Beginner Agility - Class Three

Romeo is currently taking agility classes through D&S. Tonight was his third class.

Wow, that boy loves agility!

I wasn't ever really keen on agility. It's never been something I was interested in ... but then again, neither was formal obedience! I started off in dog sports with flyball, then to rally-o. A tracking seminar came available a couple of years ago, so why not. And then a therapy dog test came up, so let's try that, too. When Romeo came along, he learned flyball and rally-o. But then because of rally-o, he knew what he needed for formal obedience, so why not do that, too? And now agility, because in training for rally-o Romeo decided that he really REALLY loved the tunnel and jumps and weaves.

What we don't do for our dogs, eh?

Tonight we were introduced to the dog walk and chute, and a bit more playing with the tire and weaves that we had learned last class. Romeo LOVES the dog walk, full on body shivers when I tell him to "get ready ... walk it!" Of course, "walk" is just a technical term. In reality, he's blazing across the dog walk already. With me running frantically beside him, arms out stretched, ready to catch him if he falls. But he didn't fall, just tore his way across again and again. Excited bounces once back on the ground as if to say, "I did it! Did ya see? Did ya? Huh?"

I have a couple of portable electric fence posts in the back yard that we use to practice the weaves. We are currently working on proofing entries. Romeo will consistently do 6 poles if we do a regular entry. But it's a bit sloppier on the off-side entries. So that is a work in progress. I need to rig up something for a tire, though. While he will go through the tire without issue, we definitely need some proofing. I don't think he quite gets the difference between going through the tire and going under the tire.

He's going to be really fun to run, once we get ourselves together. Yes, that is me using the word "fun" to describe agility. Something I never would have done even a couple of months ago. But things really are fun when you see your dog enjoying it so much!