Meet Astrid

My name is Astrid Darragh, originally, I am from Germany, but I have been living with my family in the UK for the last 20 years. Ever since I was a young child, canines have been part of the family and, since then, I have owned dogs of all shapes and sizes.

In 2018, I signed up for a workshop about canine body language hosted by the Dog Training College. I enjoyed learning about dog behaviour so much that I enrolled with the British College of Canine Studies, and, in June 2019, I successfully completed the Level 4 Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma.

In preparation for running my own classes, I attended the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Dog Training Instructors Course – foundation level in January 2020.

Seven years ago, I became involved in agility. Momo and I worked our way up to Grade 7 – the highest grade that you can achieve before taking part in championship shows.

Maya joined the family four years ago and was to be my new agility star. Fate had other plans and she was diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). Why am I telling you all this? Because Maya was the main reason I decided to get involved in Hoopers, and to be frank, it's one of the best decisions I ever made. Despite her spinal condition, Maya is still able to totally immerse herself in this low-impact canine sport, and I am able to thoroughly enjoy this experience knowing that it isn't going to affect her physical well-being.

I successfully completed the Accredited Canine Hoopers UK Level 1 Instructor Programme in February 2020, followed by the Level 2 (Advanced) Instructor Programme in June of the same year. I am teaching classes for fun up to competition level.

Momo and I won the small category in the Canine Hoopers UK (CHUK) National Finals in August 2021. Maya and I became Reserve CHUK British Hoopers Champions in September 2021.

My Parson Jack Russell Terrier Izzy joined the family in December 2021 and started competing in February 2023. Since then we have moved to Novice level in all classes, won the Hoopenanny Championship in Scotland and won various CHUK leagues. She is a lot of fun to train and a real superstar.

I am looking forward to meeting and teaching you and your four-legged teammates so that you can take part in all the fun and joy that Hoopers has to offer!