Clean Run Magazine - January 2007 - 73

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By Elizabeth M. Jarrell Illustration by Catherine Fischer Agility tryouts
sound so intimidating. The implication is that we could fail. We could
perhaps even be agility rejects. Maybe we would even be told to sit in the
corner wearing matching dunce caps. Oh, the pressure! Mr. Oliver, my
Australian Shepherd, and I are a seasoned team in other areas, especially
obedience. Officially he is ASCA OTCH, U-CDX, Ch. Bon Ami’s Easy On The
Eyes UDX, PT, RE, CGC, TDI, TT. He has been nationally ranked in several
systems throughout most of his obedience career. But agility is another
matter. We have taken some introductory agility classes off and on. At one
time, Mr. Oliver was familiar with all the agility equipment and could even
do the weave poles slowly with much fingerpointing on my part. We became so
busy showing in obedience that we could hardly keep up with training in
obedience, much less agility. Recently I decided on a goal of an AKC
Versatility Dog title that requires two agility titles per level. I knew
Mr. Oliver could do agility. I was not so sure about myself. I can barely
follow a rally course performed at a brisk walk. How in the world was I
ever going to negotiate an agility course at a flat-out run? barking. A
few were doing credible imitations of rabid dogs. I quickly moved Mr.
Oliver and my chair into a far corner. I focused so much on keeping Mr.
Oliver and me out of the flight paths of the other dogs that I neglected
to watch the tryouts before us. Our turn Suddenly it was our turn. I
fought back a strong impulse to curtsy to the instructor, which would have
been expected in a ballet audition. The instructor told me to let Mr.
Oliver off leash and allow him to explore the room. Mr. Oliver has never
in his entire life been encouraged to explore an obedience ring. He had
been waiting his whole life for this moment. Being an intact male, he
immediately began sniffing every square inch of the ring. He was
positively thrilled. I, however, was not. What kind of a tryout was this?
Were we tracking or doing agility? What about those lovely jumps and other
equipment scattered about? What if Mr. Oliver embarked on an agility course
of his own design? What if he got hurt? At this point, the instructor asked
me to call Mr. Oliver back. I was only too pleased and relieved to comply.
Mr. Oliver returned promptly although not too happily. Tryout trepidation
I approached our agility tryout with great trepidation. To be truthful, I
worried myself silly for the two weeks leading up to our big audition. The
instructor had simply said to arrive at the club at a certain time and
date. She never mentioned what would constitute our agility tryout.
Consequently, I had no idea what to expect. Worse, I had no notion of what
to do to prepare Mr. Oliver. I knew that if I had to navigate a full
agility course all—including myself—would be lost. Flashbacks of when
I was six years old and auditioning for “The Nutcracker Suite” came to
mind. For the briefest of moments, I considered having Mr. Oliver’s hair
done and fitting him for ballet slippers. Perhaps a tutu, too? No, wrong
theater; rather, wrong audition. Mr. Oliver and I arrived for our agility
tryout on time. The room was full of overly enthusiastic young dogs
leaping about and January 07 | Clean Run Frankly, there is only one
direction to go in improving my handling skills. They couldn’t be any
worse. I am, however, the only handler my dogs have and they seem to
adjust. 73   Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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Clean Run Magazine - January 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2007
