Book Megan

Agility Handler Mechanics 
Top 10 Foundation Skills 
Blueprint for Sequencing 
Technique Training 
Connect the Dots: Coursework 

These 5 topis encompass the unique training perspective that Megan offers to the agility community. When building a seminar for your group, Megan will work within these topics. Each topic is outlined in more detail below. 

Agility Handler mechanics

Length: 1 day

 Do you constantly get the same feedback from your isntructor over and over again? Does learning new handling techniques feel like a game of twister while running full speed? Breaking new skills down into smaller pieces is NOT just for teaching our dogs new skills: it’s for YOU too! Agility handler mechanics are the micro-skills of handling. They are the key movements that come up again and again in every technique that we learn. When these movements are in automation, learning to put those movements together into techniques takes less time and less frustration for everyone involved. 

This seminar isolates the agility handler’s physical cues, training them without the dog.  Participants will develop an understanding of how dogs respond to physical cues and how to use those cues more effectively on an agility course. By isolating common movements, you will develop fluency in your communication with the dog. The handler who takes this seminar will be better prepared to teach their dog the skills necessary to confidently follow their handling.

Students will hone their eye, feet, and upper body cues neutral to any handling system. You will learn about the timing of cues, the position of your cues, and how to reward your dog for following those cues. As the seminar progresses, students will learn how these isolated movements can be combined to form common handling techniques and how to walk courses more effectively to reduce errors when adding the dog to the equation. 

This seminar is appropriate for any level agility handler, including those brand-new to agility. Since we are working without dogs, proper agility equipment and field access are not required. This seminar is a combination of discussion, demonstration, and a lot of floor time working with each other via games and fun exercises! No dogs will be worked during this seminar. 

top 10 foundation skills 

Length: 1 day

Wish you had a book titled “How to Build an Agility Dog”? I know I have wished for this many times before. While I haven’t written a book, I have developed a systematic program for teaching agility that can begin as soon as you bring your puppy home. This seminar breaks down the 10 foundation skills of my program, and gives you insight into the progression of those behaviors so that you start to see your agility dog “take shape” even after only a handful of training sessions. 

In this full day seminar, the group will bounce back and forth between discussion and training with the puppies to make sure we can practice each skill and meet each team where they’re at and give the youngins plenty of time to rest between exercises. 

Megan will also help you set your puppy up for success in the seminar environment and help you start to teach them how to access the fun and games via calm and controlled behaviors and mindsets.