Agility 102

The enormous green tent on the side of the highway houses our Agility classes. A large facility complete with acres of garden and landscaping, beautiful and clean. The teachers are fun with a no-nonsense attitude that keeps the class (ehm, humans included) in line.

Cora started seven weeks ago very cautious about this thing called Agility. While she would try everything that was asked of her, she was far from being a barking speed demon like Bo the Keeshound. She was the cautious princess that every one adored. But today we started the next step up in the series and she now gets the need for speed.

Actually, I should clarify. She now understands that the faster she runs, the faster she gets to the yellow touch points on some of the equipment which lays a treat served on a plate. Literally. A sour cream lid is on the sawdust floor and on top of that lid is a yummy piece of cheese, or meat, or treat. She lives for those touch points. Sometimes, so much so, that she'll skip the equipment and head straight for the plate.

And learning to weave through the six poles is a fun game because she gets to lick the treat the entire time through the weave; eating when she's done. One of my favorites because I get to control the speed of her wiggle. The faster I pull the treat through, the faster her little bum wiggles left, right, left, right. Eventually, her muscle memory will be built where she will weave minus the treat.

And when she waits her turn to run the course, she sits and stares at my pocket of goodies. Not a moving muscle, just her will power beaming hard into my side willing that treat to reach her lips.

Good dog.

(Yikes!! What's up with chicken legs ~ thought I was building muscle. Gotta be the green reflection).