Heart Dog Agility provides you and your dog with a fun, safe, optimal training environment with lessons on our two fully fenced grass fields. Learn from friendly, highly skilled, experienced agility competitors who have been successful in local, state and national competitions, and who love helping new handlers teach their dog the skills in a way that will help them succeed. Our students range from brand new handlers to seasoned competitors!

Group class sizes are kept small, with private lessons also available on a limited basis. We’d love to get everyone who is interested in agility into classes, but we are currently not able to accommodate all requests as we keep class sizes small. We are happy to put you on our wait list for announcements when we open new class sections, please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> to get on the wait list.

ABOUT INSTRUCTOR LAURA HARTWICK

Laura Hartwick, aka, TeamSmallDog, is the full time instructor at Heart Dog Agility. She’s been competing in agility for over 20 years, and teaching agility since 2010.

Laura’s owned and competed with many breeds in those twenty-some-plus years, ranging from her border collies to her proud members of the Small Dog Mafia, weirdo little terrier-heeler-whotheheckknows rescue dogs, all of who were consistently ranked in the USDAA Top Ten. She currently competes with her two incredible border collies Banksy and Bader.

Banksy’s illustrious agility career has put her on too many podium placements to list in the 16″ and 20″ divisions at all large West Coast UKI and USDAA events for the past 8 years. Ten year old Banksy won the silver medal in Medium Agility at the 2024 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge this year and the Steeplechase and Grand Prix Finals at the USDAA Western Regionals. Banksy finished out 2024 as a finalist at the USDAA World Cynosport Games Steeplechase and Grand Prix, taking bronze in the Steeplechase finals.

In 2023, Bader won top podium spots at the UKI West Coast Open, UKI West Coast Cup, USDAA Western Regional, and 3 different AKC ISC Cups. 2024 milestones include winning the Weave Challenge at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in Huntington Beach, the silver medal in the Inaugural UKI International ICE event, gold medal at the USDAA Western Regionals Grand Prix Finals, bronze medal in the UKI West Coast Open Overall Masters Series, invitations to the Chicago UKI Invitational and Purina Incredible Dog Finals in Missouri, and being a USDAA Cynosport World Games finalist in the Grand Prix.

Laura loves working with everyone, from brand new beginners starting foundations through masters/international level handlers, by finding a way to create clear, fun training by breaking it down into small enough components to help each individual team with what they need most to succeed. In all those years of training and competing, she’s gotten great at shaking things off when a course or skill conquers her, and then getting to work training it, she’s happy to help you learn to do the same thing! These days, independent skills are a high priority for her, to allow for less management and more precise distance on course.

Before going to the dogs full time, Laura was a long time equestrian professional in the hunter/jumper world, and also a regular columnist and illustrator for Clean Run Magazine. When she’s not too busy running around with dogs, she’s an artist, too. Watch her dogs in action on her youtube channel, or find out more on Laura at www.laurahartwick.com.

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CLASS SCHEDULE

MONDAYS
9:30am Advanced/Masters Competition Level-Full
11am Foundations 2 Full*
12pm Private Training 
1pm Private Training
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*Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> to get on the wait list.

WEDNESDAYS
10:15 Foundations 1 Full*
11:30-Sport Dog Basics Full*
12:30 Private training 
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*Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> to get on the wait list

THURSDAYS
3:00pm Sport Dog Basics **New Class Will Open in December** *Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> for registration info and to see if your dog is ready for this class.
4:00pm Beginning Full*
5:30pm Starters/Advanced Competition Level Full*
7:00pm Masters/International Competition Level One spot available-contact Laura
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*Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> to get on the wait list.

FRIDAYS
9:30am Starters/Advanced Competition Level Full*
11am Foundations 2/Beginning Full*
12:15-Private training 
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*Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> to get on the wait list.

