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AGILITY
Agility is a sport in which a dog and handler team run an predetermined obstacle course in a set amount of time. The handler tries to guide the dog over the proper obstacles. At the beginner levels, the dogs are allowed a few mistakes but as your team advances the number of mistakes allowed is decreased.
Agility can be taught to most types of dogs and there are shows for both purebred dogs and mixed breeds. To take agility at Rockwood Dog Training Center, your dog must have had at least 6-8 weeks of obedience training ( the training does not have to take place at our facility). They MUST wear a buckle collar to class. No choke chains or pinch collars will be permitted while the dogs are learning the agility equipment.
When we teach the dogs we use lots of food for motivation (so if your dog has a special diet please bring the proper treats) Most of our treats are lunch meats, such as turkey or ham and sometimes last night's roast. The use of food will gradually disappear after the first 6 weeks.
Most of the Agility classes will be taught by Greta Marchus & Bridget Telencio.
Rockwood Dog Training Center offers 4 different types of Agility:
Beginners
Handling
Skills
Competition
Beginner agility
class is for those dogs or handlers who have never done agility. The
class is 6 weeks long and it teaches the dogs all AKC regulation equipment
(A-Frame, Teeter, Dog Walk, Weave Poles, Tunnel, Table, Tire, Jump, Shoot and Spread
Jump.) The equipment starts off lower than regulation height so that the
dog can safely learn and gain confidence. For safety purposes, all dogs in
this class must wear a buckle collar with no tags or things hanging from it.
No
choke chains or pinch collars will be permitted while the dogs are learning the
agility equipment. By
the end of the class, you will be able to guide your dog to safely negotiate all
equipment and move on to one of the next classes.
Unlike other agility classes, you and your dog need to attend all
sessions in the class.
Agility
Handing class is for those handlers who
need to work on handling problems they are having with their dogs.
This class will be geared toward those dogs who know all the equipment but need
to work more on go outs, send to, and other basic and advanced handling
techniques. When you
have mastered handling techniques, you and your dog can move to the
competition level.
Prerequisite: beginner
agility class
Intermediate Agility class is for those dogs that need to work more on the equipment and staying with their handlers. It will focus more on obedience and dog attention. Once the problems are solved, the dog and handler team can move to the competition level. Prerequisite: beginner agility class
Competition Agility class is for those handler and dog teams that are ready to or already competing in agility shows. The obstacle courses used in class will be designed more for open and excellent working dogs giving the novice level dog an advantage when they begin to compete. Prerequisite: beginner, intermediate, or handling classes or previous experience.
Revised on 09/17/2006
