Now that I’m back to my regular weekly agility classes (after mom had knee surgery and I had to take a little break) I’ve jumped right back in where I left off and I’m now doing full courses! I’m still a bit of a novice and have plenty to learn, but I’m having loads of fun running the courses!
So what do you think? Does it look like I’m having a blast?!
Last week I had my regularly scheduled dog agility classes at DTCCC, only this time was special because my dad was home from work so he got to come watch me!
Of course I was super excited to show dad all the things I’ve been learning in class – and I went so fast that he could barely capture it on camera!
One of the things I have been learning at class is my agility contacts. Contacts in dog agility refer to a specific contact zone at the base of an object (like the A-frame, teeter, dog walk) that you must place a paw in during competition in order for it to count. Most of these contact zones are marked by a yellow strip at the base of an obstacle.
Being that I’m a small dog it is much easier for me to not miss a contact (because I’m not big enough to soar over it), but it is still best to learn how to do each object properly by entering and exiting it at the very base.
Below is a short video from class that dad took of me working on my contacts with the a-frame. You’ll see that I have a verbal cue (“mark”) that mom gives me as I approach the base of the a-frame, this cues me to pause at the bottom of the board until I get the ok to move forward. As I progress in my training my “mark” won’t be as obvious as I race around the course.
Looks pretty fun right?
Here’s some pervious posts from my adventures in agility training incase you missed it:
DIY: Build your own Agility Jumps
P.S. Don’t forget to vote for me in the 2012 Petties! I’m nominated for best blog design, and winning will earn $1,000 to one of my favorite pet charities!