October 20, 2008
Dog agility woes
Tucker going over a jump at a local dog agility fun match.
Everyone who meets me quickly figures out I’m an animal lover. They may notice the stray dog or horse hairs that seem to always be on my clothes no matter how hard I try to get them all off before going out in public. Or maybe they’re standing near me when I open the trunk of my car, which is filled with dog, horse and bird paraphernalia and will never have room for a bag of groceries.
My attachment to animals began with my first kitten at age 4 and has never diminished.
Lots of pets have come and gone in my life since that first kitten. Currently I have 2 dogs (a collie and a keeshond), 1 cat (an orange & white long-haired domestic) and 2 horses (a paint gelding and an appaloosa mare). I’d probably have more pets but my only pre-nuptial agreement with my husband was a limit on how many pets we would have at one time. Good thing he’s around to keep me in check!
Over the last couple of years I’ve become hooked on dog agility. You’ve probably seen agility on TV when you’re flipping channels and go past the Animal Channel. Dogs are racing around a course full of obstacles, weaving in and out of poles, jumping and climbing and running through tunnels. It’s as much fun for the handler as it is for the dog, and is challenging for both. The picture attached to this blog is of my keeshond Tucker during one of his agility practice sessions.
Tucker loves agility – during practice. But recently we took the plunge and entered an agility trial. I admit I entertained the fantasy of getting points toward an agility title. After all, Tucker can do all of the obstacles perfectly during practice. But we quickly discovered we were definitely not ready for prime-time. The dog raced around, ignored obstacles, ran laps around the course and totally ignored me most of the time. He once even crashed into and knocked over the netting that served as a barrier for one side of the arena. Needless to say, we never qualified on any of the courses we entered during the trial. But we did provide the entertainment portion of the show!
Are any of you participating in dog sports with your favorite canine? What tips do you have for getting the dog to focus on you when it’s taken into a situation full of new dogs, strange smells, human tension in the air? What can I work on at home to teach the little guy to focus on me in new places?
I look forward to your comments and advice. I know Tucker and I can compete successfully someday, if I can find a way to get him to settle down and run the course. Until then, we’ll just keep practicing.
