Meet Chrissy engel

How did you get involved with dog training?  I started training dogs when I was 9 and a family friend invited me to join the 4-H dog project. From that point, I was hooked! I continued to train and show in 4-H until I graduated out after high school. When I was 13 I got my first dog of my own, Maverick, a Border Collie puppy and started to explore the dog training world further. We took agility classes outside of 4-H and started competing in AKC agility. 

Tell us about the dogs with whom you currently share your life. I have three dogs currently. My oldest, Maverick, is a 15 year old Border Collie who was my agility partner for many years until his retirement about 3 years ago. Now he spends his days napping, begging to play fetch and keeping the other dogs in line. My ‘middle child’ is Addy, a 7 year old scruffy rescue dog. She is sassy and always up for an adventure. My youngest is Chex, a 3 year old Border Collie. He is a happy, goofy boy who loves life and always keeps me on my toes. 

What activities do you do with your dogs? I train and compete in multiple sports with my dogs. Addy and Chex both compete in rally obedience at the Excellent level, and Chex competes in obedience. My favorite sport (and Chex’s!) is agility. We have been training since he was a puppy and he has been competing since he was 2. He has earned titles in AKC, UKI and NADAC agility. We have also had fun exploring other sports and he has his Novice dock diving title and has competed in one UpDog (frisbee) competition. Chex has also dipped his toes into modeling and has done many photoshoots for Target as well as a few commercials for various other companies. Outside of competition, you can find us at a local state park or hiking trail most weekends! 

What’s the best piece of training advice that you’ve ever heard? “Train the dog in front of you.” Dogs are all unique individuals, and a specific training method that works well for one dog may not work for another. I use this piece of advice as a reminder to myself to stay adaptable and listen to the dog - because they will tell you if what you are doing is working. 

What is your teaching background? I started teaching dog training classes as a youth leader in 4-H when I was 15. I started helping teach obedience classes and a few years later started teaching on my own when the program lost one of its main trainers. Once I graduated from 4-H, I became an adult leader in the program and started teaching rally and agility classes in addition to obedience. I am currently still the Nicollet County 4-H Dog Project leader and my summers are busy with 4-H activities leading up to the county fair dog show. 

What is your favorite thing about teaching dog training classes? I love watching dogs and their handlers grow together as a team. Training is rarely ever linear, but being able to coach a team through their struggles to the ‘lightbulb’ moment is so rewarding! 

What do you do when you are not training dogs? Hike with my dogs, take pictures of my dogs, nap on the couch with my dogs......basically my life revolves around my dogs! I also love to travel (and although I try to include my dogs in that as well, it’s not always possible) and have enjoyed spending time in both South Africa and Tanzania.

What are some special memories you have of your dogs?  After college, I moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada for a year for grad school. I was fortunate to be able to continue agility training while there. Mav and I took classes from Liana Klohn who is a multiple time world team member, representing Canada at some of the largest agility competitions in the world. She was an incredible mentor and I learned more and became a better handler in that year than in the 10 years prior I had been doing agility. She helped Mav and I grow as a team and I credit her with much of the agility success I have had since.