Getting Started in Agility —
Advice from the Pros and their
Pariah Athletes

This article is based on interviews with Alan Gersman, Jennie Larkin, and Sally Armstrong-Barnhardt

Tycho Through The Weaves

The Origin of the Sport

The sport was first demonstrated in England in 1978 as entertainment to fill time between events at the Crufts International Dog Show. It was modeled on equestrian grand prix jumping and became an over-night success with the spectators. The English Kennel Club awarded official status to the sport in 1980, and by 1986 it had spread to the United States. Agility made an impact in the Great White North, when Art Newman, of North Gower, Ontario, founded the Agility Dog Association of Canada (now called the Agility Association of Canada - AAC) in 1988. It quickly spread to many of the provinces and territories. Today there are over 100 officially recognized clubs and hundreds of unofficial clubs thriving throughout Canada.

The Fundamentals of Agility

Dog agility is an exciting fast-paced sport that focuses on the “team” relationship of dog and handler who negotiate a course of obstacles. The dog is given direction from the handler with voice, body, and hand signals to navigate the course. The obstacles comprise of tunnels, jumps, weaves, and various contact obstacles, such as the A-frame and teeter. Emphasis is on speed and accuracy — completing the course as quickly as possible while not knocking over jumps, missing weave poles, going off course, or missing a contact. Sound like something to explore? Read on!

So What’s the Attraction?

Alan Gersman of Virginia has been training his Canaan Dogs in agility for a decade.  His first Canaan, Isabel, started training at the age of five.  She was a natural game player and a willing companion in training.  She readily took direction and enjoyed being with Alan and learning the elements of agility.  Within three years they were competing at the AKC Invitational trials.  Jennie Larkin, also of Virginia, turned an unrequited desire to do horse jumping into developing a top agility dog.  She too found great enjoyment in developing a strong bond with Tycho through training in obedience and agility.  The consensus appears to be that, even though they both have been successful in agility trials, the benefits come from learning more about their Canaan pals.

Isabel Running The Weaves

Getting Started

An agility course is a confusing mass of obstacles that has to be navigated quickly.  Communication between handler and dog has to be clear and precise.  And the dog must be willing to take commands, especially at a distance.  Thus, a good grounding in obedience is a necessity in order to string a sequence of obstacles together.  Both Alan and Jennie had trained their dogs in obedience before training in agility.  The advantages to their dogs were twofold.  First, they were trained with the commands that would be required in agility and beyond.  And second, they had been involved in settings that required the dog to concentrate on their handler.  This is an important trait for any performance event.  Because agility is done so quickly, the dog must be looking to the handler all the time in order to properly navigate the course.

The next phase is to start to train the various obstacles.  This can be done at a facility or even in your home.  Many aspects can be introduced when the dog is young.  Because agility is a game, young dogs will take to it quickly.  Alan begins obedience and agility training at the age of 7 – 8 weeks. “In my opinion CD's learn 80% of what they are ever to learn in the first 6-8 months of their life. So if your CD is older you will be in the retraining mode, that is, you have to un-train some behaviors while training new ones and that should be kept in mind.”  Jennie is the same way.  “Have fun.  Do NOT drill!!!  Teach your dog to spin right and left.  Get just a few things for your backyard to practice.  Take private lessons and/or rent a facility to practice.”

Training   

As within all breeds, each dog is different when it comes to training.  Some like Isabel are natural game players and thus, understand the game of agility.  Others like Alan’s MACH dog Lada L., are not game players, but will “play” at agility because of their handler.  Different motivations must be applied.  Learning about “your” dog is an essential step in the development of the handler and their subsequent ability to find ways to train their dog.  Each obstacle has unique characteristics and must be trained differently.  Thus, some obstacles will be very natural for some of the dogs, while others will require innovative methods to develop proficiency.  Alan recommends starting with the Weave Poles.

“I use channel weaves, that is, you place the poles in such a manner that creates a channel for the dog to run. You can get a set of 12 stick-in the ground weave poles, go to a backyard, or park and practice. You set a wide channel and either throw a ball or have a second person at the other end. As the dog learns to run from end to end you gradually move the poles closer, narrowing the channel.  The objective in starting with the poles is to teach speed. Teaching poles could take 12 months or so, you want your CD to think speed, speed, etc…”

Tycho was not a fan of the teeter. “We overcame the fear of the teeter through copious amounts of freshly cooked chicken… the lesson here is that bribery works really well to get your Canaan Dog to do things he is reluctant to do. Learn what your dog adores and use that knowledge”, Jennie recommends.

In their experience neither advocates repetition during training.  Says Alan, “Repeating an obstacle or sequence of obstacles will create in the CD's mind that they must have done the sequence wrong or why repeat it.”  He goes on to say,“CD's are perfectionist's and one must keep this in mind while training.”  Jennie echoes this sentiment and stresses that it must always be fun. After all, what is the point if you and your dog are not enjoying the activity?

Ultimately, we trainers must realize that it comes down to our abilities.  The dog will only perform well if we have trained them properly.  Jennie says, “…the dog is always right.  If he didn't do what you wanted him to, the fault is with you.  Your job is to find out what you did wrong and correct it.”  Alan carries on the theme,“Never criticize, never repeat an obstacle, always encourage and support.  Always be positive, praise only correct performance, ignore incorrect performance.  When the performance is not done properly the reason is ALWAYS the trainer has failed to communicate what it is he/she wants from the dog.”

So ultimately, the success of your Canaan is dependant upon you as the trainer.  It is up to us to instill the confidence and skills in our dogs.  The team will only be as good as is our ability to lead the way.  Sally Armstrong-Barnhardt, who has trained her Canaan, Echo to her Excellent titles in AKC agility says some of the best advice she can pass on is a quote from Sarah A. Ferrell from an article in the AKC Gazette:“Exceptional trainers understand that a great horse, or dog, can be created only when the animal has confidence that he can please his trainer. Confident, energetic, freely given performances are built on days, months, even years of partnership in training."

And with that – Go Canaan Go! Have fun building a relationship with your pariah pal!

Alan Gersman Interview

Jennie Larkin Interview