Canines show off their agility

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This article was published 27/06/2022 (1184 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dogs and their handlers were tearing up the grass at Crocus Obedience & Kennel Club Saturday for the Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut Regional Agility Championships.

The two-day championship featured more than 60 competitors and 70 dogs racing in the ring.

Chairperson Melanie Hart competed in the championship with her border collie Kavu, 9.

“He loves it. He is fast. He is so excited to get in there,” Hart said. “He knows where he is. He knows what he’s going to be playing and he’s excited.”

Kavu has been racing in the ring for almost eight years, she said, and knows when the duo will be competing in agility. When he gets out on the equipment, Kavu is serious because he knows he is a dog with a job.

The first round of competition is Gamblers Course, where teams make up their own course and accumulate points. When the whistle blows, the team is required to conquer a sequence of obstacles.

A Standard Course follows and includes all of the agility equipment such as weaving, poles, A-frames, jumps, tunnels and more designed to test a dog’s agility skills and their ability to follow a numbered course.

The final run of the day is the Jumpers Course, a “fast and fun” course featuring only jumps and tunnels.

“The courses are run at a masters level, the highest level, so basically most of the dogs here have been competing in agility for a while,” Hart said. “They’re probably the most skilled of all the agility dogs in the provinces.”

In preparation for competitions, teams will train in agility classes. Dogs will typically train for about two years before they are ready to compete in agility.

The sport is open to all kinds of breeds.

“We go from the smallest dogs like papillons, there’s a lot of shelties, there’s border collies, we have mixed breeds and there are different classes for the younger dogs versus [the older dogs].”

It is a mix of excitement and nerves being back in the agility ring, Hart said. The dogs follow the lead of their handlers, picking up on any nerves or excitement during a run.

For those in Brandon interested in learning the sport of agility, contact the club online. Hart said a dog needs to be safe off-leash, follow recall, be able to focus, have general obedience skills and want to work with you to find success in the sport.

“It’s just a really fun sport. We’ve made lots of friends. The dogs love it, and it’s good exercise for the dog and the handler,” Hart said.

Dawn Hubick travelled from just outside Regina with her border collies, Wren, 8, and Hawke, 3. Both dogs get visibly excited at the start line when they know it is their turn to run.

“I love the speed and I love the adrenalin,” Hart said. “They love to do this, too — they’re both really fast and drivey.”

Regionals are her favourite competition because they help measure the team’s training success. Her goal for the weekend was to accumulate enough points to attend the national championship in Edmonton in August.

“You don’t think about it [in the ring], but at the end of the day even if they don’t get enough points we were still out there playing, we still got to visit with everybody, and that’s what really matters,” Hart said. “Regionals, nationals, that’s just icing.”

Each run is unique, she added, as no agility course is ever the same design. This requires strategy and strong communication with her dogs.

The training keeps her and her dogs fit while helping them build a strong bond both in and out of the ring. After training together over the years, the dogs become tuned in to her body language, Hart said, following her in the course with minimal verbal commands.

“They just follow me everywhere,” Hart said.

The dogs also appreciate having the opportunity to run because it allows them to work out while also using their brains, she added.

“We just try our hardest and hopefully have fun,” Hart said.

Brandonite Sarah van Renselaar and her dog Zero, also known as “Zero to 60,” competed in regionals for the first time Saturday. She described Zero as a sweet and smart dog who wants to work with her as a team.

Zero was bred as a sports dog in Regina specifically for agility sports.

“I’m not a big agility person, but my dog really enjoys it and I want to do this with him,” van Renselaar said. “It’s so nice to have that connection with your dog. To come out and play and have fun and be a team.”

It is stressful competing at the masters level, she said, but overall a lot of fun. The duo have been training at the masters level, but all their previous competitions have been at the starters level because they are new to the sport.

“To come out here and run at competition in our first kind of masters level courses in regions is a big shift, but I’m really proud of how he’s doing,” van Renselaar said.

The duo are no strangers to working under pressure as they perform with the WoofJocks and Canine Circus dog teams.

Agility requires a lot more teamwork from both of them, she said. Van Renselaar added this requires taking time to look and listen to ensure they are precise in the ring.

“It’s [WoofJocks and Canine Circus] very showy. He and I do a lot of freestyle. We do special tricks like he reads cards, fast-relays through tunnels,” van Renselaar said. “This [regionals] he has to think more he has to have more recollection. I have to be able to run and think as fast as he is.”

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