Bridget Thomas CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP

Bridget has been training and competing with dogs (and other animals) since she was a teenager, and for the past twenty five years has been heavily involved in dog training, dog sports and dog activities of all kinds. Agility is their primary sport and she and the dogs have traveled all over the country, competing and teaching.

She has been lucky enough to study with some of the top trainers and educators in the field over the years, and staying current with training and handling trends as well as science-based learning is the goal! She loves working with all levels of teams including brand new teams, junior handlers, and those that are hooked and want to take their training to the next level.

Bridget and her dogs have been perennial finalists/winners over the years in AKC Nationals, USDAA Regional and National events, and UKI Cups, Classics and the US Open. Bridget started agility with her JRT, Bucket, then added her Whippets, and then Border Collies. Her BCs Kestrel, Molly and Renny were very successful agility and herding dogs and put Bridget's name on the map, placing in many major events around the country. In 2019 Bridget and Grape, her terrier mix, were chosen to travel overseas to compete with Team USA on the AKC European Open Team and the WAO Agility Team (at the ripe old age of two!). In 2020 they finished in 7th place overall at the European Open team tryouts and were once again chosen to represent the AKC at the European Open. They were also able to add "national champions" to their resume by winning the 2019 UKI National Finals at the US Open. In 2021 big guy, Kepler-79 went from quarter-finals straight through to finals at his first big event and took 4th place in Steeplechase at the USDAA Cynosport in Tennessee. Grape also became a 2x national champion wining the UKI Nationals Final at the 2022 US Open. Betelgeuse is now setting his course for world domination. At his first AKC European Open Tryouts he placed 5th in round four and cumulatively finished in 11th place earning him a spot on the 2023 AKC TEAM USA heading to Denmark in July 2023, all at the ripe old age of two. Bridget and Betel have also been invited to compete at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in Texas in 2023 and Florida in 2024, earning 2nd place in both competitions. They are now headed to the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Finals in September 2024 at Purina Farms in MO. In 2024 they have really started to "gel" as a team and have had a pretty impressive start to 2024 with lots of UKI podiums, and a trip to the Challengers round at AKC Nationals.

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As much as she enjoys training and competing she also finds teaching immensely rewarding and loves to see her students excel. Bridget specializes in building motivation, enthusiasm, inspiration, and connection in agility teams. Many have seen success at the regional and national level, as well as the AKC Invitational, and internationally too. She is equally comfortable working with beginners to dog sports, helping newbies find enjoyment in spending time with their dogs. Bridget also enjoys mentoring families bringing home new puppies/dogs, helping them have success in molding and shaping the perfect family companion. In June a slew of DogStar students headed to DACOF (the Dog Agility Competition of Florida) where our DogStar team earned 8th place overall with three HIT teams, and a bunch of top three placements. So proud of everyone!

Bridget prides herself in being a trainer that works with all dogs, of all shapes, sizes and breeds. Over the years she's worked with everything from Affenspinchers to Komondors and has herself owned and trained a variety of dogs, both purebred and mixes from the herding, toy, hound, terrier and sporting groups. 

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When she is not teaching or competing in agility you can usually find Bridget and the dogs out in the woods trail running, hiking, or riding her horse. They also dabble in a multitude of other dog sports including herding, disc dog, scent work, dock diving, rally, Barn Hunt, and racing/lure coursing. Currently Bridget is owned by her awesome animal family, two Border Collies, a lurcher, two amazing little sport mixes, two horses, and a gaggle of assorted furry and feathered critters. Her very understanding husband, Mike, is the guy who keeps everything on the farm in working order.


Education:

• BFA in Medical/Scientific Illustration, RIT

• Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP)

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)

• Living and Learning with Animals, Professional Course with Dr Susan Friedman

• FitPaws Master Trainer (FP-MT)

• Professional Member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)

• AKC Canine Good Citizen/AKC Trick Dog Evaluator

• Certified Trick Dog Instructor with "Do More With Your Dog"

• Member of the Pet Professional Guild

• Member of IAABC

• Former instructor at “Camp Gone To The Dogs"