Agility Training, “Who knew it could be so much fun!”

If you’ve been following us for a while you may remember my blog on Rally-O.

Dove Cresswell provides a good description of both Rally-O and Agility in the bonus section of our Lessons Library.

Today our little friend is behaving so happy and well after Dove Cresswell’s Beginner’s Agility last night. Classes run for 6 weeks, once a week. I was very impressed with the experience of the class too. It is no surprise that this field labrador retriever comes into his own in Agility. Dove says Knudsen is a ‘border collie’ locked in the body of a lab! I am a person who thrives on human interaction, but I also like to have a directed task of my own. Agility is that extra bit of challenge and speed.

Rally-O is more forgiving than Agility.

If you live in a major metropolis look into dog groups in your nearby rural or suburban areas – to find a good agility group. They have that extra space and higher likelihood of soft landing on straw or field grass for the dogs. Here in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, we have a community in Langley – a rural community where the barns are a great place for agility. Look for a good setting to assure a soft landing for the jumps and ramps involved in Agility. If classes are in a warehouse, look to see that the floor is padded. You don’t want your dog jumping continuously on hard concrete.

There are quite affordable Agility kits available out there for your own backyard training.

Is there a park nearby to you? Urban communities are becoming quite patient for community initiative and creative uses of public spaces. Municipalities also understand that dogs are a big part of many people’s lives and that dog health and happiness is key to well-behaved doggie citizens. If you are really motivated why not apply to your municipality to allow for agility training in the park.

I wish everyone could take Dove’s class because she is super patient with all the dogs, and she is very good at organizing a safe and fun environment. These are the key qualities you should look for in a good Agility organizer.

DTO starts you off with a description of many activities to try with your dog.

Happy Trails and Happy Training