Agile Canines Training School, Inc.

02/27/2025

This will be taught by Kathryn Ananda-Owens.

Do you step to the line at trials with confidence and excitement? Or do you describe yourself as nervous? Ever have difficulty remembering obstacle sequences? Or find yourself with a dry mouth just when you want to verbally cue your dog? Join Kathryn Ananda-Owens for a workshop on the mental aspects of peak performance and tools for reducing performance anxiety. No dogs for this one — we’ll be focusing on ourselves and each other. Expect to walk away with a deeper understanding of what happens when we experience ring nerves, as well as a bunch of strategies for helping your brain bring its A game every time you compete.

When not playing with her dogs, Kathryn Ananda-Owens teaches piano and music performance science classes at St. Olaf College. A member of the Performing Arts Medicine Association since 2005, she blends her training as a concert pianist with mental management skills learned as an agility competitor in her work with music students on attaining peak performance. As an agility competitor, she found her performance psychology training was the icing on the cake for competing successfully and happily at the national level with her Novice A dog, Viva.

This is a NO DOGS workshop.

10 am to Noon Sunday 3/30/25

Use this link to register:

Please click the link to complete this form.

02/26/2025

Hi all,

We are having 2.5 days of Lisa Schmit on April 4 to 5. Lisa was here last fall and very well received. She is fun and she has a systematic training system and a good eye for handler errors.

April 4 will be Friday half day Foundations/Beginners combined and we will work at level of your dog. My pup Schroeder and I will be in it. Trust me he is foundations on some things and beginners on other things. I like to have an outside eye on my training to help point out holes/blind spots. This is for teams want to work up to a consistent 10 feet of distance handling. We will use hoops, tubs, cones and tunnels for those who know them. This is for all levels who want to learn how to get started in distance training or to improve their initial training. Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/250547106887161

Saturday will be all day Intermediate distance. Hoops and tunnels and an occasional jump will be used. Because we do very little jumping the dogs tend to hold up better in these seminars than ones with a lot of jumping involved. We also take more teams because we can get through more turns. It is a great format to work on distance concepts. This is for teams who can do 10 to 15 feet of distance easily. Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/250546844080154

Sunday will be all day Advanced distance. This is for teams working at 15 or more feet of distance consistently. It will be mainly hoops and tunnels with occasional jump. We also may be a bit of contact/tunnel discrimination if there is enough interest in the group. Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/250547414824154

PM with any questions.

Send a message to learn more

02/26/2025

There are still working spots in Lori Michaels' Advanced Handling Workshop on Sat March 15th and in her Sunday March 16th Foundations of Handling workshop. Great chance to work with a highly regarded competitor and teacher. Lori has over 20 years experience in the sport of agility and has competed at the international level. We bring her in every year because we always learn so much from her.

Use this link to register:

Please click the link to complete this form.

01/05/2025

Hi all,

Leave the dogs behind and focus on the human aspects of running agility. We will cover movement based topics such as balance & front crosses along with other skills such as how we absorb information in the ring. Classes will include foundational (bodyweight) strength work as well as walking/running, so make sure to bring a good pair of shoes!

Greg Cousins will teach a fun handler fitness class. Greg has been doing agility with ACTs for a couple of years and he does a lot of coaching people on fitness and sports.

There will be two 4 week classes offered at the introductory price of $100. One session will be on Wednesdays 11am to Noon and one will be on Saturday mornings from 8am to 9am. Space is limited to 5. Session will start Jan 11th and 15th.

Register using this link:

Please click the link to complete this form.

01/05/2025

A new Canine Freestyle Federation (CFF) Freestyle Class will start Sunday, January 19, 2025, from 5-6:30pm at Agile Canines Training School, Obedience Room.

This Freestyle Foundations class is required for all students starting out in Canine Freestyle. The class will focus on learning technical dog behaviors and choreography, that are outlined by the Canine Freestyle Federation. Technical dog behaviors include such things as heeling, spins, sits/downs, side passes, turns, serpentines, etc. Choreography will include contrast, use of space, phrase work, how to add artistry, etc. There are 4 levels of competition in CFF Freestyle - Level 1 (with leash), Level 2 (without leash), Level 3 (learning to add artistry with increasing choreography complexity), and Level 4 (artistic and even more complicated phrase work).

If your dog doesn't yet know heeling, etc., you will learn how to teach our dog these skills in class and focus on levels 1 or 2 choreography. If your dog already knows how to heel, side passes, etc., then you will focus on learning the basics of choreography, and then creating a Level 3 routine in future classes.

Canine Freestyle is similar to other dog sports in that training, classwork, etc., over time are required to put together and perform a routine. Prerequisites. You and your dog must have completed the Agility Canines agility foundations class or similar, prior to signing up for this class. 4 is the minimum number of students required for class.

For questions, contact Jeanine Brown at [email protected]. You can sign up through this link.

Please click the link to complete this form.

01/05/2025

Julia Habermas will be offering her Tellington Touch class on Saturday mornings at 11:30am on January 11, 18 and Feb 1 and 8. Cost is $78. To sign up please email her directly at [email protected].

TTouch (Tellington Touch) is a great way to connect with your dog, build their confidence, calm them down and get them comfortable with being touched.

