All About Melissa

UK9BG Club Member Spotlight: Melissa Waters

Melissa Waters has been involved in dog sports since 1994. She and her husband, Wade, discovered their first Schutzhund club while searching for their first dog. Before even bringing a puppy home, they spent a full year at the club, simply watching and learning—a testament to their dedication to the sport.

Their first dog, Paddy Ryan’s Angus, was a Rottweiler who proved to be an extraordinary partner. Through grit and determination, Melissa and Angus earned titles from BH to SchH3 and even competed at Regionals. Despite their success, the challenges of working with an “off-breed” led Melissa to believe her next dog, a German Shepherd, might make things easier. She quickly learned otherwise.

Her first German Shepherd, acquired on a co-ownership arrangement, was not the right fit for her or the sport and was rehomed to a loving pet home. Melissa’s next GSD, Khon vom Kraftwerk, came into her life unexpectedly. Khon was an adult GSD with a BH and strong pedigree, and together they earned a SchH1, including a V score in protection. However, Melissa’s tracking skills at the time limited their progression. Khon remains one of her most memorable dogs—she fondly jokes that he was a Rottweiler in a Shepherd’s coat.

Recognizing that breed compatibility was more important to her than achieving titles, Melissa returned to Rottweilers. In 2005, Eri vom Waldbach joined her family and immediately began teaching her lessons in humility. Eri was a confident, independent dog with a strong personality, making every milestone a challenge. Despite their differences, they achieved SchH3, and Melissa credits Eri for teaching her some of the most valuable lessons of her career.

While training Eri, Melissa brought home Hannibal, another Rottweiler from the same kennel. Hannibal’s early promise gave way to hard lessons about the dangers of progressing too quickly in protection work and the consequences of pairing a green dog with a green helper. Though Hannibal only achieved a BH, he remained an enthusiastic training partner and taught many helpers valuable lessons about defensive dogs and drive shifting.

After retiring her older dogs, Melissa took a break from dog sports to focus on horses and spent several years showing in the dressage ring. However, her love for dogs remained strong, and in 2016, she brought home Capone vom Bösen Blick.

Capone would become Melissa’s once-in-a-lifetime dog. While initially trained in IGP, his slow development in protection work led Melissa to explore other sports, including draft work, weight pull, rally, barn hunt, and scent detection. In 2018, Melissa left her IGP club and later decided to work towards her goals on her own with her husband Wade as her helper. Capone thrived in every discipline, and his IGP foundation eventually helped him transition into PSA. Capone became the second Rottweiler to earn a PSA1 title and remains the only Rottweiler to hold both an IGP1 and PSA1 simultaneously. Along the way, he earned master championships in rally and scent detection, as well as multiple weight pull titles. Melissa’s time with Capone was tragically cut short when he passed away from cancer at age 8. Losing him remains the hardest loss of her life, but she is deeply grateful for the time they shared.

Capone’s brother, Crunch, came into Melissa’s life at 15 months old. Unlike his brother, Crunch lacked the drive for bite sports but excelled in weight pull and scent detection. Crunch prefers Wade as his handler, leaving Melissa happily cheering from the sidelines.

Melissa’s current partner is Icon van Het Bos, a Rottweiler with exceptional prey drive, strong grips, and a zest for training. Icon is the first dog Melissa has trained specifically for PSA from the start, though they are also exploring other sports together. She is excited to see how their journey unfolds.

In addition to working with her own dogs, Melissa is passionate about helping others achieve their goals. She is a CWAGS obedience judge and is working toward becoming a rally judge. Melissa believes in the value of exploring a variety of sports to highlight the versatility of dogs, especially those involved in bite sports.

Melissa is deeply grateful to be part of the UK9BG community, where she has found camaraderie and support. She is proud to be part of the PSA world and looks forward to continuing her journey in dog sports, both as a competitor and mentor.