Marissa Breitenstein

I started off my journey with dog training in 2014 through a therapy dog training program at my college. While I was working towards my degree, I also had a job at a doggy day care and it really opened my eyes to the many different breeds of dogs and learning about dog body language. I now work an awesome job as a graphic designer and teach classes at Xcel. 

My introduction to Xcel was as a student in 2019 when I began taking agility foundations & advanced scent work classes. Fast forward a couple years of being a teaching assistant & helping out Machell & Deb, I now teach agility & occasional obedience classes. My favorite part of teaching is that “click” of understanding when a dog and handler finally achieve a skill they were having trouble with. I love seeing the progression of growth with everyone I work with.

For my own experience with handling and competing, I have my own dog, Indigo, to thank for everything. I grew up always having family pets, but after graduating college in 2017, I got my first personal dog, a German Shorthaired Pointer. Indigo has been my gateway into the amazing world of dog competitions. We mostly compete in scent work and agility but also play in upland bird hunting, fast CATs, obedience, and dock diving. Some notable titles & achievements we have received: The first GSP to get an AKC Detective title, NACSW Elite 1, full AKC Novice Agility title, BH-VT and many more.