The University was treated to an enduring display of canine agility during the weekend in the ninth annual Dog Agility Trial held by the Louisiana Capital City Obedience Club.
The event, organized in the Parker Coliseum, showcased the athletic abilities of dogs running timed obstacle courses of four difficulty levels.
The dogs competed at four agility levels — novice, open, excellent and masters — set by the American Kennel Club, a registry of purebred dog breeds in the United States.
After signing up for the events, dog handlers were briefed by the judges on the rules and walked the course to plan strategies.
The dogs then ran the numbered courses in the correct orders, following their handlers’ verbal and hand signals. The handlers weren’t allowed to treat dogs during the run.
Winning dogs were awarded rosettes while those qualifying for later events received dog toys.
Judges set the number of obstacles and time for each event, depending on the level and size of dogs.
The competition arena was divided into two rings — the “standard” or “fast” ring, consisting of contact obstacles, tunnels, weave poles and jumps, and the “jumpers” ring, which had no contact obstacles and was the ultimate test of the dogs’ agility and speed.
Penalties, including disqualifications, were given for wrong courses, hitting a jump bar, missing an obstacle or exceeding the time limit. Handlers were eliminated if they hit their dogs or if the dogs escaped the arena.
Mary Welpton, dog handler from Biloxi, Miss., who is a frequent competitor at state- and national-level dog agility trials, said she trains her 9-year-old poodle Happy at least an hour every week in her backyard.
“I really enjoy running my dog,” she said. “Winning is not all that important.”
Dog handlers adopt different strategies to guide their dogs through the course.
“It is important how fast and how well you can communicate,” said Michele Fry, LCCOC publicity coordinator. “An excellent dog with a mediocre handler would be a mediocre dog.”
Randall Miller, dog trainer from Sulphur, La., who trained his border collie Tatchy, said body language and positioning are very important, as the dogs follow them for directions.
He also said he cuts back on the number of obstacles if he sees his dog isn’t running at his best.
“The basic rule is to never take your eyes off the dog,” said Christine Woods from Ruston, who competed with her dog Andre, a papillon from Shreveport.
Andre also practiced with Woods once a week and won the Master Agility Competition on Jan. 26 in Texas.
One of the hardest parts of the obstacle course is the weave pole because dogs can get disoriented while maneuvering across them, Woods said.
She also emphasized the importance of maintaining a good rapport with the dog. Aggressive behavior, to which rescue dogs are vulnerable, could permanently disqualify them from all AKC competitions.
“We’ve already won, so I wanted to have to have fun with him and gain his confidence,” she said. “After all, he is a stray puppy who was rescued.”
Contact Sumit Kumar at [email protected]