It may have been a sign of things to come when, as an 11 year old, Jane Johnson taught the family poodle to do tricks and climb a ladder, but the talent lay dormant until many years later when Jane had children of her own and bought them a Golden retriever. Figuring that a large dog had better have some formal training, she enrolled in an obedience class in 1976 and thereby opened the door to a lifetime all-consuming hobby and a part time career.

Jane took that first Novice A dog all the way to a Utility title, an impressive accomplishment at any time, but especially so in an era when advanced competition obedience in Western North Carolina had to be learned from a book. Two more Goldens followed and then, in 1980, two landmark events occurred. For one, Jane bought her son a Border collie puppy and that dog became the foundation bitch for the line Jane breeds and shows to this day, Starfire Border Collies.

For another, Jane and a group of dog training/loving friends decided there had to be a better way to train dogs than the “pop and jerk” method that was prevalent then, and Companion Dog Training School was formed to experiment with teaching both pet dogs and competition dogs in a positive, motivating manner. Among the founders are instructors you’ll still find at the school today: Carol Renton, Pat and Ted McCall, Linda Lloyd and Jane.

Jane and her Border collies have garnered more accolades and titles than can be included in a brief biography, but some of the highlights include six Obedience Trial Champions, all of them with many High in Trials and High Combined honors; Wizzie and Shadow who placed at the Superdog level in the Gaines Classic (the national obedience competition for many years); Beamer who placed first in Open in the Nationals, and Ditto who placed fourth in Novice at the last Gaines Classic National Championship. Currently Jane is showing the fifth generation of her line, Ch. OTCh Starfire’s Next Chapter MX MXJ RN and hoping “Saga” will be her first dog with three championship titles, in conformation, obedience and agility. In addition to training dogs, Jane found a niche in coaching people to train dogs and today she has students from across the Southeast and beyond who travel to Asheville to study with her. Among those students are some of the top competitors in this area and they have produced many Obedience Trial Champions of their own. As happy as Jane is to see one of her students reach the top, she is equally thrilled when she can help any dog and his human solve a problem and strengthen their bond, be it for home life or the show ring. In addition to her private students, Jane teaches transition classes at CDTS on Thursday nights. Transition students are those who have graduated from the beginner class, found themselves interested in going on in dog training and want more instruction, possibly with an eye to entering competition. When she’s not training dogs or people in her “spare time”, Jane is a Nurse Practitioner. She dotes on her grandchildren and lives with three Border Collies, OTCh Starfire’s Again and Again UDX (Ditto), OTCh Starfire’s Discovery UDX (Quest) and Ch. OTCh Starfire's Next Chapter MX MXJ RN (Saga).