to the mentorship and friendship of Stano and Tammy Thankachen, the tough but fair coaching of Melissa Waters and Shaun Thankachen, Kristin’s continuous celebration of all Agera’s successes, and the tireless efforts of the club’s decoys. She is also grateful for her training partner, Connie - who always pushes her to improve and think outside of the box, for Kendall - who lifts her spirits when training gets tough, and for her partner, Brad - who fully supports her dog training journey.

In addition to Agera, Olya has an American Pitbull Terrier named Miura, who loves obedience and dock diving, but is too much of a sweetheart to do bite sports. Miura enjoys playing tug with Agera and going on car rides, making her a beloved companion in the household.