JASMINE HAS AN AVOCATION

Avocation:  something a dog does in addition to a principal occupation, especially for pleasure; hobby

Jasmine has a busy, doggy life.  She goes on a minimum of three walks a day, during which she can dig for ground squirrels to her terrier-heart's content, chase and bark at tree squirrels, snack on any delectables that come her way, jump up on any stump or log she comes across in hopes of getting a treat from Ron, and greet any other walkers in a friendly way.  At home she eats, naps in her choice of dog-pillowed or rug areas, plays with and gnaws on her tug toy, chases flies and wasps and eats them, lies around in the yard, moving from sun to shade as desired and checks with us regularly to see if we might like to do something with her; maybe take another walk???  Like all our dogs, she has been taught basic obedience commands-sit, down, come, stay- and Ron and I each invoke them as necessary.

 Ron taught Jasmine, Gypsy, and the neighbor dog Addie to jump on a log for a treat.  

I have discovered that the longer hikes I do with Sue and Gypsy don't suit Jasmine.  Her coat is woolly and hot, and she prefers bursts of intense speed and activity alternated with a slower pace rather than the long, slow distance of hikes.  Because Gypsy does well with LSD, she accompanies Sue and I while Jasmine stays home.

This past spring, Sue expressed an interest in introducing her young German Shepard Sabre to Agility training.  Many years ago, I had done an Agility class with our dog Tessie, and had acquired some of the equipment.  I realized this would be a nice activity for Jasmine and I to share, and offered to join Sue in classes. 

Here's the deal with Agility:  it's very equipment intensive, and the equipment is large, heavy, expensive, and takes up a lot of space when it's set up.  As Agility has become more popular, local clubs have formed and the club invests in the competition-sized equipment set up in a permanent location for members to share.  Trainers who offer classes have smaller, more manageable training-sized equipment in their yards for teaching purposes.  As dogs advance, training moves to the club's competition equipment. 

Here's another deal with Agility:  if you're interested in getting in to the competitive side of Agility, you need to pick a dog with a level of mental drive that will be a constant challenge in your daily life (read: a little nutty), and who has the physical conformation for speed and flexibility.  Border Collies are commonly used; the trainer I go to has a poodle she's winning with.  Jasmine doesn't have these qualities.  However, what she does have is plenty of intelligence, a willingness to learn (especially when treats are involved!), and a desire to be busy.   It was never my intention to compete with Jasmine, but to challenge her in an enjoyable way and give she and I something to do together. 

As it turned out, Sabre needed a little more maturity to be ready for the class environment and had to discontinue his training.  Jasmine, who is 3 years old and has that good foundation of obedience training (not necessary for Agility training, but it sure makes life easier!) did exceedingly well. You could say she was the star of the class and be right!  So well that we took all three levels of classes that were available this season.   We're going to do a couple of private lessons so we can go more in depth with a couple of things that were just introduced, keep training 'til the snow flies, and pick it up again next spring with more advanced classes.

Despite my best retired intentions not to acquire things....well, if a person is going to be able to practice at home what they learned in class, a certain amount of equipment has to be involved.  As mentioned above, I already had some of the equipment and was able to make-do for some more.  I did end up acquiring a couple more pieces.  Lots of training-level equipment can be made with pvc pipe, and since Mr. Make-It lives at our house, he was easily able to use plans available on line to make what I decided I couldn't live without.  At this point, all my training is done on our deck.  At some point I'll probably go to the local park, but see above comments about size, weight and amount of equipment. 

Here's what Jasmine is learning:

 Jumps (Ron made 'em the first go-round with Tessie).

Tunnel (purchased).  Gypsy has some experience with the tunnel and didn't want to be left out.

They each earned a treat going through the tunnel for a picture!

Barrel  (make-do with a trash can).  We start in front of the barrel and at my command Jasmine runs around it and back to me.

Dog walk (make-do with cement blocks and two boards from obedience jumps).  This is a training setup.  Here's what it looks like in competition.  

Teeter totter (newly purchased board, make-do with cement blocks). Looks similar to the dog walk, but the board is set on a fulcrum and tips down as she walks across it. Again, a training set up, and Jasmine's least favorite by far-she doesn't like the teetering board!  Treats help.  Private lessons will include how to work more with this one.  Here's the competition look:

 

Tire jump (purchased, though Ron could have made it).  Pretty sure there was a squirrel in Jasmine's line of sight! 

Pause box (Ron made it).  In competition, this is a table upon which they have to come to a screeching halt and sit.  

 

 

Weave Poles (Ron just made 'em).  This is another one for which I want some private lesson work.

Here's what a class looks like in the trainer's back yard:

The first piece of equipment, called an A-Frame, is NOT one I want to acquire.  Too big.  Too heavy. 

I don't know where this journey is going to take Jasmine and me.  It could go no further than my deck or the local park.  If it happened that at some point we could be involved in a non-competitive fun-run type event, I'd be willing to try that.  In the meantime, we're both enjoying it a lot, and Jasmine continues to learn and do well.  That's a strong enough stand for staying with a Good Thing.