Agility Beginnings

Beckett and I attended an agility seminar yesterday, 27 Feb 2010. It was a foundation skills seminar to teach the dogs "and the handlers" the basics of such skills as front crosses, rear crosses, get out, go on, and contacts. When I learned agility with Ceilidh and Tucker, the training started with teaching the dogs the obstacles and then short sequences followed by teaching the handler the crosses. I think it's a better method for the dog to have the understanding of the body language first. Beckett did quite well, I was surprised that he, for the most part, stayed focused on me which was probably difficult for him since one of the other dogs was another Sheltie named Whistler with whom he has had puppy play dates. He also surprised me when he held his stay when a toy was thrown until he heard his release word and that he knew the release word without any motion cues. Now we just have to get more dedicated with practicing and playing games to learn these skills.