Beanie’s first class with Clear Run Agility was due this morning, but we were doubtful about going. She’s definitely bouncing back from her illness, but is still pretty fragile. The course instructor Carol assured us that the introductory class wouldn’t be physically demanding, so we took her along, and I’m very glad we did.
The class was held in a corner of Bellahouston Park – a reasonably safe distance away from the gates, and in any case leads are allowed for the first few lessons. A selection of agility apparatus was set up: some jumps, an elevated, narrow walkway and a tunnel. Beanie knows all about tunnels – we had no concerns about that one – but before the dogs got to try anything out, Carol gave us a quick primer on the obedience skills required for agility.
At first sight, there’s nothing too different from the “classic” obedience found in regular training clubs. The core commands are “down”, “wait”/”stay”, and of course recall, but there are some important tweaks for the sake of efficiency as well as form. For example the “down” should be done directly from standing – there’s no time for an intermediate “sit” stage, and the dog should stay in the down position reliably until given another command.
Another key difference from regular training is that the dog has to be used to responding to commands while at the handler’s side and facing forward, instead of facing towards the handler. That last point quickly reveals whether a dog has truly learned to respond to a verbal command, or to the combination of verbal and visual cues that he/she receives when facing the handler. In Beanie’s case, it was obvious she was relying on the visual stuff (like pointing a finger at the ground for “down”) rather than command itself. Definitely something to work on! Anyway after all the theory, it was time to try out the equipment.
The narrow walkway (I dunno what its official name is) was set at about half normal competition height, and because it was so narrow, it tended to be easier for small, narrow dogs. No surprise then that it was a breeze for Beanie:
Likewise for little Emily…
But their larger classmates Islay and Kiera also coped very well:
Next came the jumps. Just a single barrier on the lead at first..
..but once that was mastered, we progressed to three consecutive barriers off lead!
After looking through the photos, I’m getting the idea that Emily, the toy poodle, is the acrobat of the group!
Finally it was time for Beanie’s favorite – the tunnel. She didn’t disappoint, and came flying out the other side like a bullet:
Emily and Islay also did well.
Kiera – the largest of the group – wasn’t too keen at first but with a little coaxing she came through just fine:
So that was it for the first lesson, and as promised it wasn’t too physically demanding. Nevertheless Beanie slept soundly when we got her home. I think it’ll be a few days before she’s fully recovered from her bout of flu (or whatever it was) which sadly means no Beagle Racing tomorrow :(
Don’t you think it was a bit soon for Beanie after her illness,she did not look her sparkly self.Look at the eyes she looked tired,maybe a few days rest would do her good,especially if she was so bad that the vet prescibed morphine.Jan
Hi Jan. Yep she’s still under the weather but that little outing in the sun lifted her spirits. The photos make it look like a day of action but in reality it was very gentle. It was discussed with the vet and agility instructor beforehand.
My first thought was similar to yours Jan, and I’d planned to keep her indoors for at least a week. However, the vet told us we had to strike a balance. Nothing really strenuous as her immune system will be a little weak. However, she said there’s nothing like fresh air, stimulation and gentle exercise to boost the immune system and aid recovery.
This was a special introductory agility lesson. The dogs didn’t do any more than what you see in the photos – twice over some very low jumps, twice through a tunnel and twice walking over a balance thingy. Just fresh air, sunshine, the company of dogs (without physical contact), lots of interesting new things happening and a tiny bit of gentle exercise.
Our vet was right as always. She came home, crashed out for a few hours and then woke up pretty much back to her old self!
She seems 100% back to normal this morning – had me out of bed at 6am to make her breakfast, raided the kitchen table while I washed her breakfast bowl then back into MY bed for another 40 winks while mum & dad get ready for the morning walk :)
Did you check out the post with the piccies of Beanie’s baby brother ?
Are there any places left on the course? I’m tempted to bring Millie along? They all look as if they’re having great fun. Beanie just loves those tunnels doesn’t she LOL
I don’t think so Karen. But I highly recommend Carol, the instructor.
We had doubts as to whether Agility was right for Beanie, but I think under her guidance we’ll do just fine. It really does seem to hold Beanie’s attention and I think it’s going to be a great help with her obedience too.
Why not pop along and watch next week? Beanie (in fact ALL the dogs) really did enjoy every minute of it. The maximum number in a class is six, so plenty of individual attention. And I think you’ll always be in with a group that are at the same level as you.
The equipment is a piece of cake for the dogs. The harder part is training them to respond quickly to your verbal commands. Although we practiced this in the park with Beanie this morning and she’s picked up all the basics VERY quickly. So we’re really looking forward to the next class.