3 Ways to Ruin Your Agility Dog’s Start Line Stay

As a handler, there are few things more frustrating in agility than an unreliable start line stay.

As a dog agility instructor, there are few things more frustrating to me than a handler blaming their dog for a broken start line. Remember that your dog’s behavior is a reflection of your ability to teach and maintain criteria.

Here are three common ways handlers deteriorate their dog’s start line stay behavior. By learning to avoid these mistakes, you’ll keep your dog’s start line strong.

Release With a Flourish

In this scenario, the handler moves her hand (usually) or head at the same […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2024-04-16T15:46:20-04:00April 16, 2024|Dog Agility, Training|0 Comments

Agility is a Behavior Chain

Do you know what a behavior chain is? All agility competitors should understand this concept. If this is unfamiliar to you, this will change your understanding of how dogs learn. Let’s get started!

What is a behavior chain?

A behavior chain is an event in which units of behavior occur in sequences and are linked together by learned cues. -Karen Pryor

What does that mean in English? A behavior chain is a performance in which behaviors are strung together by cues the learner understands. Cue-behavior-cue-behavior-cue-behavior-cue-behavior, followed by a […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2024-04-08T10:09:57-04:00April 2, 2024|Dog Agility, Helpful Hints, Training|0 Comments

Team Crossbones is Heading to the 2024 AKC National Agility Championship

Dan and I are packing our bags and preparing for departure. Next week, we head to Perry, Georgia to compete against 1,300 dog and handler teams in the 2024 American Kennel Club National Agility Championship!

I’m running Ska, my six-year-old English Springer Spaniel, and Dan is running Anthem, his nine-year-old Shetland Sheepdog. This is the third National Agility Championship for both of these dogs, and we’re hoping third time’s the charm.

We qualified for this event last year by competing […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2024-03-05T16:30:58-05:00March 5, 2024|Dog Agility, My Dogs|Comments Off

Getting Started in Our Dog Agility Classes

Are you brand new to the sport of dog agility? Do you live near Providence, Rhode Island? Great! You’re in the right place.

I’m Katherine Ostiguy, the co-owner and head trainer at Crossbones Dog Academy. I have competed in and coached the sport of dog agility for over fifteen years. I teach agility classes for all experience levels: from total newbie to national-level competitor. And I love introducing people and dogs to this great activity!

Over the years, I’ve developed a very specific […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-12-12T23:58:58-05:00December 12, 2022|Group Classes, Dog Agility|Comments Off

Introduction to Dog Agility Class [VIDEO]

It’s no secret that dog agility is my passion. 2016 is going to be my 12th consecutive year of competing in this great sport. For several years, I’ve taught beginner dog agility classes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I decided to put together a video showing what I teach in this introductory class to give prospective students an idea of what to expect.

So, welcome to our Introduction to Dog Agility class!

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA7o25KZ44g[/embedyt]

Who should take this class?

My focus with this class is introducing the basic skills of dog agility: over, under, around, through, and on – with a variety of objects. These items have […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2022-02-07T20:40:11-05:00March 4, 2016|Dog Agility, Dog Sports, Group Classes, Training, Videos|Comments Off

Returning to the Westminster Kennel Club Masters Agility Championship

On Saturday, February 13th, Strata and I will be returning to the Westminster Kennel Club Masters Agility Championship in New York City!

We had a great time last year, earning two clean runs and finishing in 8th place in the highly competitive 16″ height class after the first two rounds. Because of the way the televised Finals round is structured, we did not get to move on because another Shetland Sheepdog had qualified ahead of Strata – but we knew the rules going into it, and had […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-02-04T19:57:26-05:00February 5, 2016|Dog Agility, Dog Sports, My Dogs|1 Comment