Workshops & Seminars

Advanced Parkour Workshop – Balance and Sequencing – with CJ Hazell

Sunday, March 31
12:15-1:45pm and 2-3:30pm

Requirements: This is for dogs who have had some experience with parkour. However, it is not required that the behaviors are fluent to participate in a working spot. Anyone can audit and learn more about these behaviors, which can also be useful for other sports.
Description: We will work on different aspects of the Balance behavior including working on narrow rains, walking across ladders, and turning on narrow surfaces. We will work on sequencing 3-5 behaviors together in a variety of combinations.

Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Limit 8 working spots, unlimited auditing. $15 per auditor.

Everything you need to prepare for your first agility trial! – with Lynsey Heffner and Bobbie Bhambree

Saturday, April 6 from 9am-4pm

Requirements: Your dog should be able to do short sequences. You should be considering entering your first trial sometime in the extended future, but it's not necessary to be 100% ready to trial!
Description: Join us for a full day workshop (6.5 hours plus one hour for lunch) to learn everything you need to prepare for your first agility trial (even if you aren't quite ready for your first trial!)

This workshop will be broken into three parts:

1. Preparing for the trial environment with Bobbie Bhambree – Behavior Consultant

Spend 2.5 hours with Bobbie learning about:

• Startline rituals
• End of run rituals
• Decompression
• Crate in or out
• Managing the dogs moving through spaces
• Remote Reinforcement (how to reward your dog when their toy/food is outside the ring)
• Will work a jumps and tunnels course in conjunction with this, but focus is on the above skills.

Novice Handling with Lynsey Heffner – Agility Competitor

Spend 2.5 hours working on a Novice Course with Lynsey focusing on:

• Walking the course + planning your handling choices
• "Staying alive" – recovering when mistakes happen
• Sticking to your handling plan
• Will include some contacts (maybe not all)

What to know about trialing for the Novice A handler (or those who need a refresher)

A mid-day break will spend ~1.5 hours talking about the logistics of preparing for your first trial, including:

• The different agility organizations and venues
• Registering and entering
• What to bring
• Trial etiquette and best practices

10 working spots, unlimited auditing
Cost: $170 for members, $200 non-members, $45 auditors

Mental Resilience in Agility and Competition Dogs - with Bobbie Bhambree-Wirkmaa, CBDC, CPDT-KA, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant

Sunday, May 19 from 9am-4pm

Requirements: Teams should be able to run short sequences of jumps and tunnels. There will be no contacts or weaves.

Description: Got FACE? – Focus And Connected Engagement in the Agility Competition Ring

Mental resilience takes time to develop; every dog is different when it comes to how long it takes and what is necessary to support the dog. Mental resilience is a combination of impulse control, confidence, the ability to recover from an event, and the desire to try again—all of which we will explore and continue to develop in this workshop.

There are many reasons why a dog might be able to perform in one context and not another. During the workshop, we will continue to uncover the gaps in your dog’s understanding and by way of training and behavior modification, fill them. These gaps could be a result of training plans that skipped steps that your dog needs, environmental stressors, lack of impulse control, or even fear. By examining your dog’s performance and discussing how you have trained with your dog thus far, we will be able to create a plan specific to your team’s needs. You will play games and practice exercises that will bring your dog’s focus back to you while building enthusiasm and drive, regardless of the venue or level of the show.

In this seminar, you will:

• Learn how to respond to your dog’s feedback in the moment to keep them working with you
• Learn how to better manage your dog and the environment to minimize mental fatiguing
• Continue to build focus and connection in your dog, even when things go wrong in the ring
• Further build impulse control in your dog, even in the face of stressors and distractions
• Further expand the toolbox of exercises to support you in decreasing your dog’s anxiety
• Further build confidence in your dog for the bigger shows

Limited to 10 working spots. Auditing unlimited.
Cost: $190 for members, $220 non-members, $45 auditors

Chris Tucci and Kris Seiter Workshops

Saturday June 22, morning session 9:00-12:30

Chris: puppies, no explanation needed.
Kris: young dogs and new to agility over 10 months old, must be able to do jumps and tunnels.

Saturday June 22, afternoon session 1:30-5:00

Chris: backsides threadles and wraps.
Kris: side changes, blinds, fronts and rears.

Sunday June 23, morning session 9:00-12:30

Chris: international style agility.
Kris: competition jumping.

Sunday June 23, afternoon session 1:30-5:00

Chris: competition agility.
Kris: international style jumping.

Cost per session: Members $140, non-members $155. Limit 7 per group.
Auditing $50 members, $60 non members.

