One bright brown doggy eye peeks into the tunnel followed by the other. Howie cautiously moves ahead as he hears a familiar voice coming from the other side. “C’mon Howie, you can do it. C’mon.”

As the soft voice lures him, Howie runs forward and emergences from the tunnel. Tell wagging, he leaps into his owner’s arms and licks her face.

Howie is learning to navigate a dog agility course,

In dog agility, the handler/canine team moves through an obstacle course as quickly as possible. The handler directs the dog to the next obstacle using body language and verbal cues.

The United States Dog Agility Association requires a competitive agility course to contain specific obstacles. Courses must have an A-frame ramp, see-saw, dog walk, a set of narrowly spaced poles through which the dog must weave, two tunnels, a table obstacle, a tire jump and three hurdles.

Any dog with physical agility and energy is a candidate for the sport, according to the USDAA. Though many breeds are more naturally adapted to agility competition than others, more than 150 breeds, including mixed-breeds, have been known to perform well.

“I think if every dog owner engaged in agility training with his or her dog, the dog world would be a better place,” Sue Sterner, a trainer and author on dog adoption, shares on 3 Lost Dogs, a website devoted to dog ownership. “Agility is that good, that fun and that important.”

The Training

Dave Gannon, a retired airlines pilot from Mineola who has trained dogs for 45 years, says that to be a successful competitor, a dog first must master basic commands. “Before a dog can move into any specialized area like agility, rally or obedience, he and his handler have to know and be able to execute without hesitation basic commands. Mastery of these basic commands is the foundation for any other type of training they want to do. The commands, ‘sit,’ ‘come,’ ‘down,’ ‘down stay,’ ‘stay’ and ‘stand,’ plus walking on a loose leash are prerequisites for all other training. And they’re behaviors that can be life-saving for the dog.”

Bill McFarlin, of Flint, has been training dogs for 50 years. In 2008, McFarlin and his orange-and-white Brittany spaniel, Star, were featured on the CBS television reality competition “Great American Dog.”

“I train my dogs almost every day,” McFarlin says in one of his blog postings. “My dogs give me 100 percent and I try to return that positive energy. Building a solid foundation will get you far in your type of dog training. Just remember to be fair, consistent, positive and have a plan.”

Dog trainer Cheryl Etheridge of Tyler says, “A well-behaved, obedience-trained dog is more fun to be with and (agility training) demonstrates responsible dog ownership.” She is readying her Vizsla, Woody, for the third level of agility training.

The trainers recommend a dog/handler pair go through obedience training before moving into agility training and warn that those who want to be competitive in the sport should be prepared to train weekly.

Gannon created a climate-controlled agility training facility, McFarlin converted his yard into a training course and Etheridge trains at the Lucky Dog Training Center near Tyler.

Terry Dyck operates CM Streek, an agility training arena near Frankston named for her three champion agility dogs. Dyck says that it typically takes a team from several months to up to three years before it is able to post competitive course-completion times.

“It all depends on the dog-partner relationship. If they work strongly as a team initially, it usually proves to be a much faster training period,” she says.

The Fun

Trainers agree that dog obedience and agility training is a great endeavor – promoting exercise, bonding between owner and pet and better behavior from the dog – even for those who never plan to compete. Agility course layouts and obstacles can be purchased and are easy to set up.

“Dog agility is fun!” says Dyck. “If either the dog or human participant isn’t having fun, it’s time to step back and evaluate. Usually it turns out to be a training issue, and that generally is easily fixed.”

++++

10 Reasons To Do Agility Training

It solves behavioral problems of dogs.

It exercises your dog’s body and mind.

It exercises your body and mind.

It improves your dog’s off-leash reliability.

It helps you train and communicating with your dog.

It builds a strong bond between you and your dog.

You can show off a really cool skill.

You meet people with the same interests.

It’s a great sport for people of all ages and abilities.

It’s a lot of fun!

Courtesy of 3lostdogs.com