Local dog owners put their animal’s agility to the test in weekend-long trial

POCATELLO — Local dog owners are gathering over the weekend on the field of a Pocatello park to test the agility of their animals.

This event is an agility trial at O.K. Ward Park, where dogs belonging to members of the Pocatello Kennel Club run an obstacle course as fast as they can, starting on Friday, going until Sunday. The event organizer said that competitions like this are just one of the ways owners’ express the bond they have with their dogs.

“They love to follow you around (on the obstacle course) and it’s just a great experience for them,” said Jill Humphries, the organizer of the event and a board member of the Pocatello Kennel Club.

The agility trial has around 112 dogs entered, all competing at different skill levels — from novice, to open, to excellent and then to masters. Humphries has two dogs, Caden, 6, and Enzo, 2. Caden is at the masters level, while Enzo is a beginner.

At the beginning of the event, the dogs and their owners have the chance to do a walkthrough, where they receive eight minutes to go through as many times as they want to learn the course.

“They get to do tunnels. They get to climb things. They get to jump,” Humphries said.

Humphries explained that the Pocatello Kennel Club in a non-profit organization that “plans different events, and we do training. We’re just dog lovers that get together and do stuff with our dogs.”

The club offers low-cost training classes for dog owners at varying degrees of difficulty. Even if a dog already knows basic commands like sit and and lay down, Humphries recommends people start with beginner classes.

“Some people think, ‘Oh, well, I’m beyond beginners. I don’t need to start there.’ But really, the bond that you form in a beginner’s class is amazing,” Humphries said. “It’s worth it.”

The next stage owners typically progress to is a Canine Good Citizen class, which ends with a test and a certificate identifying the owner’s dog as a good citizen.

Reaching this level brings a number of benefits to a dog and it’s owner’s lives. In some cases, landlords will allow an owner to rent an apartment with their dog if they know that they’re obedient and good-natured, Humphries said.

Dog owners can then move on to agility training classes. Humphries said that it was important that dogs begin with simple obstacles.

“People think they can just throw their dogs in it, but that’s not how it works. You’ve got to start really small,” Humphries said.

She used the dog walk, a narrow sloped ramp, as an example of something that could be dangerous for a dog that’s not ready.

“It’s about five feet off the ground… To put a dog in that situation, to go up a ramp and walk across a 10 inch beam is really scary,” Humphries said. To start, dogs should only be on a ramp that’s inches off the ground.

Dog owners also build a strong relationship with their classmates as well as their dogs as they move through the levels of difficulty. Sometimes members who have the space will allow the rest of their class to practice in their backyard.

“We do that all summer long, and you build camaraderie with the other students too. You’d be amazed all the relationships that are built right here,” Humphries said.

People who are interested in training their dogs can find more information about the classes offered on the Pocatello Kennel Club website.

Some owners take trials like the one over the weekend seriously, as they have the opportunity to go to higher levels of competition if their dog performs well enough. Humphries and her dogs don’t let a poor performance get in the way of the fun they have when competing.

“Because if the dog’s not having fun, and you’re not having fun, what’s the point?” Humphries said.