In the agility world I’m sure it’s safe to say that most agility competitors harbour a dream of one day appearing at a prestigious event such as Crufts or Olympia, the equivalent in the dog sport world of competing in an Olympic or World Cup final, when all those hours of training finally pay off giving you a chance to compete against the best of the best. For most of us, the dream may never become a reality but that shouldn’t stop us from having those dreams ….. after all it gives us something to aim for.
For most of us agility is and always will remain a hobby but for others it has become their livelihood. Leaving behind their 9 to 5 jobs they are now embracing life as full time agility trainers as well as world class competitors. Of course, that way of life isn’t or can’t be for everyone but what it can mean for the rest of us agility addicts is the offer of their help and expertise in perhaps edging us a little closer to making that Crufts or Olympia dream come true.
I “bought” into the world of agility workshops originally with Jasmine (you need all the help you can get with a crazy Flatcoated Retriever!) and then when Flyte came along the weekly training and occasional workshop were supplemented with a new style of learning, that of online training, (I knew all Flyte’s energy and drive needed to be channelled in the right way!). Our weekly agility lessons have always been a staple part of our agility “diet” but the workshops and online training just give us that little bit extra as and when required.
The workshop and online training world has now become big business and every week new and exciting training opportunities appear on Facebook or land in my inbox and the amount of choice can become a little overwhelming but you very quickly get to know what works for you. Over this Winter, Team Flyte has a regular monthly schedule of workshops with Lee Windeatt, Marita Davies and Amanda Pigg with each trainer bringing something different to the table. Lee with his expertise in teaching independence, forwards drive and jump skills as well as startline waits and contact behaviour; Marita with her course handling workshops based around modern European style courses; Amanda setting us challenges that we are going to face as the degree of difficulty in courses increases with tougher weave entries and obstacle discrimination being a big feature. Our online learning comes courtesy of Susan Garrett’s Handling 360 programme and Agility Nation, Susan’s dog agility training library where you can select whatever you want to learn! Well, looking at that lot, I think we do just about have all bases covered but I have been known to drop in an extra workshop here and there if anything interesting catches my eye just for good measure!
So, no matter what your agility dream, there is a world of training out there to help you on your agility journey. If we work hard, aim high and dream big that dream one day might just become a reality!