THUNDER BAY – Sleeping Giant Dog Sports held its third annual Agility Association of Canada dog trial this past weekend at Chippewa Park.
Heather Wark, chief course builder for Agility Association of Canada, said it is essentially an obstacle course for dogs.
Wark also coaches for her own business, Love That Dog, and teaches agility for PAWsitively Social Canine Adventures.
“There's a bunch of different types of classes. People usually refer to it as an obstacle course for your dog that you have to guide them through. They do obstacles in a particular order and their job is to do those obstacles that you're hoping they're going to do.”
It takes some time and experience for dogs and handlers to work up to this point, Wark said.
“A novice dog and a novice handler, would typically take around two years from when they start training. That's usually at around six months in terms of starting agility training.
“They're usually between two and three years old when they first start competing,” she said.
There were between 40 and 50 dogs and handlers competing in the trial on Sunday.
Sleeping Giant Dog Sports runs three trials in the summer – one at the beginning of June and mid to end of July, and then one in mid-September.
“Most people start agility training after they have started training with their dog in group classes and they wanted to keep going. Lots of people will then move from basic manners classes to something like a sport like agility.
“Lots of the local dog businesses such as PAWsitively Social Canine Adventures, where I work, will run classes for people just starting out with their first agility dog."
Wark said an interesting demographic in the sport is folks whose kids have moved away from home.
“People who are looking for something to do with all the extra time that they have and they maybe already have a dog. They wonder if this is something they could do. We have lots of people who start like that and who are surprised by how much they enjoy it as something they can do with their dog,” Wark said.
This was Giselle Colosimo and Mabel’s second year.
“I started trialling with Mabel last summer. We are both still relatively new at it.
“We started with some classes that taught us the foundations, and we have continued to build on those foundations with more advanced classes and coaching."
Colosimo said conditioning the dogs in the off season helps keep the dogs in shape as it is a physically demanding sport.
“There is a lot of trust that needs to be built between the handler and the dog. It’s very much a team sport. Mabel is smart and she loves to work for me. It’s just tons of fun for both of us.
“I actually have another dog that I might start trialling with next year, but for now I'm trying to further develop Mabel’s skills as well as my own skills as a handler.”
Sleeping Giant Dog Sports has a Facebook page with more information.
