In 2019, Logan Kressin made a bold prediction. He and his younger brother, Austin, had tagged along to the AKC Rally National Championship to watch their mom, Jennifer Kressin, compete with her Golden Retriever. AKC.tv approached the young brothers, then 6 and 4, for an interview.
Jennifer recalls Logan confidently telling the interviewer, “I’m going to get a Lab puppy, and I’m going to get invited to the Rally Nationals, and I’m going to be competing at the Rally Nationals with my Lab puppy!”
Six years later, he’s making good on his declaration. Now 12 years old, Logan will compete at the 2025 AKC Rally National Championships with his Labrador Retriever, “Martin” (CH Hoffmanns Martin Dog Kressin CDX BN RAE FDC OAP OJP DCAT ACT2 ACT2J THDN RATN DM DSA AS CGCA CGCU TKA ATT VHMA FTI).
And he’s up against some friendly competition — Austin will be there, too, with his Golden Retriever, “Rodgers” (CH Forever Champagne 12 Rodgers CDX BN RAE FDC OAP NJP DCAT ACT2 ACT2J THDN DSX DJ CGCA CGCU TKA ATT VHMA FTI). At 10 years old, Austin is the youngest competitor at the event.
The brothers from Wisconsin say they’re feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, but are hoping for the best. They’re looking to earn a qualifying score from their Advanced runs, and maybe even a placement.
“Overall, we know what they’re capable of doing — what the dogs are capable of doing, we know the kids are capable of doing,” Jennifer says. “If they can have scores in the 90s like they’re capable of doing and Qing in all their runs, I think that that’s going to be a successful weekend for them.”
A Boy and His Dog
As a 4-H leader, Jennifer believes kids benefit from having a dog to bond with and train. So Logan got Martin at 6 years old, and Austin got Rodgers when he was 5.
“They went to visit the puppy. They picked out the puppy. They took the puppy home, and that dog sleeps with the child in the child’s room,” Jennifer says. “Making them go and do classes right away with that puppy, right off the bat, makes a huge, huge difference.”
Both Logan and Austin have trained their dogs themselves and compete in nearly every dog sport. Logan says his favorite activity is Diving Dogs, “because Martin really likes it, and I like getting wet.”
For Austin, it’s agility. “We both like running,” he says, “and it’s fun for us because he gets to jump over jumps, and it’s fun to see how fast we can do it.”
A Built-in Sports Mentor
Jennifer has made sure that each boy’s journey is their own, which can be difficult, both as a mom and a dog sport competitor. She’ll be at the Rally Nationals with her Golden Retriever, “Skye.” But in competing with her own dog, she’s modeling the ups and downs of dog sports and how to win and lose gracefully.
“They see me NQ, and they saw my struggle in Open. They saw Skye’s struggle knocking bars in agility for a while,” she says. “But then they also see success, because they succeed, too.”
She places her trust in the fierce bond that’s developed between her sons and their dogs — even if it’s a little nerve-racking to watch, like when the boys started competing off-leash in Rally. Would the dogs stay focused on their young handlers or wander out of the ring?
“It brought tears to my eyes, watching them their first few times,” she says. As her sons stopped to decipher each Rally sign, their dogs would stand faithfully by, awaiting their next cue. “Obviously they have a strong bond, because the dog waited … until the boys figured out what they’re supposed to do.”
Ready to Rally
On July 3-5 at the Purina Event Center in Gray Summit, Missouri, Logan will finally achieve his years-long goal of competing at the AKC Rally National Championship. Jennifer says he’s worked hard over the years to raise his scores high enough to qualify, and a local Rally judge even complimented his improvement.
Meanwhile, Austin says he feels both excited and shocked at being the youngest handler to compete this year, but he’s taking it in stride. His goal is to have fun and earn a qualifying score in each of his runs.
To prepare for the event, Logan and Austin have been brushing up on signs and doing course run-throughs at their weekly 4-H meetings. Logan says Martin’s favorite exercise is the jump, but he has some trouble with backing up. “He backs up, but he wants to sit, too.”
It’s the first time Logan and Austin will compete at an event of this scale, but the real competition starts at home. “I don’t want to lose against my brother,” Logan laughs.