Clean Run Magazine - September 2007 - 28

How Do I Know I’m Ready? By Patti and Gene Downing As agility instructors, the most common question we hear is, “How do I know when my dog and I are ready to compete?” This question is not always easy to answer and will vary from person to person and dog to dog. When deciding if your team is ready to compete, there are several questions to ask yourself. Ask Yourself These Questions Does your dog know the obstacles? The first and most important question is whether your dog is comfortable on all the equipment that he will be asked to perform. To answer this question, you must first decide which venue you will be competing in and which classes you will be entering. For instance, if you wish to compete only in Jumpers, it is not necessary for your dog to be comfortable on the contact equipment. © MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM To make sure your dog is comfortable with the equipment, you must be honest with yourself. We often find this is the hardest thing for students to do, and it may be helpful to enlist the aid of your instructor, or someone whose opinion you trust. Your dog may be doing the teeter or the weaves, but is he “comfortable?” The weaves are the most difficult obstacle for a dog to master, and pushing an unprepared, uncomfortable dog into competition can cause much unneeded stress. Do you know the rules? Next, ask yourself if you are comfortable with the rules of the game. Each venue has its own set of rules, so you can’t assume that if you understand one, you understand them all. Most venues have an online link to their rules and regulations. Make sure that you at least read the online rule book, so you know what you’re getting yourself (and your dog) into. To be on the safe side, we recommend that you pay the modest fee and have a hard copy of the rule book in your training bag at the show for any last-minute questions. © CLEAN RUN © PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLEY How does your dog exhibit stress? Do you know how your dog handles stress? Taking a dog from a training situation into a trial situation can be extremely stressful for you and your dog. By being able to recognize the level of stress your dog is exhibiting, you can more easily control it. If you allow trials to be too stressful for your dog, you may always have problems with showing. You need to not only know how your dog handles and exhibits stress, but also if stressors outside the show ring affect him. Does your dog stress if confined in tight spaces? Does your dog have a strong bird-chasing instinct? Does your dog have difficulty with strange men wearing hats? If possible, try exposing your dog to many show situations to see how he reacts before you begin thinking about competition. Have strangers in class act as ring crew and as judges. And don’t forget the dog barking just outside the ring. Knowing how your dog handles these situations before entering a trial can help you know how to react to him. Clean Run | September 07 © DIANELEWISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Can your dog perform all obstacles on both sides? Too many competitors try to compete when their dog can only weave while he is on the handler’s left side. When presented with weaves on the right, the handler may try to add an extra change of side to get into position to do left-side weaves. The added stress is hard on a novice dog and handler. Our best advice is to ask your instructor for an honest opinion. Remember, the instructor has been trialing a long time, and you haven’t. If your instructor says you’re ready, great. If your instructor encourages you to wait, however, don’t get discouraged. Find out what you and your dog need to improve to be ready to compete, and then get back to training while keeping those specific goals in mind. 28 © VICKIE ATKINS

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Clean Run Magazine - September 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - September 2007