Claim OwnershipFostering Excellence in Agility
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Megan Foster, Founder of Synergy Dog Sports and creator of Fostering Excellence in Agility, shares her passion, knowledge, tips and secrets for all things dog agility. Each episode, she will take you through a critical element of agility training and break down the history of it, the dos and don’ts, as well as some key action steps you can take today to continue your path to excellence. Discover how to approach agility training from a place of wellness and learn how to build an agility training program that fits your needs and fuels your passion for the sport. Megan has taken her experience over the last 25 years and developed a systematic approach to agility that applies the most innovative positive reinforcement techniques to both ends of the leash. Megan not only coaches students on their training and competitive goals but also mentors other dog agility coaches to hone their craft in the dog sport world. Ready to ignite (or re-ignite) your passion for this game? Hit subscribe & let’s go!
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064 How do we continue to push our dog's understanding of the different obstacle cues and behaviors? By focusing on making training sessions intentionally different, we can expose our dogs to a wider variety of contexts and grow their capacity to perform the behavior under pressure in competition.
Enjoy this Coaching Call Replay! Join the Fans of FxAgility Community to discuss agility, watch (and ask questions about) my training, and join in on the regular coaching calls! All available for free!
Click here to join.
062 What holds more power for your dog, food, toys, or the agility obstacles? While we want the obstacles to be valuable to the dog, we need to maintain value and power for the reinforcers that we can more easily control: food and toys. Megan dives into habits around reinforcement that we can apply immediately in order to maintain and build value for our food and toys that we give our dogs during training.
061 In this episode, Megan explains the 3-point system for determining which path on course will be fastest, and how your individual dog fits into that guiding system. Checkout all the ways you can learn from Megan at www.fxagility.com and be sure to join the free community, Fans of FxAgility, where Megan shares her training, answers questions, and offers coaching calls for all members: www.fxagilityschool.com/signup
060 In this episode, Megan expands on how to set dogs up for success when entering their first group classes in order to avoid problems. She gives ideas for group class instructors and individuals for focusing on the essential skills first and the agility skills second.
1059 This episode is from a Coaching Call inside Fans of FxAgility, a free community. Make sure you sign up to join the next coaching call! https://www.fxagilityschool.com/signup
058 In this special crossover episode with Cog-Dog Radio, Megan is joined by friend and colleague, Sarah Stremming to talk about every agility person's favorite buzzword: Arousal.
057 In this episode, Megan is joined by the host of Before the Q, Rose Cybulski, to talk about stepping out of one's comfort zone and what the road to the 2026 Canadian Open might look like—interested in learning more? Check it out:
Before the Q Podcast
Watch Episode 2 of the Vlog!
Support Rose & her projects
056 What is pressure, and how can we train for it? Find out in this episode!
055 In this mini-sode, I break down my different types of offers: free, self study, coaching program, and guided programs.
Free Content: This Podcast! Make sure you've subscribed! Social Media: Facebook and InstagramFans of FxAgility Community: Signup or Login Plan with Excellence Mini-Course If you aren't currently on my email list and want to be, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Self-Study Programs: Verbal Cue WebinarStartlines that Stick WebinarRing Routines BundleLoopy Agility TrainingTeeter TrainingRunning AframeWeave Pole TrainingHandler Skills BundleHandler Mechanics Microskills
Train with Excellence Coaching Program: Learn about the program here. Claim the 2025 Black Friday promo here. Check out current members' favorite lessons here.
Guided Programs: January 2026 Handler Mechanics Microskills Send this episode to your friends! Reach out via email if you have any questions about my offers: megan@fxagility.com
054 Let's unpack some definitions of positive and negative reinforcement, a real-life training example, and why focusing on the use of positive reinforcement will benefit your team overall.
Video examples of skills trained with positive reinforcement, but may also be benefiting from negative reinforcement, are available inside my free community, Fans of FxAgility. Login here or Join here.
053 There are seven ways to observe behavior and look for signs of learning. In this episode, Megan shares those seven ways for a quick definition and then unpacks how she uses those forms of measurement in her own training.
When I set out to record this episode, I referenced my well-loved copy of Learning and Behavior by Paul Chance. Join the Fans of FxAgility free community here: https://www.fxagilityschool.com/signup
052 Preparing for competition-like situations is possible, even without recreating the entire trial environment. Listen in for what Ring Prep training is and how we can do it! Additional resources on this topic:
Ring Prep without the Ring Live Session
Ring Prep Bundle
Ready to Compete podcast
051 When I first started competing, we had limited options on how to maintain our habits from training to trialing, but now with FEO and FNG available is most (all?) organizations, it's easier to be consistent in our habits. In this episode, I talk about how I use each opportunity to bridge the gap between training and trialing for teams of all levels.
Episode 031 Using FEO & FNG Effectively
Join the Fans of FxAgility Community
050 How we respond to mistakes and use mistakes in our training is based on our values and how we choose to train. We have so many tools available to us that allow us to build confident and resilient learners that don't involve confusion or frustration. Learning to control our own emotions plays a huge role in how our dogs navigate playing this game with us. Take a listen, and join the Fans of Fx Agility Community to keep the conversation going. Log-in at fxagilityschool.com or sign up: fxagilityschool.com/signup
049 What is engagement, how do we get it, and what do we do when we don't have it?
048 There's a lot that goes into training startlines, but it can be broken into four main categories: skills, motivation, chains, and ring sustainability. check out the online program that starts on June 2nd!
fxagilityschool.com/startlinesthatstick
Megan talks with student, friend, and colleague, Sarah Espinoza-Sokal all about raising a puppy responsibly. The two coaches talk about their values and priorities when choosing what each puppy needs, and how that benefits them both in life and in dog sports. Sarah is starting a new puppy program: Limitless Agility Foundations where she plans to support puppy owners through this process and cultivate passion for living, training, and competing with these special creatures. To find out more, visit Sarah's FB Page: Agility Odyssey and look for the pinned post.
046 Should you keep trialing when a problem behavior crops up or take a break? I unpack my process in this episode!
045 I am often asked about preparing for big events, but is it really any different than preparing for a local event? Listen in to find out how I prepare for the competition weekend.
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