I am currently a student at Washington State University's Honors College working towards two BS degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology with a focus in behavior and learning, pre-veterinary studies. Prior to attending WSU, I was homeschooled and spent my last two years of high school enrolled in the Running Start program (dual enrollment in college and the highschool) at Bellevue College, where I completed my AAS. I will be continuing my education here at WSU's college of veterinary medicine, class of 2017. My research interests relate to the brain and how animals learn.

I believe that people should find something they genuinely love doing, and then master it. For that reason, my work is often also what I consider play, and I enjoy every minute of it. When not busy with my work, I love spending time outdoors in the beautiful (and yes, sometimes soggy) pacific northwest playing with my dogs, hiking, rock climbing, skiing, cycling, playing frisbee, climbing trees...you get the idea.

AgilityPup is a lot more than some pups that do agility; it encompases everything that I do: my own dogs' acomplishments, my photography and art, my studies and research, and my of course, plenty animal behavior and training.

I focus my photography on dog sports and other events around the pacific northwest. Agility, obedience, rally, disc, conformation, robotics competitions, and school events all fall under that category. I occasionaly add in some studio or candid pet portraits, but most of that is done on my own time, often with shelter dogs.

As part of my photography, I highly value the art of post-production processing; including everything from simple touch-ups to full-on digital design and photo manipulation in Photoshop. To me, digital photography is an art that can go far beyond simply freezing a moment in time.

For some examples of my work, please see the "Gallery" page.

Event Photography
If you are interested in having a photographer at your event, AgilityPup might be able to help. Please e-mail photos@agilitypup.com for more information.

Looking for photos from an event?
To browse or purchase event photos, please visit our photography storefront: agilitypup.photoreflect.com.

Photo Use
I am happy to give permission for the use of my photos in collaberative works or for promotional use, but please note that written permission is required. If you are interested in using my photos, please send me an email and I would be happy to discuss options with you.

Private Lessons (in-home): please email katherine@agilitpup.com. I am located near Washington State University in Pullman, WA.

Group Lessons: basic and advanced dog manners, tricks classes, and special skills classes will be offered in the future. Please contact me for rates and availability if you are interested.

Education: I have been training dogs for 10 years, and work diligently to stay abreast of current research regarding dog behavior and learning theory. I am currently about halfway through my academic education, working towards becoming a veterinary behaviorist. My undergraduate studies are in neuroscience and psychology, with a focus on learning and behavior. I have been accepted to the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2017, where I will study for my DVM.

Methods and Philosophy: Rewarded actions will be repeated; by either producing or withholding rewards we can easily modify behavior. This simple idea is applicable in all areas: teaching your dog to come when called, to do agility and obedience competitions, to not pull on the leash or jump up on strangers, to not bark and lunge at other dogs, and so on. My training techniques are positive, humane, and fun for both the handler and the dog! This type of training is appropriate for all ages and skill levels.

While dogs can be trained by yelling, jerking, poking, pinching, shocking, and "dominating" (please see the links below), these methods are outdated, some are scientifically invalid, and they can have many unwanted side effects while severely damaging your relationship with your dog. My techniques for teaching behaviors are flexible, and I believe dogs should be trained as individuals. However, I will not recommend the use of force, fear, or intimidation in any training program.