New 'agility' sport tests relationship between dogs and their owners

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mountain Home dog owners now have a local facility where they can train their dogs for participation in the growing sport of dog agility.

Agility is a sport in which the owner directs his/her dog through an obstacle course requiring speed and accuracy. The owner may not touch the dog or the obstacles and must control the dog, off leash, with only voice commands and body signals, requiring specific training and close communication between dog and owner.

An agility course consists of standardized obstacles such as jumps, tunnels, weave polls, hoops, see-saws, A-frames and other challenges that the dog must maneuver its way through. The layout of the course and the order in which it must be run is complex enough to require a careful strategy and precision handling by the owner.

The sport was designed in 1977 to fill the time between championship obedience events and the announcement of the judges results. Its popularity grew internationally and was eventually taken up by small community groups who wanted to hold agility events primarily as a way of having fun with their dogs.

Prior to Terry Farlow's opening Mountain Home Herding and Agility, dog owners wishing to participate in the sport needed to travel to Boise to find a trainer and course.

An experienced agility trainer, Farlow opened his course in 2007. Since then, Farlow has trained dogs in private and group classes and has volunteered his time and equipment to train three 4-H groups.

Farlow said that, while the 4-H groups are not ready for AKC competition-level trials, they held their first 4-H trial in conjunction with the 2008 Elmore County Fair in Glenns Ferry and plan to have another trial in Elmore County in 2009.

Members of the 4-H class said agility gives them a chance to learn dog training skills and time to have fun with their dogs.

Kala Parsons, captain of the Elmore County Civil Administration and Dispatch, has worked her Austrailian shepherd, Txakurre, at Farlow's facility for a year. The team is now competing in AKC agility trials and has earned their first-level agility title.

Parsons said she can only practice an hour a week, but enjoys the time she spends with her dog. "It is good exercise for both the dog and me and Txakurre likes the obstacles," she said.

Dog owners can find more information about local agility groups through Mountain Home Herding and Agility (mountanhomeha.com), or BARC, Boise Agility Runners and Climbers (boiseagility.org).

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  • I love watching these on TV. What a good thing for our area.

    -- Posted by senior lady on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, at 9:41 PM
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