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 Agility Classes
 When
we planned our building in Westhampton, we planned it with
Agility in mind. We knew we needed space to do agility but
we also needed a safe floor for the dogs to jump on. Most
facilities have a cement floor with rubber matting over it
to cushion the impact. Well, we wanted more!
We have a 50 by 90 foot space with no support beams to
take up room. The entire floor consists of tamped gravel
covered by horse stall mats. People notice the comfort of
our floor the moment they walk in the room.
Many people think of agility when they first see it at
a dog show or when they see it on Animal Planet. When
watching a competition, handlers make the sport look easy
and the dogs make it look easy too.
We do offer
agility classes, but the most important foundation to
agility is a solid foundation of obedience. In other
words, the dog should know how to stay reliably through
any distraction, he should know how to come when called
reliably, he should have a quick "down" command and most
of all he should desire most to be with his owner. Agility
is a team-work sport. You can't do it without the dog and
the dog cannot do it without you.
 At
It's PAWSible! we require our agility students to do at
least a
basic obedience class here at our center before
entering an agility class. Even if the dog and handler
have done obedience elsewhere, this is our policy. Our
methods in basic obedience provide lots of foundation for
the agility class both in obedience and in
relationship/teamwork. By the end of a six week basic
obedience class, we have gotten to know each dog and
handler well and can tell if they are ready for agility.
This way, when we have 8 or 10 people in a beginner
agility class, I am assured that each person/dog is at the
same level.
Our agility classes are fun, highly motivational and we
use only positive reinforcement to teach the obstacles.
Each obstacle is taught so completely and thoroughly that
the dog knows his "job" with each obstacle. We also work
on lots of handling skills to help make you feel "smooth"
when working with your dog. We use clickers to teach your
dog how to find the "bottom" or the "contact zone" of each
contact obstacle.
We offer the following agility
classes:
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Beginner agility
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Post-beginner agility
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Intermediate agility
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Advanced agility
So what can you expect from agility classes at It's
PAWSible!? You can expect to further enhance your
relationship with your dog. Whether you choose to compete
or not, you will learn safe and effective training methods
to teach each piece of equipment. Your dog will learn
skills in this order: Attitude, accuracy, speed and a
willingness to do agility no matter what the conditions.
Agility Students
Here are some of our more advanced
canine agility students!
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