About DePaw Dog Sports and Training Academy

Indoor dog sports center in Leander

DePaw Dog Sports and Training Academy is an indoor dog training facility at 13051 Hero Way West in Leander, just north of Austin. It serves owners from Leander, Cedar Park, Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville and Georgetown, and describes itself as a community of dog lovers offering training in a fun-filled and positive environment.

Classes and activities

The academy offers agility classes, dog and puppy obedience, tricks, online dog coaching, private lessons, events and competitions, plus facility rentals. Instructors teach everything from pre-agility and puppy or adult obedience to competition agility and handling, and DePaw coaches teams that want to compete in agility and other events.

The team

DePaw names Gerry and Susan Brown as the people behind the academy. Founder Gerry Brown has been teaching agility since 1997 and favors positive, creative ways to motivate dogs through well-timed rewards and games. Instructor Trevor Smith holds the CPDT-KA and CCFT credentials and reports over twenty years of experience training dogs; he spoke at an Association of Professional Dog Trainers conference in 2015. Other instructors include Michelle Swartz, who has taught agility from pre-agility to Masters level since 2014, and Debbie Vogel, who teaches obedience and pre-agility.

What to ask

Ask for the current class schedule and which level suits your dog.