Stupid, er, Smart Pet Tricks
Scurrying through tunnels, balancing on teeter-totters and jumping over hurdles are Rocky’s idea of fun. The 20-pound Shetland sheep dog fell head over tail in love the first time he saw a canine obstacle course, known in training circles as an agility course.
“My dog saw it, his eyes got really big and basically said this is what I want to do with my life,” said John Ostrowski of Westminster. “He jumped up and down, barked excitedly and smiled really big.”
Since then, Rocky has turned into a champ on the agility course. He is one of four dogs from Orange County competing in the ninth annual Pedigree Grand Prix of Dog Agility Championship, today through Sunday at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
Handlers say dog agility is catching on as a fast-growing dog sport.
“It’s fun to watch,” Ostrowski said. “Dogs tend to enjoy it because it’s something they can actively do. In agility they are out running and enjoying themselves. It is not as structured as obedience competitions.”
Dog agility is more interactive than regular dog shows, for both the dog and the audience. Instead of showing their form by standing still or trotting next to their handlers, these dogs take signals from their owners to maneuver through a maze of such obstacles as an A-frame, which has a ladder on each side; a dog walk, resembling a balance beam; tunnels and hurdles.
The sequence may be convoluted, the order of obstacles a bit complex. For example, a course might have three hurdles. The natural inclination of the dog would be to jump over each one consecutively. But the course might dictate the dog jump over only two of the hurdles and then take a sharp turn into a tunnel. Or it may have to go back on its own track and turn on some hard angles. To add variety, a course is never the same, changing with each competition so that dog cannot memorize it.
Elaine Scott of Mission Viejo says she not only uses a combination of verbal cues and hand signals but sprinkles in a dash of mental telepathy as she runs alongside her dogs, Millie, a yellow Labrador retriever, and Moon-Doggie, a Jack Russell terrier, to urge them where she wants them to go.
“I enjoy the bond that is fostered with your dog,” said Scott, whose dogs also will compete in this weekend event. “The challenge is training the dog to understand more than just body language, because they pick up on everything out there.”
No collar, leash or any food treats are allowed on the course. The handler’s body language is crucial. Some dogs run in the correct direction, while others misinterpret the signals and head the wrong way. So the trick is to understand your dog’s reaction and to have him understand yours, said Scott, who has been involved in the sport for five years.
An agility course at an obedience school 2 1/2 years ago was Rocky’s first introduction to the sport. Since then, Rocky--who competes under the name of Dr. J’s Rocket Scientist--has filled three large cork boards with about 200 of his ribbons, Ostrowski said. There is no prize money involved but many owners enter competitions because they enjoy it as much as their dogs do.
“The great thing is that people aren’t really out there to win and beat each other but to have fun and do what they can with that dog, on that course, on that day,” Scott said. “The winning is real nice but no one is really out to win. It creates a nice atmosphere of camaraderie.”
Ostrowski trains Rocky once a week for about an hour. “Since he’s been doing this for so long, the training is more to keep me proficient than it is him,” Ostrowski said. Rocky takes lessons with Stuart Mah, one of the top dog-agility trainers in the country. They practice doing complicated sequences of obstacles for all kinds of situations, so that when Rocky is confronted with them on the course, he knows what to do. The practice courses are deliberately more difficult than the competition courses so that the real event will be easier in comparison.
Ostrowski also founded a club called South Coast Agility Trainers that practices Saturdays at TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa.
Larry Brockett of Huntington Beach, a member whose dog will be competing in this weekend’s event, said he finds the sport relaxing. “When I’m out there running my dog, I don’t have any stress at all, I don’t worry about anything,” he said.
He doesn’t need to coerce his bichon frise, Jasmine, into doing any of the obstacles, said Brockett, who has entered Jasmine in competitions for five years. He now has a puppy under training. “The dogs have to enjoy doing this because they won’t do well if they don’t enjoy it. Jasmine runs circles around me when she’s done.”
