Level Up Dog Sports | Main Building

Level Up Dog Sports offers group classes, private lessons, ring rentals, day school, seminars, and workshops. Group classes, such as Agility and Manners, are typically 6-week long sessions. Agility classes range from foundation to Master Coursework, requiring completion of Basic Manners or an evaluation as a prerequisite. Private lessons are limited and require Agility Fundamentals Level 2. Ring rentals are available for current students with current agility titles. Day school is recommended for teaching contacts and weaves. Seminars and workshops are also offered, with specific schedules for workshop weeks at both locations.

Pricing Summary

Basic Manners classes cost $250 for a 6-week consecutive session. Bundle deals are available for electives and drop-in classes to offer discounted packages.

Policies

Most booking types close 24 hours prior to the appointment time. A refund, minus an admin fee, will be granted for workshops if the spot can be filled upon cancellation. More detailed policies are available at registration.

Level Up Dog Sports is Virginia’s premier dog training facility, located minutes from downtown Richmond. They focus on bringing out the best in dogs by teaching essential skills, tackling nuisance behaviors, and providing owners with tools for continued good behavior.

The facility utilizes a reward-based system to make learning enjoyable and foster a stronger bond between dog and owner. They pride themselves on continuous professional education to offer up-to-date training techniques and problem-solving solutions.

Level Up Dog Sports is unique as Richmond’s only sports complex dedicated to dogs, featuring matted and turf-covered warehouses for safe training and competition. They also contribute to the community by partnering with local rescues, donating training packages to high-risk or high-energy foster dogs, and offering discounts for adopted dogs.

Accomplishments

Merritt Speagle, Manager & Agility Instructor, has multiple national placements, including a bronze medal at the Agility US Open and 2nd and 4th place at Cynosport World Games Grand Prix of Dog Agility. Her 2-year-old dog, Surefire, earned a Biathlon silver medal at Cynosport World Games in 2023 and was a US Open Speedstakes finalist at age 1.

Courtney Iannello, Rally & Obedience Instructor, has a dog that earned a Rally Master Championship and was nationally ranked in WCRL Rally. She has achieved an AKC Utility Dog title with one dog and a CDX with another.

Katie Briggs, Agility Instructor, has competed at NAC, Cynosport, the US Open, EO tryouts, and FCI shows in Europe. Her dogs are regional champions and national finalists.

Sarah Crane, Agility Instructor, has a dog that earned Master agility titles and is a certified therapy dog. Her current agility dogs hold various titles and compete in AKC, UKI, and USDAA.

Dr. Elizabeth Kost, DVM, Tricks & Agility Instructor, is an emergency veterinarian and has been actively training dogs for 9 years. She is actively competing in Agility, Rally, Obedience, Earth Dog, and Barn Hunt. During veterinary school, she was President of the Behavior Club and worked as the first Behavior Coordinator for Ross University’s Kennel Dog Program.

Carol Boggess, Agility Instructor & Office Administrator, has over 20 years of dog training experience and multiple National Agility placements in AKC, USDAA, and UKI. In 2019, she earned 4th place at the AKC National Agility Championship and earned Gold in Winner Takes All Sweepstakes, Bronze in Biathlon, and Silver in the National Championship Final at the UKI US Open.

Amy Shankle, CPDT-KA, Manners Instructor, has 10+ years of experience training her own dogs and has been teaching classes for nearly 5 years.

Ashley Yanez (Ash), Agility and Canine Conditioning Instructor, has worked with dogs professionally since 2005. She is a Handling 360 and Agility Academy Alumni and an Absolute Dog Pro Dog Trainer (PDT). Her dog Estelle is an overall biathlon gold medalist and overall Masters series gold medalist at the US Open 2023 and won bronze in games at the North American UKI Invitational. Her dog Turkish won Master Series overall Silver at the 2024 UKI Classic, and Southpaw won bronze in the Final at the 2024 UKI Classic.

James George, Agility Instructor, has a 10-year history in agility sports and has competed at AKC Nationals twice and Westminster twice, putting 6 MACHs on his dogs.

How to Get Started!

To get started in agility, all dogs must have completed Basic Manners or undergo an evaluation. It is recommended to start with group classes. After completing Agility 101, clients can get more out of private lessons and day school options. Private lessons open for booking automatically 30 days out, every day.