Some were lighting fast and looked like they belonged at a national-level event. Some were a little slower as they got the hang of things. And some were just as interested in checking out their surroundings as they were in competing.
But one thing was for certain at the Halloween Howl dog agility trials at the Golden Mile Arena this past weekend -- both the competitors and their human handlers were having a great time being back in competition.
Around 70 dogs took part in the two-day Moose Jaw Dog Club event, featuring close to 250 runs through a series of courses designed to test endurance and concentration: from bar jumps to teeter-totters to tunnel runs from all angles, competitors had plenty to deal with when they stepped into the ring.
All in all, it was a chance for both dogs and trainers to show off what they’d learned over the months of preparation, all while having a good time hanging out with their fellow competitors.
“It’s been a fun weekend, the dogs are having fun, the owners having fun, it’s been a really good two days,” said Tracey Cook, Halloween Howl organizer and MJDC president, on Sunday afternoon.“The competition has been good, they’re all showing what they’ve learned and it’s been really nice to see how some dogs have improved.”
Participants were broken into a series of categories based on size, experience and skill, working their way through courses designed to test them at each level. Categories include Starter, Advanced and Masters, with size breakdowns in each of those.
Starters are beginners just getting used to being in the ring, and once they’ve put down enough qualified runs they move up to the Advanced division and then into Masters once they’ve become exceptional at navigating the varied courses.
Moving up the ranks isn’t easy, either, as the runs have to be clean -- and it takes one mistake for that not to happen.
“You need a clean qualifying run, make it in time and have no issues and have enough points, all that kind of stuff,” Cook said in explaining the advancement process. “There are some good runs and bad runs, and even if they don’t cue, some of them are awesome runs and they might knock off one bar, which means the run doesn’t qualify even though it might have been a superb one. So that’s just how it works, it depends on the day and how things go in each run.”
Needless to say, it takes a tremendous amount of training just to get to the Advanced level, let alone the highest ranks of competition. Hours upon hours of learning cues and how to get the best out of each dog while running through the various agility course obstacles.
“You start them when they’re young, and even when they get older, you have dogs that are nine, 10, 11 years old that are still training and still constantly learning,” Cook said. “It all starts with the foundation, you have the foundation skills and a good connection with the dog and the owner and we build off those.”
There are several dogs in Moose Jaw moving up the ranks, and when it comes to competition province-wide, Saskatchewan has competitors placing at nationals on a regular basis.
“So we do very well in our province,” Cook said.
The Moose Jaw Dog Club is always on the lookout for new prospects and new members, and if you’re interested in turning your pet into a lean, clean agility machine, you can reach out to the MJDC through their website at www.moosejawdogclub.ca or search for the Moose Jaw Dog Club on Facebook.
