Yesterday, Sunday, my dog Mona and I attended our first Intermediate Agility class at the Peninsula Humane Society. For those not familiar with Agility, it is basically an obstical course of equipment that a dog learns to go on, over or through. (If you want a good example, go on You Tube under Dog Agility. Actually, you can even see a turtle doing an agility course.) We had completed Beginner Agility a couple of weeks earlier and were eager to start the next phase.
We began by reviewing the elements we had already learned. That included three hurtles, a hoop, and a table (onto which they jump). The dogs are encouraged (actually, bribed) with treats, and love jumping over, through and onto the obstacles. And, of course, they love getting that edible reward. Each person must learn the correct technique as well, since the dog has to learn which obstacle to go to next by following its persons lead. I can think of nothing more entertaining than watching all the various humans and dogs attempting these behaviors. Then it is my turn, with Mona, to make fools of ourselves.
Since there is a beginner class right before our class, there are lots of treats left in the grass. The biggest challenge we humans faced was keeping our dogs from sniffing each blade of grass, searching for all the left-over treats. Our teacher suggested for our homework that we find some reward that will trump any tiny morsel of food. Perhaps a squeaky toy or Porter House steak will do the trick.
There are eight dogs in the class, ranging from a huge, lanky Rhodesian Ridge Back to a tiny chihuahua mix. My dog, Mona is on the larger size. She is some sort of coon hound mix (see picture in profile.) My personal task is to try to keep Mona quiet while we are waiting for our turn. Being a hound makes her very vocal and she always wants to express her excitement or boredom with a yelp or bark. I swear I used up about a third of her treats just trying to keep her silent. The Ridge Back always wants to play with the other dogs, so he has to be sequestered off to the side. And it smells like there is a skunk living under the equipment shed. Several of the dogs keep making bee lines over to check it out. By the time class was over, all humans and canines were hot, tired and panting. Can't wait for next week!
