But make no mistake, when it comes to agility trials – and especially events sanctioned by the Agility Association of Canada – it’s all very serious business to both pup and companion alike.
Around 40 competitors were at the Golden Mile Arena during the Nov. 23 weekend for the Moose Jaw Dog Club’s agility event, featuring some of the top dogs from throughout the province making their way over wall obstacles, cat walks, tunnels and yes, even the weave poles.
All designed to show off synchronicity between critter and owner in a competitive environment.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, for sure,” said Tracey Cook, president of the Moose Jaw Dog Club.
“Dogs have to do a clean run, they have to do the course as it’s laid out and within the time limit. They’re all off-leash and they have to listen to their owners and their owners have to direct them where to go. So the dogs have to be focussed on their handler and their handler has to give them information at the correct time. If the timing is incorrect it could cause the dog to go somewhere else, so you have to been right on with that.”
Getting everything together in practice is one thing, but much like their human counterparts, getting on the big stage and under the arena lights can make for a different story.
“Some dogs handle the stress of the situation differently, too, some dogs will get out there and even though they might be trained for competition, the competition itself is stressful so they might have some issues there,” Cooke said. “It’s all part of the training and experience.”
Santa Claus was even on hand during Saturday’s action, taking photos with pups for Christmas.Dogs take to the course with different criteria for each of the performance levels – Starters, Advanced and Masters – with pups ready to compete around two years of age. That’s with training from a puppy onward; older dogs who take up agility will naturally start competing once they're older and more experienced.
“And it’s continuous ongoing training, like with my dogs, even though they’re at the Master level, you’re always working on honing skills and things like that,” said Cook, who had four of her own pets running the course through the day. “It’s a lifelong commitment for the dogs until they’re ready for retirement.”
The local club trains weekly out of the basement of the Palliser Regional Library during the colder months before moving onto the outdoor ring at the Exhibition Grounds during the summer.
“We have lots of dogs who are just starting their journey in the agility ring, they’re picking up on cues and even if they don’t qualify, there’s a lot of learning that’s going on,” Cook said. “Even if they don’t do a perfect run, there’s a lot that can be learned for the next time so eventually it does get to the point that we get a great run and we’re perfectly in synch together.”