I use it a lot to help calm my dogs and it can help calm me too.

12/27/2024

Room in Handler's Choice Workshops next week Dec 30th 2024 and Jan. 2nd 2025- Monday 7 to 9 pm and Thursday 4:30 to 6:30. Train what YOU want to train with some help! Can be obedience or agility training. You will get a minimum of two 10 minute turns - possibly more depending on topics and number of attendees.

Please click the link to complete this form.

11/07/2024

I still have room in all 3 workshops: Handler's Choice, Weaves and Distance on Sunday Nov 17th.

Handler's Choice and Distance are open to all levels.

Weaves is great for dogs who need more concentrated practice or need more challenges with proofing and entrances.

See form for details and to register.

You can find my form "November Agility Workshops" at:

Please click the link to complete this form.

10/28/2024

Tuesday mornings in November at 11am in the obedience room.

I love Tellington Touch (TTouch) for helping to calm dogs, helping to build confidence and helping body awareness. I have used some techniques with all my dogs.

I highly recommend learning about it. It is a modality you can apply almost anywhere anytime and it can be tailored to what the dog needs.

See attacged flyer for.registration. It will be held in the obedience room 11am on Tuesdays in November.

10/28/2024

November 9th and 10th Laurie Erickson will be at ACTS taking her awesome photos.

We will be doing them in the front lobby area.

Sat afternoon and all day Sunday.

You can have plain backdrop or a holiday one. She will have some props too.

See pricing on the sheet and charges for more pets and/or people.

Contact Laurie directly if you have specific questions about the shoot. PM Annelise Allan for a link to the form to sign up.

10/28/2024

I am holding 3 worlshops on Sun Nov 17th.

10 am Hamdler's choice. Chance to get help on a training or.handling skills.

12:30 Weaves workshop to work on distractions and entries.

3:30 Distance workshop for all levels.

Each is 2 hours long and cost.is $80.

You can find my form "November Agility Workshops" at: https://form.jotform.com/242946799910170

Please click the link to complete this form.

08/28/2024

Do not usually post stuff like this but... I do not recommend Waggle Pet Temp Monitors. Got 2 monitors at half price in July and one has never gotten enough of a charge to connect to the network and the other loses charge fast when unplugged.

The lousy customer service said the devices look fine on their end and we can not get any refunds or make any returns. One device has never connected so how they can say it works is beyond me. Their subscriptions are pricey and apparently do not come with any customer service.

I had an older model years ago that worked great until it died. Now they have this lousy upgrade.

So do not waste your time or money with them.

I am open to suggestions for other temp monitors that do not use wifi.

04/19/2020

Considerations for the next 12 months

Humans wearing masks will be extremely common for the foreseeable future. It is highly likely I will be wearing one when teaching and other instructors and students will too.

Please be sure your dog is comfortable being around people wearing masks before you return to class. First, have your dog see you wearing a mask and feed treats as needed. Then expand it to family, friends and neighbors.

Please do not have the first experience be at dog training class or it could be a major setback in training. Also do not assume that your people friendly dog will not care and avoid this training with them. Pepple are finding unexpected things with dogs and the masks. I and my instructors and fellow students do not want to be approached by a fear aggressive dog for wearing a mask. So please take time to make a positive association between people wearing masks and your dog seeing them.

03/22/2020

If you want some daily in home training exercises that are like what I do in my classes feel free to join the Agile Canines Training School FB group.

03/16/2020

Good time to support a good local dog business.

With the serious situation about the COVID-19, our hearts go out to all of the struggling small businesses/dog trainers. We have moved most of our training to online and are wide open for Boarding/Board and Train for the foreseeable future, but some folks don’t have the ability to change things up. If you financially can swing it, I would highly recommend taking up trainers on some online class options or taking any online dog training courses while staying inside!

Us at Lucky Mutt Dog Training aren’t doing great and have had lots of cancellations, but are staying hopeful about the future of the business and hoping to not shut down. If you need any help with your dog building skills by either Board and Train or by online lessons, feel free to message us! We are always happy to help!

02/15/2020

Please pass this on to anyone who might be interested. Looking for a fun way to get more connected with your dog? Join Level 1 Agility Run For Fun class. These 4 sessions progressively teach you and your dog about basic agility equipment and running a course. Equipment is kept at a low height. You and your dog will come out of this class better connected with improved communication skills. Dogs get a chance to use their brain, run off steam and have fun. Graduates move on to level 2 Agility for Fun learning simple agility courses and handling techniques. Cost is $100. Sign up at [email protected]. Classes are at 11:30 am starting on March 21st.

02/02/2020

I always suggest students rule out physical issues when training problems develop. This article explains why this is important to do.

You’re not you when you're hurting and the same is true for your dog! ​ Pain places both discomfort and emotional stress on our dogs and can make them out of balance both psychologically and...

02/02/2020

I always encourage students to rule out physical pain when training problems develop. Here is a good article about why this is important to consider.

http://www.mcrehabilitation.com/blog/why-a-sudden-behavioural-change-may-mean-your-dog-is-hurting

You’re not you when you're hurting and the same is true for your dog! ​ Pain places both discomfort and emotional stress on our dogs and can make them out of balance both psychologically and...