About
Hi – I’m Anne Stocum from Fairport, NY. I have been involved in the sport of dog agility for over 20 years. Besides training and competing with my own dogs, I enjoy teaching all levels of agility and helping teams achieve their best through good dog training and consistent handling that builds a solid foundation, and is fun for both handler and dog. All training is a game!
I am fortunate to have studied with some of the most successful handlers and dog trainers in our sport. I have studied with Susan Garrett, Nancy Gyes, Greg Derrett and the Shape-Up team – Justine Davenport and Jessica Patterson. My greatest teachers are my own dogs who have taught me to enjoy the journey and to “think out of the box” when building value for and understanding skills needed for life and agility.
I have done a bit of writing in both this blog and for Clean Run magazine. You can find links to my articles on the Resources page.
I am also a UKI Judge and that has provided another area of our sport to explore. My judging education includes Global Judging Program I and several international course design workshops.
My Dogs:
Most of all, my dogs are my pets and companions who give our family great joy and laughter in all the goofy things they do. Here is a little about them, from youngest to oldest:
Nick: is my youngest border collie, now 6 years old (already!). Tons of drive bundled in a very handsome, biddable, quick package. We have competed in AKC and UKI. Nick’s speed “encouraged” me to level-up my agility training and had fun transitioning to the Shape Up handling system over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued us and we are turning our attention to other less-impactful sports like herding. Here are a couple of Nick’s agility runs:
Tai: is an incredible athlete, best companion dog ever and overall a very happy guy. With his speed and long stride, Tai made me a better dog trainer and vastly better handler – to the benefit of me, my students and all future agility partners. Thank-you Tai for all the past, current and future lessons. Tai, earned his UKI Championship and AKC MACH and competed in several National finals and won or placed at a number of national and regional events. Tai retired from agility at age 9, but is happily exploring other activities like scentwork and herding. Here is a sampling of Tai in agility:
UKI US Open 2018 Speedstakes Rd 1
Breeze (deceased July 15, 2020): A Shetland sheepdog, Breeze was sweet, friendly, smart, biddable and an amazing athletic. He came into our family at the perfect time for me in my agility journey – so much fun, so many new friends and adventures. Breeze had a long career and basically did it all in the sport. ADCH Mach4 “Breeze” was selected for the 2010 AKC Agility World Team and the 2013 European Open AKC sponsored team and competed two other times on the US European Open Team. Breeze was a three-time AKC Nationals finalist, a four-time USDAA Grand Prix Cynosport finalist and 2-time Steeplechase Cynosport finalist and had many placements in national, regional and international classes.
Lacey (deceased Jan 11, 2016): ADCH-Silver MACH “Lacey”, LAA-Silver. Lacey was a confident and sassy girl who was my first agility dog raised from a puppy. Lacey was ranked in the Top 10 U.S. 16” division for 4 straight years in multiple classes and placed in a number of regional and national tournament competitions. Lacey earned both her ADCH-Silver and Lifetime Achievement Award-Silver, versatility titles demonstrating consistent success in all USDAA classes. Just before Lacey’s retirement, she was named the 2009 Performance Grand Prix Northeast Regional Champion and high combined individual winner in Team events.
Last updated March, 2022