p10.qxp_Layout 1 26/05/2021 16:00 Page 10
Sparky at a young dog training camp. Photo credit: Rachel Gue
Agility – A Personal Story I’ve always felt that dogs should have a purpose, so when Rosie came into my life I wanted to find something suitable for her intelligence and energy levels. By Penny Hurt
R
osie is a bearded collie. Then, she was an energetic 18 month old, full of beans and quite capable Rosie and the author of inventing her own fun if she wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Sadly this had got her into trouble in her previous home on a farm so when she came to me I committed to helping her learn to direct this energy into more suitable activities. She needed a lot of basic training but I could also see that she needed more than that. She was bred to work. Beardies were bred as herding dogs designed to be in tandem with their shepherd owners, to work on instruction, follow directions, but also to think for themselves and take on challenges without question. We are so lucky these days to have many activities to choose from. For me agility was the right choice. It’s an active sport involving running around both for the dog and the handler and keeping us both fit. There’s a lot to learn – and this is what I love best. The great feeling when my dog and I are working a course together, both doing our own jobs, her taking the obstacles and me making sure I’m in position to direct her around the course without mistakes. Believe me it’s not easy to 10
29 MAY – 29 JUNE 2021 RESCUE AND ANIMAL CARE
achieve (!) but it’s immensely satisfying when it all comes right. To get to that point takes many months of training but I love being out, engaging with my pal, short sessions, always making it fun and what a difference it makes to our relationship. Rosie became so engaged with me instead of wanting to run off and do her own thing. Agility is also a social sport. For me, a mixture of one to one lessons and group lessons is ideal. Many of my friends are people I’ve met through the group classes and then we will meet up at competitions too, maybe camping for the weekend (when it’s permitted again). For Rosie group classes were good because she had to learn to focus on me with other people and dogs around. So I joined a group class at my local club and started to learn the basics. As time went on, I wanted to learn more and to get the detail right and this is where one to one classes with an experienced trainer are the way to go. Not all agility trainers are the same and it’s important to find one who suits you and your dog. Over the years I have had six one to one trainers all of whom are very good (and very patient!) and have helped us in different ways. I also found that we needed to practice at home in between lessons. There is plenty to train using no equipment at all and my back lawn has been adequate for much of it. Later on though, I wanted to practice Rosie’s jump skills and my handling skills around www.rescueandanimalcare.com