Sheepiepalooza (please read): Sheepies Wanted .....
I received lots of enthusiatic responses to the Sub-Novice (pay at the gate) Agility on Sunday. As I long suspected, people can be intimidated by the peformance people and their dogs doing agility, rally and obedience. They feel like an outsider and that they can never make it to the inner circle. This IS a misconception and the St. Louis OES Club members are proud of what we offered and saw this past weekend. We offered two things that you would not be able to find somewhere else. 1) Sub-Novice rings in agility and rally. This was a chance to see if your dog had an interest in the sports. It also showed that with some encouragement dogs can overcome their apprehension of the agility equipment and show an inclination to take the obstacle on their own. Essentially we provided a sample of what you would see in a class. We saw some great promise this weekend. So if your dog showed interest in the agility (or you were interested) consider taking a class because of the second thing we offered below. 2) Pre-Novice agility. This category also does not exist in agility but we created a course for dogs with some class instruction and the ability to take most of the obstacles independently. We removed the harder obstacles such as the dog walk and the teeter plus simplified the A-frame and the weave poles. Essentially we provided them with a trial situation for their level. The results were impressive. Val, for example, has only had seven weeks of instruction with a dog that didn't want to jump. She and Heart proved that with a little bit of work and lots of encouragment you and your dog can get started in a fun venue. It was exciting to see all of our up and coming performance dogs: Macy, Liz, Chewie, Simon, Garfunkel, Sadie, Tonks, Heart and Che (yes, Che too!). Doing performance with any dog is rewarding but working an OES is especially so because of their intelligence and drive to work. The goal does not have to be about entering trials but teaching your dog something fun to do with you as a teammate. Getting started is as easy as finding somewhere local to attend an agility or rally class. The forum members involved in these activites can be great resources in training. We look forward to seeing more of you in Performance next year. Thanks to all of the forum members who lent a hand to help with this year's peformance events: Kristine, Dawn, Kathi, LeAnne and Stephanie. Your help along with a few of the local club members meant that we were able to run a successful fun match. |
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| Congratulations on a fantastic idea.
You have described my concerns re agility to a tee, and I'm a mad Aussie. 
I want to try Tiggy in agility, as she's already bored to naughtiness in obedience but its really hard to find a class near where I live that will work for us. So far the clubs I've contacted insist on the dog having quite high obedience levels which rules us out currently. Tiggy would rather play than recall when she's off lead. And as a "dogs as pets" person I've no experience in the world of performance dogs, so you're right, it really is daunting. It would be great if there was a pre-novice class where Tiggy and I could go just for fun and to see if we like it. |
| I've already recommended this video set to a few others in person, so I should try here as well. Moe Strenfel (sp) has a good foundation DVD out that will help get the dogs ready for agility and its all fun stuff you can do with your dog that will get them ready for the agility ring. |
| I'm so grateful for your Pre- and Sub-Novice events. We did Sub-Novice Agility last year, which encouraged me to enroll the girls in Agility when they hit 12 months old (old enough to jump safely). This year, I wasn't sure they could do a Novice Agilty course with only 10 weeks of class under our belt. So the Pre-Novice allowed Tonks and I to have fun and not be overwhelmed by how daunting the Novice level looks.
Thanks you guys, for striving to make Sheepie Palooza fun for all levels of dogs and handlers!!!   |
Darth Snuggle wrote: So the Pre-Novice allowed Tonks and I to have fun and not be overwhelmed by how daunting the Novice level looks.
Allison, just so you know, the more advanced dogs ran Open level courses. The jump to novice is not as big as the handling challenges on the Open courses would make you think. AKC novice standard, especially, is often quite straight forward. Something to consider for next year. Kristine |
Mad Dog wrote: Darth Snuggle wrote: So the Pre-Novice allowed Tonks and I to have fun and not be overwhelmed by how daunting the Novice level looks. Allison, just so you know, the more advanced dogs ran Open level courses. The jump to novice is not as big as the handling challenges on the Open courses would make you think. AKC novice standard, especially, is often quite straight forward. Something to consider for next year. Kristine I think next year we will be ready to try the challenge. I plan on pursuing more training with the girls on the course, and maybe even some doing some competition between now and then. Maybe.  |
| I was very grateful for the opportunity to 'try it out'! I was inspired to find a local class for the boys. I am not sure that Baley will excel but I think after watching Baxter go through it--that he might really enjoy it. I am leaving Sat. for an overseas trip but when I get home I am going to search for a class.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to see the experienced dogs perform and also watch so many get to try it out! |
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