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Agility: Fast-Paced Fun
by Kim McNamara
This Article Appeared in the Schaferhunde News July 1998 and appears
here with Permission of the Author and Editors of the Newsletter
Agility is one of the fastest growing sports in dogs, and for good
reason! People of all ages and dogs of all sizes are enjoying the thrills of an activity that is exciting
for spectators, builds teamwork and fitness between a dog-and-owner team, and is just plain fun to do! In
fact, it’s so much fun it’s addicting!
I started training my GSDs Christy and Bogie* while we were on a break
from conformation showing. To be honest, it looked like it would be easy – I mean, how much skill can it
take to get a dog to go over a jump? Or through a tunnel? My dogs were smart in addition to being beautiful,
I reasoned.
So I started taking Agility classes with Christy. She liked the
jumps. Tunnels were just OK, though, and some of the other obstacles were downright intimidating:
- the A-Frame, a steep highway of wood reaching 5’6” high;
- the Dog Walk, an up-ramp leading to a 12 foot plank raised 4 feet
off the ground –and only 12 inches wide;
- and the Seesaw or Teeter Totter, a 12 inch wide up-ramp that pivots
with a bang and turns into a 12 inch wide down-ramp. (These three items are known as the contact obstacles.)
So I quickly realized that this sport was a lot more challenging
than it initially appeared. But Agility training is done sensibly. Jumps and contact obstacles are
taught at their lowest levels and in small increments (i.e., the dogs learn to walk DOWN the Dog Walk before they
are asked to walk across the top or up the entry). All lessons are positively reinforced with food or whatever
toys appeal to the dog. Little by little the dog’s confidence builds. The primary goal is fun for the
dog. Eventually they are able to do every element required in AKC’s Novice Agility course.
When Christy’s conformation career heated up again I decided to give
Bogie a chance at Agility. Bogie was easier to train, as he is more food-motivated and “mommy”-oriented than
Christy. By the time he learned to do the seesaw, I thought we had it made! We’re ready for Agility
Trials now, right? Well... did I mention that the Novice course is comprised of 12 to 13 obstacles that must be
taken in the correct order? That the course curves and twists? That the dog is off leash? That
the course has a maximum run time, with the average allowable time being about 60 seconds?
OK, so Agility was a lot less easy than I thought it would be.
But it was even more fun than I ever imagined! Bogie blossomed from his training, with increased self-confidence
and a feeling of accomplishment after every successful training session. He blossomed physically too – gaining
strength and muscle tone that roadworking never gave him. And he and I developed a bond stronger than I ever
could have predicted. He’s not just my dog, we’re a team!
We had been training off and on for about a year when I decided we were
ready to enter a trial. His first weekend out we gained a lot of valuable experience (but no ribbons).
His second weekend out, Bogie earned his first two legs toward an AKC Novice Agility title! Not only that,
but on his first qualifying run he earned a perfect score of 100 and placed 2nd in his class! One more leg
and I’ll be adding the letters NA after his name. And then hopefully we’ll go on to Open (OA) and Excellent
(AX). If you can’t tell, I’m hooked. There is no greater thrill than to direct your dog around a course
at full speed, watch as he soars over the last obstacle cleanly, and hear the shouts of the crowd as they applaud
your perfect run!
So get involved with Agility! GSDs take to the sport very well
and prior obedience training is not required (though training will proceed much faster if the dog knows how to
sit, down, stay and come). The full AKC Agility rules are available to read on their web page at www.akc.org.
There are two other main Agility organizations as well: NADAC and USDAA. A great site on the internet for
more information about everything Agility is www.dogpatch.org.
The GSDCA National features Agility Thursday through Saturday in the
area between the arena and the stalls. So look for us in Perry, we’ll be out there having tons of fun!
* Christy and Bogie are also known as Ch. Abraxas Repeat Performance
HT TC OFA and Abraxas Play It Again Sam CGC HIC OFA.
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