About Chris Tucci

Chris Tucci has been training and competing in Dog Agility since 2007. He is a National and International Level Agility competitor. Chris has represented the United States 12 times overseas at World Championship Events. He has been a member of the AWC, EO, WAO and IFCS competitions with 4 different dogs; three Border Collies (Bratska, Jungle, Serengeti) and a mixed breed, Raana Peekins. He has competed in the Large and Medium Divisions and most recently the new Intermediate Division.

Chris is currently on the 2024 EO Team with Raana Peekins and Serengeti as an alternate. Chris is a Silver and Bronze World Medalist with Border Collies Bratska and Jungle from WAO and IFCS and has an Individual Silver Medal from the 2022 European Open with Raana. Chris is a natural athlete and (retired) semi-professional hockey player, having coached in the junior hockey leagues for more than 8 years. Chris prides himself in developing determination and skill in all his students and pushing them out of their comfort zones. Chris believes building confidence in his students is the key to having great success and trust in their teamwork.

Chris’ love of agility, dogs and teaching shows in his attention to each student and his ability to bring out his student’s best performances. With his easy-going nature, Chris teaches his students with patience and understanding and stresses the importance of great mechanics.

Chris structures his teaching with clear, straightforward instruction that enable each student to learn at his/her own pace. Chris teaches with positive reinforcement techniques utilizing a motion based handling system with strong verbal skills. Chris is able to adapt his training to tailor to individual student needs and physical abilities.

Chris naturally took to dog agility with an expertise in movement from years of sport specific training. He also uses the dog’s natural instincts to maximize his handling skills with clear cues that the dog easily understands.

Chris and his wife, Kris Seiter, own and operate Sun Coast Agility and Bratty Paws Dog Plex in Punta Gorda, FL. Bratty Paws Dog Plex is a full service Dog Sport training facility that sits on 10 acres offering year round classes and events in its expansive 21,000sf, free span facility.

About Kris Seiter

Kris Seiter has been training and competing in Dog Agility since 1997. She is a National and International Level Agility competitor. Kris has represented the United States 9 times overseas at World Championship Events. She has been a member of the AWC, EO, WAO and IFCS competitions with 4 different dogs; three Border Collies (Anwar, Naavdanya and Lhotse) and a mixed breed, Raana Peekins. In 2023, Kris was part of the first Intermediate Team at the European Open winning Gold with her Border Collie Naavdanya. Kris is a current Member of the 2024 European Open team with Naavdanya and Lhotse as an alternate. Kris also is a two time World Bronze Medalist with Border Collie Anwar.

Kris has been a National finalist at Cynosport from 2005 to 2011 with Border Collies, Lochlan, War and Flame and Pomeranian Melba. In 2021 Kris and her Border Collie Naavdanya and mixed Breed Raana Peekins became the Grand Prix National Champions. Kris has earned 13 Individual Medals at Cynosport World Games Finals. Kris has put 23 Agility Championships on her dogs in USDAA, UKI and AKC venues.

Kris has run several Dog Agility Programs in New York and Florida. Kris was the Agility Director and Head trainer for PCOTC in White Plains for 12 years and 7 years as Director and Head Trainer for the Spot Experience in NYC which included 5 different locations. Today, Kris and her husband, Chris Tucci, own and operate Sun Coast Agility and Bratty Paws Dog Plex in Punta Gorda, FL. Bratty Paws Dog Plex is a full service Dog Sport training facility that sits on 10 acres offering year round classes and events in its expansive 21,000sf, free span facility. Kris and her husband, Chris Tucci are popular seminar presenters and travel throughout the United States.

Kris’ love for agility comes from her passion for dance. She feels that agility should be a performance of fluidity and connection between dog and handler. Agility should evoke, inspiration, emotion, excitement and harmony with your dog. Kris believes that energy should effortlessly flow between each other with the understanding that each movement communicates an equivalent response. Kris prides herself in helping her students achieve the skill, confidence and understanding required for dog agility today. Kris’s main goal is to inspire her students to love working with their dogs and to create a lifelong bond of love and understanding. Kris believes that all dogs greatly benefit from agility training as a means to stay fit and engaged in life. Kris has used agility training in all her rescue work as part of rehabilitation from severe abuse and neglect cases.

Lastly, Kris has been an active participant in animal rescue and rehabilitation for the last 30 years working exclusively with Keeshond, Pomeranian and American Eskimo Rescue Group. Before Agility, Kris spent 8 years competing in Conformation and Obedience.