About Shawn

HEART OF TEXAS DOG SPORTS

The founder of Heart of Texas Dog Sports, Shawn Cossart, has been training dogs professionally since 1993. She believes that the relationship between the dog and handler is the bond that lays the foundation for all training.

Shawn’s journey in teaching began when she apprenticed with, and worked for, the pioneer of positive-based training, Dr. Ian Dunbar veterinarian, animal behaviorist and founder of APDT. While teaching classes for Dr. Dunbar a coworker invited Shawn to a dog agility class. With her rescue dog in tow, she went to see what this thing called dog agility was all about. That one visit was all it took for Shawn to fall in love with the sport. Shortly after, Shawn adopted her first agility dog, a Jack Russell Terrier named Attila. From that moment on Shawn used her behavior training background to teach agility in a fun and positive way.

Shawn prides herself on being a student of the game and has worked with, and continues her education by, working with some very prominent and successful trainers and coaches in animal behavior, agility and mental management.

Behavior: Dr. Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor, Ken Ramirez, Jean Donaldson, Terry Ryan, Sue Sternberg, John Rogerson just to name a few.

Agility: Melanie Miller, Jenny Damm, Silas Book, Marco Giovani, Sabina Šťastná, Sheyla Gutierrez, Annette Alfonso, Ann Braue, Justine Davenport and so many more – too many to name!

Shawn also completed level one and two of One Mind Dogs Instructor Training along with the Mental Management courses for Coaches with Lanny Bassham. Shawn continues her Mental Management training with coaching from Heather Sumlin.

While Shawn’s greatest joy is seeing her students excel at all levels of competition, Shawn too has an extensive career of winning and placing at the local, regional and national levels. Shawn’s success in agility is also unique as she has achieved many accolades with a wide variety of dog breeds including Jack Russell Terriers, Border Collies, an Miniature American Shephard, Pug, Schnauzer, Shetland Sheepdog and has also handled students’ dogs including breeds such as a Bouvier, Golden Retrievers, Rottweiler, Havanese and many more.

As you can see, Shawn enjoys training and running dogs of all sizes and breeds and, even more, loves coaching teams of all varieties from the super athletic handlers to those who rely on distance and verbals.

Agility has a certain pull, a magic about it. Let Shawn share her top-notch education, training and coaching to help you and your pup achieve your desired goals no matter what those goals may be for you and your pup.

Let the magic begin!

What People Are Saying

Shawn is an experienced and supportive agility instructor. She has a good eye for detail and is often able to point out small things that make a big difference. She sets up interesting courses but is very willing to let students adapt them to their particular needs.

I don’t know how I got so lucky to have the best agility coach on earth. She breaks learning down when I need it and celebrates every little bit of progress. Shawn holds hope and belief when I can’t yet see it myself.

With *lots* of patience, humor, compassion, and encouragement, Shawn Cossart has coached me for a year now. When I first met her, I said, "I can't run, and I want to do agility." She didn't flinch. She has challenged me to believe—in myself and my dog. Now do it like you believe you two can do this!" she says. And she is always right, when I do believe, it happens!