Kerry Smith Seminars
About Kerry:
Kerry Smith has a long history of teaching both people and animals. She has a Master’s degree in Education and also trained and competed with horses before agility. In 2002, Kerry started competitive obedience and agility with her difficult and strong-willed Dachshund Xena, and after working through much frustration, attained MACH5, multiple top 5 rankings, and 2 Invitationals. Since then, Kerry has run and trained Cavaliers, Terriers, Dobermans, Border Collies, and many other breeds. Kerry understands that not all dogs have the same drive, work ethic, and confidence, and teaches you how to best connect with your dog and put yourself in your dog’s place. Whether your goals are local, national, or international competition, her experiences have given her the ability to adapt to each handler’s needs and wants. Her teaching method focuses not just on handling, but on finding gaps in skills in foundation and providing drills that can be done at home to improve those skills. Kerry teaches private and group lessons in person and online. She has successfully coached students from all across the US with many different breeds of dogs, from Border Collie to Toy Poodles. Kerry’s student, Robin Terry, and her Novice A dog “Cassie” started with Kerry, and since then they have won an AKC National Championships 20” class in 2018 and also earned a spot on the 2018 EO team and the 2020 WAO team. Kerry is currently working with her young Border Collie “Lit” and Pumi puppy “Tap” and preparing them for competition.
Kerry’s accomplishments include:
* 2019 & 2015 Grand Prix silver medalist
* 2019 US open National round finalist
* 2017, 2016 IFCS USA world team member
* 2017 IFCS Tryout overall 20” dog
* 2017 WAO USA world team member
* 2016 US Open Biathlon gold medalist and overall top 20” dog
* 2015 Cynosport 2x silver medalist (two different dogs)
* 2015 Americas y el Caribe Agility International – 4th overall large dog
* 2014 EOUSA team member
* 2014 AKC AWC tryout medalist and short list 4th overall
* 35+ medals at various regional events and tryouts with multiple dogs
April 1 - 2, 2022
Competition and Zanee Arenas
We are pleased to be able to welcome Kerry Smith to Argus Ranch for 2 days of seminars and hope you can join us to share in Kerry's dynamic training techniques and approach to dog sports.
Working Spots: $125 per 3.5 hour sessions
Audit Spots limited to 6: $40 per session
Friday, April 1, 2022
9:00am-12:30pm – Skills and Problem Solving: Short Sequences (Competition Arena)
This session will help you develop skills to improve distance and gain advantage on course whether you are handling ahead, laterally or behind. We will use short sequences that focus on skills needed to be successful in agility. Time will be taken to make sure criteria of these skills are understood by both the handler and the dog. Drills and homework will be given so these skills can easily be worked on at home with a few obstacles. Jumps and tunnels only.
2:00pm- 5:30pm - Masters/International Coursework (Zanee Arena)
Limited to 8 working spots
This workshop is designed for young and experienced dogs alike. In challenging sequences, Kerry will put your skills to the test! She will look at the best handling techniques to get ahead and stay ahead on long challenging lines, including running contacts, and appropriate use of distance skills.
Saturday, April 2nd, 2022
9:30am - 1:00pm Novice Handling/Young Dogs (Zanee Arena)
This session will be for young dogs or older dogs that need to review foundational skills. Topics include building drive/impulse control, forward focus/handler focus, collection/extension, and jumping skills. Session will also provide opportunities to work on foundational skills with distractions.
2:00pm - 5:30pm Work Smarter Not Harder (Zanee Arena)
Limited to 8 working spots
Have you said “I can’t get there” or “I’m not fast enough”? This session will focus on course analysis and lines to find the clearest and fastest path for your dog. Finding the best lines on a course will help you determine which way to turn on a course and choose the best way to handle a sequence. Finding the natural line for the dog will make you feel less frantic on course and be more proactive. It will let your dog know earlier which way to go and you will see less frustration in your dog and you will actually have to run less.
Fine Print:
* Contact Training@ArgusRanch.com to be put on a wait list.
* Registration is a binding commitment. If you must cancel your registration:
- Full refunds will be issued for those who pull more than 30 days from the event if a substitute is found.
- A 50% refund will be issued for those who pull less than 30 days from the event if a substitute is found.
- No refunds will be given to those who pull less than 2 weeks before the event
- No refunds will be issued if no substitute is found.