Trial Judge: Steve Kunkel

Steve Kunkel: 2016 Trial Judge

Steve Kunkel is a successful international business leader, and has been a resident of Chicago for many years. Steve grew up in rural Iowa, and was familiar with high-performance working dogs from a young age, including German Shepherds as protection companions.

Steve was introduced to herding dogs and Border Collies somewhat by accident, when his youngest son brought home a rescue Border Collie “mix” named Oreo. Soon after, Steve adopted Dollar, a beautiful black and white Border Collie with ticking across his white (seen in the picture with Steve after a win at the Land of Lincoln Competition at Three Sister’s Park). Steve learned herding from Dollar well, as Dollar turned out to be a light-eyed stubborn dog that challenged Steve for all of two years in basic training. Dollar moved on to compete and win in many open trials over more than a ten-year period, and continues to work today on Steve’s land.

Steve is recognized for his very high performance dogs, including Coon, Jake, and Zac (along with Dollar). His training methods challenge the dogs to the highest standards of precision and athleticism, but also emphasize respect, companionship and teamwork. As a judge, Steve looks for precision and exacting standards that the sport traditionally holds. Steve is a patient communicator and looks forward to sharing his years of knowledge to inspire good, natural work from Novice dogs and handlers.

Steve competes with three dogs in the Open class across the United States, and is known for his handling skills and his quiet demeanor both on and off the field. Steve is a man of few words, but he will tell you he loves these beautiful working dogs, and he works hard to advocate for them and for the tradition of these competitions.

We warmly welcome Steve to the 2016 Laughing Frog Farm Sheepdog Trial.