An Introduction
to Training

          
 
Agility obedience is a term I made up to describe some of the ground exercises that we do to help us with our steering, contacts and general obedience in the ring.  It's not the same as conventional obedience in that Jamie doesn't need close heelwork or perfect sits.   I felt that the close attention to detail and the walking pace of the obedience ring might hamper us in agility so I took some of the exercises and adapted them. Jamie and Sash also work on either side of me which is a "no no" in obedience. As a result they find it easier to pay attention and they're more supple. Jamie works ahead of me with confidence but Sasha has a lot to learn.   I've also pinched a heelwork to music exercise which helps with suppleness and general confidence and we do a sort of flyball/ retrieve exercise for when I'm knackered. This gets Jamie working along a line of jumps without me. 

Sasha is going to learn this next so that she can go on over jumps instead of spinning and barking.  I'll try and get a video clip of her to see how we get on.  I don't have a hope in hell of keeping up with her in the ring so she'll have to learn to jump ahead of me.

At training classes we tend to practice over the equipment all the time but if I did this with the dogs every day it would be very stressful on their joints.  Sometimes a dog needs a rest from jumping and constant practice can leave them bored and unenthusiastic.  We practice over jumps about twice a week at home and for only a very short period.  We go once a week to training classes which last an hour and a half.   Now that Jamie's older he doesn't need so much jumping but he still enjoys his classes.  The oldies do half an hour or less if they get tired and then the youngsters take over.  Sasha loves these classes.  For fitness Jamie and Sasha have plenty of walks in rough country and they also goes out with their friends and have a good run.   The agility obedience sessions fit in perfectly with this regime.