Our Coaches

Ace’n Agility offers high quality instruction using the most current and progressive training methods

Our coaches are active in competitive dog sports and multiple dog sport venues. They frequently attend seminars to learn new training methods so that they can bring back relevant information to our classes.

Julie has a M.S. in Animal Sciences, focusing on dog behavioral studies. She is a CPE Canine Scent Sport Judge and National Dog Agility League Judge and Host, Animal Behavior College Authorized Mentor Trainer, AKC Evaluator and Temperament Test Examiner, C.L.A.S.S. Evaluator, APDT Professional Member, Be A Tree Presenter from Doggone Safe, Dog Scouts of America Scoutmaster and evaluator for multiple badges, Alliance of Therapy Dogs Tester/Observer and ongoing student of Say Yes Dog Training with Susan Garrett and the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.

Julie and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Ace earned many advanced titles in agility, rally and NACSW before he passed in 2017. Her Bernese Mountain Dog, Seven logged 513 therapy dog visits before she passed in 2020. Both dogs earned their AKC CGC, ATTS Temperament Test Titles, all levels of the AKC Trick Titles and were members of the Dog Scouts of America with many badges. Her lil girl, Starr passed at 2 years old after just beginning to compete in CPE Agility and earning all levels of the AKC Trick and CGC titles.

She has welcomed another Bernese Mountain Dog to her family named Chance. He is trained in Search and Avalanche Rescue, and a golden girl named Rebel that enjoys running NADAC VTs.

Leigh has spent the majority of her life riding and showing horses. She has also rescued many dogs but her love has always been aussies. As her horses have become older and no longer able to be ridden , they will remain with her for the remainder of their lives.

She has now changed focus to dog sports and loves Agility and Rally. Currently she has two mini aussies, River and Pippen. Her love for dogs and the people who put their time, energy and hearts into having FUN with their dogs is what brings her to Ace’n Agility.

Natalie Ferguson comes from a crazy dog family, and has been fostering rescue dogs, volunteering at shelters, and doing dog sports since her middle school days. She adopted her current dog, Zelie, during the pandemic and began obedience and agility training. Zelie struggled with anxiety and confidence but has thrived since starting agility. Seeing the difference agility made in her own dog’s life, Natalie jumped at the chance to become a trainer. She wants to help others who are just starting out to find the joy and benefits of agility training. 

Natalie has a lifelong love of teaching, and works at a high school in West Phoenix teaching English as a Second Language to immigrants and refugees. She has a B.A. in English, B.A. in French, and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. Spending all her days with teenagers makes her more than prepared to help you with your pups! She loves that she can transfer her teaching skills to agility! 

Jennifer grew up always having dogs around. She has an Australian shepherd named Ellie and a German shepherd/husky mix named Luke. Jennifer works with children and loves being able to work her dogs and play agility in her off time, and has found it very rewarding. Her career and her dogs have taught her patience and the importance of positive reinforcement, and she hopes to be able to share that with new agility teams.

Jenna is a California native that moved to Arizona October 2020. For as long as she’s had a beat to her heart, she’s had dogs in her life. She grew up in a family-owned dog and cat grooming salon and has had a passion for working with animals the entirety of her life. If she’s not at the grooming salon, you can catch her outdoors with her boyfriend and four-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois, Astro. Many of you may recognize him as the tallest Mal that ever lived! Having such a smart, high-energy dog is what brought her to Ace n’ Agility and you could say the rest is history. She looks forward to learning all the ins and outs agility has to offer and passing on her knowledge to the next future agility stars.

Before joining Ace’n Agility in April of ‘23, Diane was an Educator, Varsity coach and Strength and Conditioning Specialist for 35 years. During that time, she earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and her Doctoral Degree in Exercise Physiology. She has also been certified in NSCA and USAW.

Diane loves adventures and travels as much as she can with her family and 3yr old Aussiedoodle Rae.

 Diane and her beloved sidekick have loved the challenges and fun that Agility has brought into their lives.

Her lifelong devotion towards helping others live healthy and fulfilling lives continues as she joins the Ace’n Agility staff.

Amanda grew up around horses and Aussies. Riding daily and barrel racing was her thing. That passion stuck with her, and now she shares it with her husband and son, along with their off-road adventures. 

She’s always had a curiosity about agility and recently decided to take the plunge and enroll in classes. Through this, Ace’n has introduced her to a newfound passion. She can’t wait to help people connect with their dogs and share in the thrills.

Hayley comes from a dachshund-crazed family. Family lore says her parents’ first date was going poorly until they both realized they grew up with dachshunds – 40 years, a few dachshunds, and 2 offspring later, it seems to have worked out. Hayley has taken a new-to-her path with the current love of her life, Pippin, and is determined to turn him into an adventure dog, short stature and all. Ace’n Agility was the perfect fit from the outset – a place where dogs and their owners come to create stronger bonds, have fun and build skills together.

Hayley works in communications – a great segue to agility as what we say and how we say it (both with our words and our body language) sends a lot of messages to our pups. More than anything, Hayley is excited about helping more people and pups build strong relationships and have fun while doing it!

Nico grew up in Quito, Ecuador. He moved to Phoenix in 2017, after teaching Spanish at an all-boys boarding Catholic school in Connecticut for four years. During Covid, he and his wife adopted Mac, an “Aussie-Lab” mix (without an ounce of lab in him). Seeing Mac’s rambunctious nature, love of weaving in and out of backyard furniture, and independence, Nico knew Mac needed to be educated. Introduced to Agility by Lisa, Nico loves partnering with Mac, and hopes to eventually compete. 

During his free time from working in Financial Crimes Compliance, Nico loves hiking, playing video games, and finding the best mimosa in town. Nico loves learning and teaching and looks forward to working with all aspiring Agility junkies.