Agility Training – Big Island Only
Agility instruction is a critical part of learning agility for you and your dog. It is important for you to choose the right instructor, for the right level of skill, at a convenient location near you. Big Island Agility instructors work to provide a broad range of levels for training.
On this page you will find lots of information on these instructors, their locations, and how to contact them. Agility on the Big Island is growing rapidly, and so are the training opportunities available to you.
Training Opportunities:
There are many talented instructors across the Big Island. Here is a list of who they are and where they are. There is detailed information about the instructors below.
Need specific training for you and your dog? Want to get more personal training?
Can’t make it to regular classes? Live too far away from Paws to come weekly?
Help is here! Customized classes may be arranged around the west side.
Paws Up Hawaii – Micki Forbes, UKI Judge, Agility Instructor and Competitor
Classes offered for all levels of experience. Emphasis on foundation training, play, fun and relationship building. Training Site located in Waimea. Website: pawsuphawaii.com Contact: micki@PawsUpHawaii.com or 885-6173.
PAWS University – Contact: pawsuniversity@hawaii.rr.com
Lani Akers – Agility Instructor and Competitor. Contact: mafdogagility@gmail.com
Hayden Stephens – Agility Instructor and Competitor. Contact: slayfoot@gmail.com or 325-6529.
Far-Flung Agility Training – Toni Barnhart, Tobi Feves, Michele Mcdonald and Karen Lukela – Agility Instructors and Competitors. Training sites include Papaikou, Hilo & Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP). Classes offered for all levels of experience in Papa’ikou Hilo. HPP site offers foundation and beginning agility classes. Contact: www.farflungagility.com or 756-0519.
Kukini Dog Agility – Angelic Ebbers, AAC and CKC Judge, Agility Instructor and Competitor.
Training site located in Hawaiian Acres, Mountain View. Classes offered for all levels of experience. Contact: dogagility@hawaii.rr.com or 960-1390.
Lani Shackelton has been an instructor since 2007. She has put elite titles in NADAC, and many CPE titles on her dog Molly, an enthusiastic and amazing Jack Russel/Chihuahua Mix, and has been ‘High in Trial’ many times. She is now working with a VERY fast Border Collie, Hapa, that she is having a wonderful time training. Lani became an instructor as she discovered her true passion for dogs and agility. She was mentored by Gale Sansone, K9 Mama, who taught her the skills and communication you need to learn how to truly “dance with your dog”. She also trained with and learned from Jim Collins, Elena Arnold, and Cindy Field. Lani attends seminars, offered island wide, so she can learn from the top professional trainers and continuously reads and watches dvds to further her knowledge. Lani grew up around animals, showing horses and showing dogs in conformation and obedience. Her philosophy in dog training is to build a solid foundation by learning how to play interactively with your dog(s) to further your bond and communication and become a team in agility. It is all about FUN!!
Hayden Stephens is our newest instructor of 5 years and he also has many titles on his Border Collie mix, UiUi. He has a new Border Collie, Rio, who is fast and accurate (a combination hard to find) and really enjoys training him. Hayden says “I worked with Gale, Cindy and Lani and then on my own. I was influenced mostly by Gale and Jim. I also studied from everyone else available. I’ve been in Cindy’s classes and Elena’s. From everyone I’ve learned something valuable. I’ve taken many, many seminars and watched quite a few dvd’s as well as read lots of books and articles about Agility and related topics. I’ve drawn extensively from previous experience in other areas and am interested in sports physiology and psychology and how it relates to Agility.” Hayden loves helping other people find out how much fun doing agility with your dog can be.
Toni Barnhart became involved in the sport of Dog Agility in 2000 in California. She is a founding member, and past President of the Orchid Isle Dog Agility Club. She teaches Agility in Papa’ikou through her business: Far-Flung Agility. Classes are small, and all aspects of agility training are covered in class. As handlers advance, we give you and your dog a solid familiarization with equipment. As you progress, we work on handling skills, distance work, and handling strategies for competition, including games strategies and rules for competition in various organizations. Far-Flung students compete in NADAC, CPE and AKC Agility statewide and classes are tailored to fit our students’ needs. We emphasize positive training, and having fun with your dog(s). We also stress the need for strong foundation skills.
Angelic Ebbers is an experienced instructor and judge, and has a large training facility in Hawaiian Acres. She has been teaching on the Big Island since 2004, including conducting seminars across the island. She loves agility and it shows in the many titles she has put on her dogs, not the least of which are Zorro AAC Gold award (9th awarded), and Peppy ATChC. She teaches classes for all levels in Mountain View. Her experience has made her a excellent instructor for all venues. Angelic is a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and a Software Engineer at the Gemini Observatory.
Cindy Field is a founding member of BIA and has been an instructor at PAWS since 2004. She had previous experience, as did Tammy, in training dolphins. She has Elite titles in NADAC, and many CPE titles on her dogs Laka and Moki. Laka is a 20” dog and Moki is a 4” dog which gives her a tremendous amount of knowledge about how to train different dogs in different ways.