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Rachel Kepczynski

Rachel became interested in dog sports at a young age and quickly began her agility journey with her first dog Miley, a Coton Tulear. Although, Miley initially struggled with ring stress and other focus issues through hard work and determination she and Rachel went on to achieve great things competing at high levels in agility. Rachel got her second dog Cody, another Coton de Tulear, in 2014 and worked on training from the start. Cody went on to excel in Agility and Trick Training – He knows over 50 tricks! Currently, Rachel continues to compete in agility with Cody and is raising her Border Collie puppy Middy. She’s excited to continue learning and to teach others about building the bond between human and canine through Tricks!

Agility Accomplishments:

  • Attended the 2014 and 2015 AKC Junior Agility Competition
  • AKC Masters Agility Champion with Cody
  • Attended the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 AKC Agility Invitationals
  • Placed 8th at the 2020 AKC Agility Invitationals in the 8” Class
  • Double Qualified at the 2020 Westminster Masters Agility Championship
  • Premier Cup Invitee 2020
  • Qualified for AKC Nationals 2019, 2020, 2021

Classes taught by Rachel Kepczynski

101 – AGILITY FOUNDATIONS

This foundation class covers all obstacle and handling skills needed for success in agility. Teams will learn fundamental games for proper jump performance, confident  contact behaviors, independent weave pole performance, and ring readiness.

This class is on-going so that you can join at anytime

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DGF JR. HANDLER AGILITY CLASS!!

This class is made specifically for kids under the age of 18 who want to train their dogs for the sport of dog agility. In this class, teams will learn how to work together, focus on easy tasks, and play lots of games while learning all about agility! You don’t need any prior experience or dog knowledge. Dogs of all breeds and ages are welcome.

This class is made specifically for kids under the age of 18 who want to train their dogs for the sport of dog agility. In this class, teams will learn how to work together, focus on easy tasks, and play lots of games while learning all about agility! You don’t need any prior experience or dog knowledge. Dogs of all breeds and ages are welcome.

 

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Urban Rats

A fun class for dogs that love to use their nose! Urban Rats will focus on introduction to rats used during sports like Happy Ratters and Barn Hunt. This environment will mimic a lot of what you see in an urban setting, encouraging the dogs to find rats. We welcome beginners with dogs who have not been introduced to rats previously and handlers who may be interested to try “hunting” in a different setting. 

Our goals will include:

  • Basic handling skills 
  • Team building for dogs and their owner
  • Basic rules overview for sports that involve rats
  • Developing drive
  • Searching and response
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Agility & Dock: Try It class

In this class you and your dog will get to try our two most popular dog sports at DGF!

Teams will spend 2 weeks learning about Dog Agility before moving on to try 2 weeks of dock diving!

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101 – Dynamic Puppy

Dynamic Puppy is a 4-week class targeted towards puppies under 6 months of age but open to puppies younger than 1-year-old.  In this class, we focus on strengthening the special bond between puppy and owner along with creating a confident and friendly adult dog. Our goal is to have your puppy be excited about learning and working with you. We will introduce you to fun games and set up challenging obstacle courses to promote learning and socialization. We will also discuss potty training, nipping/biting, preventing separation anxiety, and other behavioral management strategies, to support you in your puppy-raising journey. This class is perfect when taken simultaneously with our puppy preschool party. Come and join the fun and bring any questions you have for our expert dog trainers.

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102 – Learning Life

This course will cover Focus, attention, basic manners, cooperative care, stimulus control, shaping, drive building, toy play, decompression, and how to create a mentally stable working partner!!

Please note that this class is appropriate for dogs and handlers of all ages! While this class is EXTREMELY helpful to dogs of all ages puppies under 12M will be able to participate in AKC star puppy testing the final week of class

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103 – Brilliant Basics: Manners & Basic Obedience

This 6 week class is perfect for the beginner dog owner or for experienced owners with a new addition! Learn how to communicate better with your dog, establish a mat behavior, walk on a loose leash, and more. Dogs and handlers of all ages are welcome! This class is a great opportunity to socialize your dog. Be ready to bring cookies and toys!

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104 – Canine Good Citizen (CGC)

The Canine Good Citizen program was created by the AKC to promote responsible dog ownership and encourage the training of well mannered dogs. The test itself is a series of ten skills that focus on making you and your canine partner just that…good citizens. In this class we will broaden out those ten skills and emphasize on the good manners and well rounded principals that come with them. Obedience training will be our main focus as well as working on communication between dog and handler. CGC is a great relationship builder between you and your dog and open to all breeds and ages. At the end of the six weeks the CGC test will be conducted

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Tricktastic! Trick class

It’s all about tricks! Tricks help to build a better relationship, instill confidence, build focus, relive stress, and serve as great party entertainment! In this 6 week course teams will learn a multitude of tricks and be tested tor the AKC trick dog titles.

AKC has 5 levels of Trick titles you can earn:

  • AKC Novice Trick Dog (TKN)
  • AKC Intermediate Trick Dog (TKI)
  • AKC Advanced Trick Dog (TKA)
  • AKC Trick Dog Performer (TKP)
  • AKC Trick Dog Elite Performer (TKE)
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Intro to Dog Sports!

Have an active dog that would excel at a sport or activity, but don’t know where to start? With so many different activities out there, it can be hard to decide which one (or more!) that’s a perfect fit for you both. Our Intro to Dog Sports class is here to help you find what you and your dog love best! In this 4 week class you will learn the basics and foundations of a new sport each week (Agility, Dock Diving, Nose Work, and Tricks.) This class will be an exciting and insightful way for you and your canine companion to learn and grow your partnership together, and try something new!!

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