Flying Fast Agility Dog

Lilli had advanced agility tonight with our agility trainer Kristin Spillane.   Since this is our first agility post, I’ll start at the begininng.

We started Lilli in basic obedience training when she was about 8 months old.  We learned sit/stays, heals, come to sides, down/stays, recalls and how to walk around the little orange cones in a figure 8.  Lilli thought obedience needed a lot more running.  She learned quickly so we could move on to advanced obedience (conformation training) where we learned off lead and then on to where it really got fun…basic agility.

The obedience classes were required before agility and we certainly needed the setups and sit/stays!  In beginner agility, we learned the Wobble board, Dog Walk, the Plank, Table, Jump, Tire, Tunnel, Chute and Lilli’s favorite to this day, A-Frame.  Agility was a great way to expend energy and keep her mind active. Essentially, it was a huge playground for her.  She was fearless and nailed every element.  She was ready for advanced agility.

The major differences between basic and advanced are the combinations of equipment and added distractions – and we were also introduced to the weave poles and teeter.  In the last 4 sessions, we learned front crosses and rear crosses, 270 turns, and tons of jumping combinations.

What I learned most of all is that agility, like disc dogging, has a LOT to do with the handler.  When I’m relaxed, she’s relaxed.  It all depends on how and where I step,  my pace, and having some idea of where I’m headed next.  Walking the courses first helped a lot.  Handling an aussie like Lilli can be challenging because she’s so FAST. Most of the time, she was on to something else before I got there so leading out and giving the next obstacle command quickly was very important.

It helped to have someone there with me when I was training to see things in my body movement that I wasn’t aware of.  Kristin helped Lilli to nail closed weave poles tonight for the first time by simply standing in the spot where she was breaking.  She went all the way through several times before adding a jump before the poles – and she nailed it!

Tonight, we graduated advanced agility.  Now we are on to proofing and mastering the more advanced details.  Lilli took this class with a springer spaniel, so you don’t need a herding or agility breed to play agility.  Anyone can do it – and it’s such a fantastic bonding opportunity for you and your dog!  Next training session, we’ll bring our Flip video so everyone can see Lilli fly.