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Sports Dog Basics
This is a class for students who may be newer to positive reinforcement training and want solid basics they will need to go forward in off leash agility foundations training. Maybe you kind of have a sit, stay, down, and recall, but don’t consider them reliable in environments other than your yard? Maybe your dog is more interested in something over there, than on you when they are not on a leash? We will work on games to help you become a better trainer for your dog, which will make sports training SO MUCH EASIER! Agility dogs need to really want to train and play with their people, this class helps teach you to be the trainer your dog will need for off leash agility training. Topics covered include: clear reinforcement using toys and food as rewards, fun recall games, shaping behaviors to create a “thinking” dog, how to use markers, how to get reliable duration in a stay around distractions, and pattern games for better focus.

Prerequisites for Sports Dog Basics: Basic obedience-recall, sit, stay, down, and the ability to work around the distraction of other dogs on a leash. Puppies are invited who are over 6 months old, no aggressive dogs, please.

Foundations 1
Foundation training is the most important layer of training for your agility dog! With good foundation training, your dog will have the necessary skills for their future performing the obstacles and running courses successfully. Agility is super fun, but there is a lot of training involved, and Foundations 1 is required to move to more advanced classes and focuses on the behaviors you and your dog will need for learning to do obstacles, sequencing and jumping.

In this class, we work on good training mechanics for rewarding with food and toys, so that your dog understands the rules of this exciting game! Team work, engagement, focus around distractions, shaping and luring, tricks, rock solid recalls, training with both food and toys, and impulse control are the big focus of this class, using tunnels, platforms, cones, and jumps. Beginning front cross and foot targeting for contact obstacles will be taught in this class. This class is required to move to Foundations 2, usually students will need at least 6months of Foundations 1 sessions before progressing to Foundations 2.

Prerequisites for Foundations 1: Having a dog who LOVES to play with YOU! Dogs coming in should have a reliable recall, sit, stay, down around the distraction of other dogs as we do most of our training off leash. Prior experience training with food and toys using markers and shaping is necessary. If you don’t yet have these skills you will need to begin in Sports Dog Basics. Puppies are invited who are over 8 months old, no aggressive dogs, please.

Foundations 2
Appropriate for dogs who have excelled in multiple sessions Foundations 1, have started the work for stopped contacts, have learned wrap skills, beginning jumping skills, and have excellent focus around distractions. Teeter totter, dogwalk, a-frame, jumping, blind cross/rear cross, more advanced handling, and weaves will be introduced at this level. Also appropriate for young dogs not yet jumping. There is a strong emphasis on learning safe obstacle performance, as well as building confidence and motivation that will help you move forward in your agility journey.

Prerequisites for Foundations 2: Foundations 1 classes for at least 6mo, or instructor permission to enroll in this class. Students will need to commit to training outside of class for training weave poles.

Beginning Level
For dogs who have nearly finished training 12 weave poles, have solid contact criteria, and are sequencing with front cross, blind cross, rear cross on short sequences. This level is pre-competition. 

Prerequisites for Beginning Agility: Foundations 2 classes for at least 6mo, or instructor permission to enroll in this class.

Starters/Advanced Level
Competition Level class for dogs starting competition. Must have fully trained weave poles and solid contacts. More advanced handling and jumping skills are introduced. Must have instructor permission to enroll in this class.

Masters/International Level
Competition Level class for dogs who are currently competing. Course work will focus on skills needed to successfully run international level courses. Must have instructor permission to enroll in this class.

Skills and Drills-Weaves
A dedicated class for students at the Foundations 2 level or above to work on training weave skills, or for students who are at higher levels and have some bugs to work out in their poles. Must have instructor permission to enroll in this class.

Advanced Skills and Drills
For competition level students only. This class is a jumpers/weaves handling class, focusing on finding optimal lines for each team. Various sequences will be incorporated to look at handling for international style courses, including threadles, backsides, layering, and distance skills. Must have instructor permission to enroll in this class.

SPECIAL TOPIC CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Special Workshops with Laura 2024

Private Lessons
Limited openings for private lessons with Heart Dog instructor Laura Hartwick. My schedule is fairly full but I may be able to get you in. Agility coaching only, no behavior work.  *Please email Laura Hartwick <laurahartwick@gmail.com> for info

Field Rental for Current Students
Field rentals are available to current students only by appointment only for practicing what they have learned in your lessons. Once students have been safely trained on all the equipment, they can gain approval to schedule a time to use the fields. See Facility Rental