about red star kennel
Helping You and Your Dog Live Better Together
Red Star Kennel provides professional dog training that transforms disobedient or unruly dogs into calm, responsive companions. Using structured programs and relationship-based methods, they help owners build lasting trust and communication with their dogs. Whether it’s leash pulling, aggression, or lack of recall, every program is designed to address real-life challenges with clear, lasting results. Owners leave not only with a trained dog, but with the confidence and knowledge to maintain that progress at home. At Red Star Kennel, it’s not just about better behavior—it’s about a better bond.
OUR TRAINERS
Irina Shimko
Irina, a native of Ukraine, has been training in Military Sports with Working Dogs (Pentathlon) since 1981. In 1984, she became a member of the Ukrainian National Team, and in 1985, she earned the title of Ukrainian National Champion. Since 1987, she has worked professionally as a trainer of working dogs, later becoming co-owner of a renowned training school. After relocating to the United States in January 1993, Irina established a boarding, training, and breeding facility, where she has since rehabilitated and trained over 2,000 dogs. She has also earned titles in the sport of French Ring with four dogs: Red Star Lutiy (Ring I, Presa Canario), Red Star Jetta (Brevet, Presa Canario), Victory du Champs des Légendes (Ring III, Belgian Malinois), and Red Star Dangermouse (Ring II, Belgian Malinois).
Today, Red Star Kennel is 27 years strong and stands as a one-of-a-kind boarding and training facility, recognized worldwide for its high-caliber training and its breeding of elite working Presa Canarios and Belgian Malinois.
Mark Keating
Mark has been training dogs professionally since 1998, with experience in obedience, agility, and protection work. He is based at Red Star Kennel in Hudson, Wisconsin, where he is one of two trainers providing private lessons, leading sport classes, and handling dogs enrolled in the boot camp training program.
Mark is a retired competition French Ring and Mondio Ring certified trial decoy. He officiated at more than 35 trials and earned top honors by winning the 2007 Decoy Super Selection among American decoys. He has titled two dogs in French Ring and has coached numerous teams in competition preparation.
Since 2004, Mark has trained exclusively at Red Star Kennel. His expertise includes private lessons in obedience, behavior modification, competition prep, sport-style obedience, protection work, search training, puppy imprinting and socialization, and consulting on puppy and dog selection.
Mark has taught sport-style bitework seminars across the U.S. in French Ring, Mondio Ring, PSA, and Schutzhund. He has also worked with police departments, helping handlers learn to decoy, work each other’s dogs, and communicate more clearly with their own. In addition, he has led seminars in drive cultivation and channeling for both state and FEMA-certified search and rescue teams.