About Us

Newfoundland Athletic Dog Association, Inc. is a member-based not-for-profit organization located in St.John's, NL, and was founded May 27, 2007 and incorporated in June 2007. Our club is a member of the Agility Association of Canada (AAC) and the North American Flyball Association (NAFA), and we abide by the rules and regulations of these organizations.

We offer classes in agility and flyball to our members, and, beginning in the Spring of 2010, we will also be opening some classes to non-members who are interested in trying out the sports. In the meantime, we are accepting members to our club. Membership comes with the benefits of discounted prices, participating in the classes and drop-ins for more advanced dogs, and the responsibilities of assisting with set-up/take-down and in any other way that members have the time and ability to do so. For membership enquiries please email inquiry@nfldathleticdog.com.

All of our classes are taught by NADA members who volunteer their time to the club, as both instructors and instructor assistants. Without the efforts of these members we would have no classes to offer! Here are some of our current class instructors and assistants:

Aimée Surprenant has been doing agility since 2004. She initially started it as a way of doing ‘stealth obedience’ with her very energetic lab, Taz, in Lafayette Indiana, USA at the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club. After moving to Newfoundland she joined NADA and completed all of the agility classes given by the club. She and Taz have competed in two AAC trials and, although they have not made any qualifying runs, they have collected quite a few ribbons. Aimée has taught Intermediate II agility two times and finds that the training at that level is more for the humans than the dogs.   

Angie West has been training her dogs to do various activities longer than she likes to think about. Since her dogs have been mostly mixed breeds, she can't lay claim to a lot of titles although the late Skeezix and Phoebe did get their CD titles with AMBOR. But she has had the opportunity to work with different methods of training and likes clicker training/operant conditioning the best. There's no better way to develop a partnership with a dog. She's been to various training camps and seminars on the mainland as well as taking in every workshop that NADA has offered. She does agility with her All Canadian, Archie, and pet therapy with her Labrador Retriever, Fanny.   

Brianna Newton has been training in both agility and flyball since 2007. She has competed in the first AAC trial held on the island and is looking forward to competing this year with her two dogs Jersey and Bruiser. Brianna has also taken part in many of the workshops offered by the club as both an auditor and participant. Training two dogs is keeping her on her toes and always looking for different ways to motivate them. She is currently teaching pre-agility, where she encourages having fun with your dog while building the foundations for agility and your relationship.  

Christina Bourne has been training in both flyball and agility since 2008. She became interested in dog sports while looking for a way to help socialize her timid dog Molly after adopting her from a local shelter. Since joining NADA, she and Molly have completed beginner, intermediate and advanced flyball, and are planning to join NADA’s flyball team, the Fog Dogs, as they compete in their first competition in 2010. Christina and Molly have also completed pre, beginners and intermediate agility, and in 2009 competed in their first AAC-sanctioned agility trial. Christina currently teaches beginner flyball, where she strives to emphasize fun for both dogs and owners!  

Dale Foster has been participating in agility with her miniature schnauzer, Spencer, since the NADA club began. They both love the action, the jumping, and the friends they make. While they are not really competitive, and have not competed beyond the fun trials, they enjoy seeing the improvements that come with work and practice. Dale has also dabbled in Rally-O, Obedience, and in the conformation ring. Dale currently helps out teaching the pre-beginners and beginners agility classes.  

Dianne Ford has been training, instructing and competing in agility since 1994. She first got into agility when she was approached by her obedience instructor and invited to participate in this thing called "Agility." Since Dianne had just stopped equestrian show jumping, agility was a natural fit for Dianne's interests. Her first agility partner, Brooke, was a Shepherd/Labrador cross SPCA rescue dog and taught her a lot about the sport and being a teammate. Dianne and Brooke competed in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario in predominantly AAC, but also some NADAC. They were competing in the Masters level in AAC prior to Brooke’s retirement. Dianne's current agility partner, Baxter, has taught Dianne humility and the joys of focusing on fun and learning new handling techniques. Together, they have competed in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and have earned the ADC and SGDC titles thus far. Dianne has taught all levels of agility, but primarily teaches the Advanced classes now, where she can teach strategy and the finer points of handling. Dianne's teaching philosophy focuses on maintaining a fun and safe environment for the dogs and handlers, while striving for quality and strengthening the communication and relationship between dog and handler.  

Heather Skanes and her partner, Queen, have been participating in agility, since June 2007. Being an agile working dog, Queen is a natural for the sport. More importantly, though, she quite enjoys socializing with other dogs, while exercising and bonding with Heather. The two have completed pre-agility, beginner, and intermediate agility, and have attended several agility-related workshops. Having participated in NADA’s 2008 and 2009 AAC-sanctioned trials, Heather and Queen look forward to NADA’s 2010 AAC-sanctioned trials, hoping to add another “Q” to the one achieved in starters gamblers. Over the past year, Heather has assisted with instructing both pre-agility and intermediate I classes.  

Stephanie Conway has been training in flyball since 2005 years with her Border Collie/Terrier mix , Sasha. She first got interested in flyball when she was doing research on Border Collies and finding things to keep them happy and active. She first started in both flyball and agility. By doing both sports at the same time, Steph quickly saw which one she and Sasha liked the most. While they still participate in both sports, Steph and Sasha like to focus primarily on flyball, which is Sasha's forte. Steph’s teaching philosophy centers around teamwork, safety, fun and patience. She does not allow dogs under a year old jump or do heavy box work for their safety, and likes to remind students to be patient and not get discouraged. After all, it takes time to train in flyball but the end result is a very happy and mentally stimulated dog.