Agility:  The Importance of a Foundation

            I would like to begin by saying how honored and excited I am to have the privilege of writing the agility articles for this magazine.  To put it mildly, I would say that I am slightly obsessed with the sport.  I spend a good portion of my free time (and money) training, taking classes, reading, and teaching the sport.  Training an agility dog is much like building a structure.  Do you want to build something that will stand the tests of time or just whip something together that can do the job for now?  Either way you can get the job done, but if you want something that has integrity you must build a foundation.  I am now training my fourth agility dog, Chilly.  I am in no rush to get her in the ring.  For the first time I am taking my time to build the most solid foundation possible.  I do still compete with my second (Stoney) and third (Hemi) agility dogs.  My first agility dog, Darci, is 10 and enjoying her retirement.   Each dog has taught me so much.  The most important thing I’ve learned is that foundation training is the key if you want to be competitive in the sport.     

            The sport of agility has evolved since its beginning and has developed into a very challenging and competitive sport.  Courses are tighter, challenges are tougher, and times are faster.  To compete and consistently qualify at the excellent level, it has become essential to have solid foundation training.  Gone are the days that you can just run next to your dog without thought about handling strategy.  Dogs must understand how to complete each obstacle independently so that their handlers can concentrate on where to go next.  Course times have become so fast that in order to make time, dogs must run with speed, efficiency, and confidence.  Many dogs rush right through novice only to get stuck in open or excellent A.  (I know this one from experience, sorry Darci and Stoney)  Gaps in training become obvious at this point.  A handler has to make a decision, do I go back and “fix” what I didn’t train to begin with, do I keep entering and accept a low Q rate, or do I just give up?  I’ve been at this point with my second dog Stoney and am now training the foundation skills that he lacks.  I won’t make that mistake again. 

            So what is independent obstacle performance?  A dog should understand the job (obstacle) from start to finish no matter where the handler is or what he or she is doing.  For contacts this means the on, the off, and the middle.  You shouldn’t have to be screaming target or touch as they descend.  Too many times I watch dogs tip-toe down the contacts as the handler screams or pleads for them to touch the yellow.  The dog has no idea what is expected, causing him to slow down so much that he just creeps into the yellow and then the handler is happy and the dog jumps off.  The other, often seen scenario, is the dog that gets so stressed or excited by this that it starts to leap off higher and higher just to get off that thing  (that’s my Stoney).  “Baby-sitting” contacts severely limits handling strategy and slows down course times. 

There are so many skills to train before our dogs ever run a course.  Yes you can compete without training a full understanding, but if you are competitive like me, it won’t be good enough.  I look forward to helping you outline a plan for your dog’s foundation in the coming months.

Faulty Foundation

Melissa Davis [arctosgoldens@yahoo.com]

For Other Great Article by Shar click the links below:
The Power of PAWsative Thinking
To Front Or Not To Front That Is The Question
Third Time's A Charm
Teaching Your Dog To Jump
AKC Top Agility Golden Retrievers   
USA Agility Golden Retrievers
Motivating The Golden For Agility
The Video Camera And Agility
Hot Cross Runs
Kenzi (agility Dog with Lympho)
Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle
Let's Play
Agility What is The Right Venue For Me
Agility What is the Right Venue For Me USDA
Agility What Venue for Me -UKC
What Did I Do On My Summer Vacation
Agility Etiquette
CPE
AKC Agility NationalsThe MACH Lesson Learned
Conversation heard at USDAA National Championships
When To Start A Young Dog
Mixed Breeds In Agility

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