Luke got to be my "demo dog" last night during the first night of beginner agility and he didn't let me down! I thought it would be helpful to show the students what a "finished" dog looks like going through the weave poles, so I had Luke crated next to the ring and I brought him out for the demo. I just had a set of six poles set up and he flew through them! He definitely didn't want to go straight back into his crate, though. Regardless, he did, and he behaved himself very well.
Last night was my very first night of teaching agility! I had my lesson plan all ready to go for the four, possibly five students that I was expecting. Imagine my surprise, then, when the class list had NINE people on it when I arrived to set up. Ack! Instant changes. I was really looking forward to having a nice little intimate group for my first class and I didn't know if I was prepared to handle such a crowd.
It was a good group, though, with just a couple of wild dogs. I believe most everyone will end up staying on leash throughout the entire session, but there are a couple that may be able to do without it. The majority of the dogs were larger breeds, but we did have a few smaller dogs that I could stick together -- one is a teeny tiny toy poodle that is very well behaved and he was a joy to watch. I can also tell that the female GSD will fast become a favorite of mine.
Everyone did very well with the three obstacles that were introduced -- jumps, weaves & tunnel. Using the 2x2 method of weaving, we got up to four poles without a problem, so I expect we should be doing all six by the end of the next class.
While Luke was definitely a super demo dog, I think I may end up leaving him at home on future Monday nights. I think he'd rather sleep on the couch for a few hours rather than be locked in his crate. I'm also helping out with the puppy kindergarten class following beginner agility and Luke has to stay crated for that as well.
I had so much fun in the puppy class! It definitely helped to feed my puppy craze that I've been feeling lately. We had about seven dogs in the class of all types -- from a Puggle to a Labradoodle. What's with the "designer" breeds, anyhow? A few of the students had obviously already began training at home, as they found the sit exercise quite simple. Assisting this class is an eye-opening experience and takes more knowledge & expertise than I had originally imagined!
I will also be helping with the beginner obedience class on Wednesday night, so as to hopefully be able to help Laurie out by teaching these classes one day. Originally I'd thought it would be no big deal, but there is a lot to learn!
Dr. Schilling is coming to the dog center on Thursday for some chiropractic appointments and I have Luke signed up to see her at 1:00. I definitely think he's due for an adjustment and may even take him to see her once more before our trial at the end of the month just to make sure he's in tip-top shape.