Recreation

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Dog agility what’s that ?

  

The Great Hobo at NDTA

Anyone who has watched the very popular Tux Wonderdogs series on TV in past years will have seen dogs performing over an obstacle course. Basically, that is what dog agility is, though the format for the TV show is a very informal version. Dog agility is a branch of dog sport recognised by the NZKC and competitions are run throughout the country hosted by the various Dog Training clubs. In NZ, as throughout the world, it is a sport rapidly growing in popularity and the level of competition is increasing all the time. Like equestrian show jumping, it is a combination of speed and precision. The course is laid out in accordance with the judge’s design and each dog takes its turn to run round, racing against the clock. Clear rounds are usually needed to win, and in the event of several clear rounds, it is the fastest time which wins. Classes to suit different levels of ability are offered, from Starters through Novice and Intermediate to Seniors.
The obstacles range from standard hurdles, to tunnels, long jumps, weaving poles (slalom), tyre jumps, brush jumps. Elevated obstacles such as the see-saw, dog walk, and A-frame incorporate
defined areas on their ‘on’ and ‘off’ ramps (known as ‘contacts’) which the dog must touch each time to avoid incurring penalty points.
Well trained dogs (and competent handlers of course !!) are a joy to watch in action. They make it look oh..so easy  but of course it ain’t! There are as many ways for dog or handler to go wrong as there are hairs on a Briard  but it is certainly a lot of fun and very satisfying once you and your running mate start to make progress. I’m not sure how many Briards in NZ are participating  in Dunedin we have 2 or 3  if there are others out there I’d love to hear how well it is going and what sort of problems you may be meeting. So far I have found that the jumping has been
relatively easy to master but that the narrower raised obstacles are a problem. Linda and ‘Saff’ however seem to be having no trouble with the raised gear just has the odd bit of
 bother keeping the attention of Safronne Dor d’Angevin focused on the job in hand!!!!! If anyone is interested in giving this sport a try there are one or two things to be aware of.
Firstly, dogs starting
agility training should have graduated from some basic obedience training course. Secondly, NZKC rules prevent Agility clubs training dogs younger than 18 months. This rule is there for the protection of the dog the joints of young dogs are not physically mature enough to with stand the repeated stresses and strains of agility training. However, some clubs offer introductory courses lasting around 6-9 weeks and may accept dogs which will be 18 months old on completion of the course. In addition some clubs may offer agility teaching for puppies or young dogs but this will be strictly ‘on the ground’ stuff aimed at teaching the dog to run under control, to learn some directional commands and generally get accustomed to being amongst the equipment. Definitely no jumping or elevated gear!
Also, both dog and handler need to be fit or at least prepared to get fitter! It doesn’t look much just running round a course of 150m or so  but it is tiring enough and the dog needs to work much
harder than the handler. You may also be competing in several classes in a day so might have two or three courses to run. To get started, check with Obedience clubs in your area to see if they offer agility training not all will because it is expensive to get set up with all the gear in the first place. Once you find one that does, go along to see how they train or perhaps attend one of their competitions and watch to see how things are run. As in all dog training it is very important to be patient, fair and above all consistent in your training methods. It is essential to make training and competing enjoyable for your dog most love it naturally but a dog doing it under duress will never be enthusiastic enough to win in competition
Hobo, a very gifted young man at NDTA