Building and Maintaining an Agility Start Line

Saturday, Oct. 7

1:40PM - 3:40PM

Experience Level: Novice & Above

One of the most common agility skills that handlers struggle with during their dog’s career is remaining in position at the first obstacle of the course until they are released. Why does that happen? In this session, Nancy will help you build a good training foundation on this skill. You will also learn how to clean up your handling and release cues so that skill is preserved during your dog’s entire career.

Presenter Bio

Nancy Gagliardi Little

Nancy (she/her) has been training dogs since the early 1980s when she put an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) on her first competition/Novice A dog, a Labrador Retriever. Since then, she has achieved many advanced obedience accomplishments, including 4 AKC OTCH titles (one CKC OTCH), 6 UD titles, 3 UDX titles, a 2009 AKC National Obedience Invitational invite, and multiple placements in National obedience tournaments.

In agility. Nancy’s dogs have had numerous advanced agility accomplishments including multiple MACHs (AKC), PACHs (AKC), ADCHs (USDAA), MADs(USDAA), qualifying and competing in multiple Cynosport events, 11 AKC National Agility Competitions with 5 different dogs – including many individual top 10 placements and Finals appearances.

In herding, Nancy has 3 Herding Championships on her dogs as well as 2 HXBs (advanced B course sheep) titles, 2 HXBd (advanced B course ducks) titles, 3 HXAs (advanced A course sheep) titles and 3 HXAd (advanced A course ducks) titles.

Nancy is a retired obedience judge, having judged all obedience classes from 1986-2008. She enjoyed judging around the country and was privileged to judge 3 National obedience tournaments in Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina. She retired from judging to spend more time training and competing with her own dogs in the sports of obedience, herding, and agility.