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Agility is a sport in which a dog demonstrates athleticism, confidence, and drive in overcoming different obstacles. In this sport, the handler is given a set amount of time to direct the dog off-leash around a course. There are rules regarding the types and measurements of each obstacle.
We participate in John's Rubin's local abililty classes of JohnKnowsDog.com. We start each dog slowly. The first challenge for each dog is to merely jump onto a low table. Then, the dogs--some mere puppies still--progress to climbing an A-frame and jumping onto a higher table. They walk on a narrow bridge, learn the hurdles, then jump through a tire. The most challenging obstacles are the tunnels. After successfully tackling the short blue tunnel, we progress to a longer yellow tunnel, eventually add a curve to the yellow tunnel, and finally, tackle the shoot (where the dog feels fabric all around them until they continue out of it).
We treat the "training" as play for the puppies, who receive lots of encouragement and praise along the way. |
