Saturday, March 10, 2007

Ground Control for Agility




I have been asked to run a 'ground control' class for agility - basic obedience geared towards agility. This would include heelwork, recalls, waits, directional work, toy work, agility handling moves etc, all in the context of agility. Some agility equipment might be used occasionally, but all would be at ground level.


If there is enough interest, I will get a group organised. We need 6 to 10 people, paying group rates (£7 each, payable 4 weeks in advance) to cover the costs of the venue, equipment etc. for an hour.


Dogs of all ages are able to attend, from puppies through to older dogs, as there is no off ground work involved. Some basic obedience is required, such as Good Citizen Bronze Award - or the Good Citizen Puppy Assessment in the case of dogs under 6 months old.


This is a good pre-agility foundation, but will also benefit dogs already competing in agility that require a little more control, as well as handlers struggling with some of the agilty moves when working their dogs off ground.


Please let me know if you are interested - I can only get this started if there is enough interest. It is likely to be held on a Tuesday evening in Halifax.

Planning for September


The next Beginners' Agility Class will start in September, as the show season begins to quieten down. Details of this will be posted probably in August, so keep watching if you are interested in joining.

Dogs should be over 12 months old, fit not fat, and have basic control skills to Good Citizen Silver standard. This means they should come back to you as soon as called, and work with you off lead without running off. Dogs that enjoy playing with their owners are definitely easier to train, so work on this in the meantime!