Welcome to Arizona Agility Angels — because it feels like heaven when you run your dog!
The Dream Is Real
...from simple skills to challenging handling techniques.
Krista offers practical agility dog training advice, exercises, skills and drills, and courses based on her work as a cognitive animal behaviorist, agility competitor and trainer, whisperer, and qigong practitioner. She is fascinated by how dogs think, process information and learn.
Her training approach is described in the title of her first dog book, “Catch Your Dog Doing Something Right: How to train any dog in five minutes a day.” Published by PenguinPutnam Inc and The Lyons Press.
Krista shares simple ways to keep your dog from pushing your hot button. She knows that when your dog doesn’t do what you want — it isn’t any fun.
She designs specific lessons tailored to you and your dog to build trust, confidence, and solve problems easily. Lessons include specific do’s and don’ts to get your dog through handling challenges and the toughest courses.
Krista works with beginning students to advanced competitors … 10 pound Yorkies to 95 pound golden retrievers ... Sassy dogs who ignore their handlers or too shy or laid back dogs that need to learn that running is fun.
All classes and private lessons are taught by Krista.
About Krista
Krista Cantrell is a cognitive animal behaviorist - learn more about what that means here.
Testimonials
When I began working with Krista, I had already been participating in agility with my border collie for about 2 ½ years. Even though I had been taking classes and entering my dog into agility trials, the experience was less than satisfactory. In fact, I believe we were both miserable.
My dog and I were not working as a team, and I really did not know what to do - in fact, I had become so frustrated and depressed that I had reached the point of quitting the sport. After one extremely disappointing experience at a trial, I packed up and left before the day was over. I didn’t see any reason to continue. I assumed the problem was with me. I was told “agility is fun” - but Bailey and I were not having fun, and the classes I had been attending were not giving me the training insight that I really needed to become a better handler.
After starting classes with Krista, everything changed. I told her she literally was my last hope before I gave up agility. I wish I had found Krista earlier; she is a fantastic trainer who helped me understand that I had a great dog, but no one had ever taught me handling skills. She is patient, firm and so encouraging that our agility experience has completely turned around.
It was a magic moment when my dog and I finally clicked and started to work together as a team and, most importantly, have fun! I have learned so much from Krista about how dogs “think” that I can now actually communicate with Bailey when we are running an obstacle course. And, when things don’t go well, I don’t feel frustrated – I look at it as a learning experience.
In Krista’s classes you learn to celebrate all the things you do right and not focus on what went wrong. Since joining Krista’s “Arizona Agility Angels” team, Bailey has earned his NADAC Novice Tunnelers title and has had qualifying runs in his last two agility trials. He is a great dog, but it was Krista who helped me discover that.
Thank you so much Krista!
Debbi and Bailey Foshee
Krista has a dog training facility that feels, and is welcoming with room front and back to accommodate the beginner to the most advanced competitor.
Krista takes the time to learn what your goals and wants are … whether they are building confidence (both yours and/or your dogs), bonding, having fun or satisfying your competitive nature.
Two years ago, when I first started working with Krista, in a complicated grid, Goose would run it his way – jumping big, fast, flat with no collection; and knocking down many bars. Goose did the same thing at trials, destroying many a course. Today we both have fun running agility trials. And the bars stay up!
What I think is most important for you to know about Krista is that she takes the time to set the grids, exercises, skills and drills, and courses just for Goose and me! And she does that for all her students. So that you and your dog can learn, practice, have fun and grow to meet your goals.
Carol Grenier and Goose AXP AJP
I have been working with Krista Cantrell for more years than either of us care to say (because then we would be telling our age). We met because of horses and a shared equine love ❤️ she has been there thru it all ... marriage, divorce, sickness and health ... dogs and horses, puppies and holding me when i was bawling my eyes out when we put my stallion down ... if you need a dog or horse whisperer Krista is your girl ... new puppy? Yep she has the bomb 💣 puppy training. Oh, did I mention dog agility classes? She does it all, with style and with grace!! ❤️
~ Melissa Jones
Krista Cantrell's dog training ability is impeccable!!
Krista has shown herself to be world renowned at training obedience and agility. As well as being a cognitive animal behaviorist, Krista has written several well received books on how to understand, love and ultimately train your dog. When it comes to training dogs, she has a tremendous amount of knowledge. But most impressive and personally helpful for me, is her innate ability to also train dog owners and handlers, so they too can train great canine citizens.
L.J. Gulick, Phoenix, AZ
Live Your Dream Now!
Want to learn more about the sport of agility? How to have more fun with your dog? One thing that really makes Krista happy is when her students succeed!