BRIGHT AGILITY ACADEMY
  • Home
  • Agility Classes
  • Special Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Agility Resources and Links

ABOUT

Heather Christenson: Owner and Instructor

Picture
Heather has been involved in Agility since 2001 and teaching for over 15 years, instructing for the Columbia Agility Team and Jumpstart Agility before forming the Oregon School for Clever Dogs with Tammy Moody. After Tammy moved from the area, Heather changed the name to Bright Agility Academy. While Agility has always been her main passion, Heather has also trained and competed in Competitive Obedience, Rally, Flyball, Barn Hunt and Herding. She feels that agility is the most fun you can have with your dog and loves the teamwork and relationship that lets a dog and handler work together to solve the puzzle of a course, whether in training or competition. 

Heather's focus has always been on finding the joy in training and maintaining an enthusiastic performance. Her classes emphasize choice, trust, play, fun, foundation and training independent behaviors. She firmly believes that Agility should always be fun for both the dog and handler, and that every dog and handler team is unique in what will work best for them. She loves to explore new training concepts and ideas and is always looking for skills to bring back to classes. Heather is especially interested in trained skills and behaviors that let handlers that are mobility challenged enjoy agility without having to rely on physical cues and timing. She believes that all handlers, no matter of age or physical ability, can learn to run agility successfully, whether running with or training the dog to work independently.

Heather has run and owned a variety of dogs from big to small, from mixed breeds to purebred, and from shy to bold. She finds that almost all dogs can learn to love agility when introduced as a fun game with their handler. Many of Heather's students compete while many stick to agility at class and practice and enjoy it just the same. While she enjoys competing, Heather's passion for agility is not with the goal of competing, but building the relationship and skills to work together as a team through every new challenge.

Heather currently lives with four Border Collies (Haku, Navarre, Asher and Bryn), one borderpap-ish thing (Haven), two Maine Coons (Fizban and Dragon), an American Bobtail (Haru) and a Ragdoll named Marvin. She also enjoys photography, reading, hiking and chocolate.
Picture

Heather's Dogs

Picture

Poco the Amazing Circus Dog (RIP)
FDX CGC V-NJC
Heather's first dog and the most hardcore bitch out there - she dabbled in sports later in life and lived to be 19 years old
Picture

Lord Fenwick of Christenson  (RIP)
TACH MAD SACH RM SM JM TM-Bronze MX MXJ CL3 CL4-S CL4-R CL4-H EAC EJC TN-E TG-E R1MCL FDCH-S CGC 
Heather's first competition dog, and the loudest, most badass little dog - there was nothing that he didn't enjoy doing (as long as he could bark while he was doing it!)
Picture

Mr. Jonathon Brisbee (RIP)
PD2 PJ2 CL3-R CL2-H CL2-F NJC CGC
Heather's husband's dog, Brisbee was a huge training challenge dealing with his stress and fear (and way too smart for his own good)
Picture

Contact Point London Dream (RIP)
MACH2 MXS MJG NF MAD SACH JM GM RM TM-Bronze CL3 FDCH-S CD PCDX
An independent free spirit, London loved his agility and anything else you asked of him
Picture

Contact Point White Dragon 
MX MXJ AAD CDX PUTD U-CD HSAs HIAs HSBs HXAs TKP
With no lack of enthusiasm, Haku struggled with early take issues in agility and went on to rock obedience and herding
Picture

Flyin Eve of Destruction 
NA NAP OJP 
Eva struggled with jumping depth perception, but still loved agility
Picture

Contact Point The Light Fantastic (RIP)
MACH MXB MJB T2B TKP AAD
Bright was known for being deceptively efficient
Picture

 Contact Point Etienne of Navarre 
​HC HIBs HXAds HXDs MX MXJ CD TKP​ APD APG HRDIII
A giant goober puppy, it took a long time for Navarre to grow up - but he is loving agility, herding and obedience
Picture

Contact Point Heart of Joy
HC ​HXBs HXAs HXDs AX AXJ NF RN TKA HRDIII
Asher has no lack of enthusiasm, and he's turning into one awesome herding dog - running in Nursery in USCBCHA trials. He's finally started running in agility too (did I mention the enthusiasm?)!
Picture

BC Bryn
AX AXJ
​Itty bitty Bryn is just learning the ropes in both agility and herding - her little legs aren't holding her back!
Picture

Rayns Miss B. Haven
Because everyone needs a borderpap(ish) thing! Adorable, so much fun, itty bitty Haven :-)
Picture

Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Agility Classes
  • Special Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Agility Resources and Links