Teaching "Old" Dogs New Tricks

Agility -- Great for Dogs and Their Humans

When I tell friends about my new hobby, I often get confused looks – the equivalent of the way your dog cocks her head and perks up her ears when she has no idea why you just made some kind of nonsensical noise.

 
“Daisy and I are getting into Dog Agility,” I tell my friends, with excitement.

 “WTF is Dog Agility?” my friends’ eyes say in response.

 “Sorry, you might not know what dog agility is,” I explain, “but I promise you’d know it if you saw it – you’ve probably seen videos of dogs running through a series of jumps, tunnels, hoops and obstacles, almost like horses doing a steeplechase.”

This usually creates the visual and some understanding, but I’m pretty sure people still have no idea how fun it can be to work with your four-legged best friend to run an obstacle course.

So let me tell you.

It’s really, really, really fun.

And you really, really, really need professional help and instruction.

 

I’ve been taking dog agility classes at a local training facility – Woofs Dog Training Center – with my Australian Shepherd mix, Daisy Sue, for the last six months. Our instructors required that Daisy first pass a basic obedience class, which was also quite fun.

 Getting started in agility can feel slow – feeding your dog a million treats just for sniffing an obstacle or touching it with her paw. But even early on, the communication with your dog starts to deepen. My husband noticed, within a few weeks, that Daisy was looking at me and following me around the house in a new way – we looked more like a “team” than ever before (and I’ve had her for more than six years!).

 Three series of classes later (each course lasts seven weeks and meets for one hour each week), Daisy and I are able to complete a course like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdQ6wm1eskg

 

Daisy is also running through tunnels, jumping through ‘tires’ and scrambling over A-frames. In our next class, we’ll tackle the super-cool category of weave polls!

Daisy is one of the older dogs in our classes – she’ll probably never become an agility champion, because she simply won’t be as fast as the younger dogs.

 
But, you know what? I don’t care one bit. For one hour each week, Daisy and I are learning together, bonding, and I am grinning from ear to ear – while also getting a decent workout of my own! For us, the rewards of agility training are immediate, lasting and don’t require a ribbon or trophy.

Daisy likes agility so much -- she has her own outdoor course!!

Jean Card is a writer and dog lover living in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband Noel Card, their dog Daisy Sue, foster dog Savannah and their two cats, Ricky and Lucy.

 

Canine Education -- Good for Dogs and Humans

Why You Should Go to School With Your Dog

By Jean Card

Like many dog lovers, I once believed that love conquers all – that simply caring for my dog would lead us through any behavioral challenges.

 Then I got a dog.

 I was fortunate enough, at the time, to have a neighbor and friend who was a veterinarian and dog behavior guru – the owner of three champion Laikas with enough ribbons and trophies to fill a wall of bookshelves in her house!

My friend was more than willing to share her knowledge of what it really takes to have a great, well-behaved dog (instead of the incessantly barking, jumping, leash-biting, leash-pulling, yowling 10-month-old shelter puppy name Daisy that I had on my hands … without the first clue of what to do other than feed, pet and love her!).

From my veterinarian friend, I learned the basic value of things like crating, daily long walks and always rewarding positive behavior (“always carry treats!” she told me).

 My friend also taught me the importance of enrolling in actual training classes with my dog – something I now recommend to every dog owner I know.

 

Daisy and I have been through basic obedience twice – once at Pet Smart and once at Woofs in Arlington, Virginia – and have recently graduated to more intermediate skills in a Woofs tricks class last fall.

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With each class we take, the bond between us deepens and my ability to lead Daisy into the most desirable behavior is increased exponentially.

Here is just one example of what I’ve learned in class that I would never have known otherwise:

The most basic positive dog behavior – the foundation for all others – is voluntary attention and eye contact from your dog. This simple act of the dog looking at you and holding your gaze is something that should be rewarded with a yummy, tiny treat, over and over and over. Our work on this basic skill means that when we’re out on a dog walk and encounter an exciting situation (like a jumping, barking or lunging dog), I am more likely to be able to engage Daisy’s attention on ME and move past the situation without escalation.

 

Because of what we’ve learned in class (and practiced on walks and at home), Daisy and I are now ready to do even more fun things together – we’ll be taking an agility class soon, and we will continue to work on the skills needed to earn her Canine Good Citizen certification this year, qualifying her to be a therapy dog at local hospitals.

 

Going to school with your dog is the responsible thing to do, but it is also the most fun thing you can do as a dog owner and dog lover. For me, it has meant learning more about my favorite topic (Daisy and dogs!) and deepening my bond with my best canine friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Card is a writer and dog lover living in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband Noel Card, their dog Daisy Sue, and their two cats, Ricky and Lucy.