Just for you, Carrie. Dog agility class is kind of like obedience class, but you teach them to run through tunnels, go over jumps and weave through poles. It’s like enrolling your dog in sports camp except you have to participate right alongside them.
We started with dog obedience this fall. My friend who teaches the class has four dogs of her own and owns an agility training school back in the US. She is an excellent dog trainer and as part of our basic class she pulled out her jumps and tunnels and we played around with them for a bit. When she started up an agility class we jumped at the chance to join in. Since Micah is a very athletic dog, he has no problem executing the moves, it’s more a matter of figuring out what motivates him (chasing moving objects, food, praise) and learning how to direct him with hand signals and my voice.
It’s great to get his mind working and to give him a “job” to do. His confidence has improved, he’s less anxious, and he gets along great with the other dogs in the class. When he sees me grab his black bag that holds his leash, water and treats, he knows it’s time for class and he almost wiggles out of his skin as waits for me at the front door. It’s one more thing to add to my schedule, but I see a big payoff from it. If we were stateside I’d love to do some more serious agility with him and see what he’s capable of.
This is NOT what Micah and I look like (We’ve chained together 2 jumps, a tunnel and the weave poles and he’s super slow on the poles), but it’s fun to see what these dogs can do.