Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Underdog Show... Agility for novice handlers with rescue dogs
What will be of most interest to Agility Training enthusiasts is the standard which can be achieved by novice handlers with rescue animals under the tutelage of professional trainers.
These novices had, after only three weeks of training together, to do an Agility Course which had some jumps, a special marked spot for a sit, and a sit and stay, a Dog Walk, and a Cloth Tunnel; plus they had to go around a barrel and wave to the judges!
I have added the post which follows to my Puppy Training Secrets blog and then to my Secrets of Dog Training blog. Hopefully, by adding this article to more blogs, more people will see it and be able to watch the show and see just what can be achieved with a little proper training.
Incidentally, some of the celebrities knew virtually nothing about dogs and one was actually scared of them before they agreed to do this show!
The Puppy Training Secrets article now follows:-
"New to TV in the UK this week [Tuesday] was the Underdog Show... the first of six programs.
The format for the show was to partner eight celebrities with a rescue dog and to partner each celebrity and their dog with a professional trainer. Then they had three weeks of training to get their dogs to do an agility type course. Three judges gave marks to each pair... their combined mark made up half the total vote... the public were encouraged to vote for their favorite, the money raised by the phone vote going to Children in Need.
Julian Clary and his dog Valerie fronted the show. What was on offer was a delightful hour for dog lovers and then the results show was another half-hour later in the evening, which included a display by Mary Ray with her dogs dancing to music... totally brilliant!
The dog which comes last, after combining both judges and public votes, at the end of each show is eliminated... last night it was the Afghan and Theo from 'Dragon's Den' who were eliminated... but there was a happy ending for the dog as he chose to adopt it and take it home!
The dogs who progress to the last show will be expected to do some dancing to music.
The dog which was placed last by the judges was really only a puppy... just eight months old... I think it was a bit much to expect it to concentrate for the full amount of time allotted especially with so many distractions of audience, lights, noise, etcetera.
But in reality I thought it did brilliantly. It just shows what can be achieved in such a short space of time with proper training of both dog and handler.
If you can, make a date in your diary to watch The Underdog Show next Tuesday!
And if you are looking for training books, courses, or videos... just check our left-hand margin for the very best in training! Don't forget to check the FREE video at the Dove Cresswell link... your dog will love the training it offers."
These novices had, after only three weeks of training together, to do an Agility Course which had some jumps, a special marked spot for a sit, and a sit and stay, a Dog Walk, and a Cloth Tunnel; plus they had to go around a barrel and wave to the judges!
I have added the post which follows to my Puppy Training Secrets blog and then to my Secrets of Dog Training blog. Hopefully, by adding this article to more blogs, more people will see it and be able to watch the show and see just what can be achieved with a little proper training.
Incidentally, some of the celebrities knew virtually nothing about dogs and one was actually scared of them before they agreed to do this show!
The Puppy Training Secrets article now follows:-
"New to TV in the UK this week [Tuesday] was the Underdog Show... the first of six programs.
The format for the show was to partner eight celebrities with a rescue dog and to partner each celebrity and their dog with a professional trainer. Then they had three weeks of training to get their dogs to do an agility type course. Three judges gave marks to each pair... their combined mark made up half the total vote... the public were encouraged to vote for their favorite, the money raised by the phone vote going to Children in Need.
Julian Clary and his dog Valerie fronted the show. What was on offer was a delightful hour for dog lovers and then the results show was another half-hour later in the evening, which included a display by Mary Ray with her dogs dancing to music... totally brilliant!
The dog which comes last, after combining both judges and public votes, at the end of each show is eliminated... last night it was the Afghan and Theo from 'Dragon's Den' who were eliminated... but there was a happy ending for the dog as he chose to adopt it and take it home!
The dogs who progress to the last show will be expected to do some dancing to music.
The dog which was placed last by the judges was really only a puppy... just eight months old... I think it was a bit much to expect it to concentrate for the full amount of time allotted especially with so many distractions of audience, lights, noise, etcetera.
But in reality I thought it did brilliantly. It just shows what can be achieved in such a short space of time with proper training of both dog and handler.
If you can, make a date in your diary to watch The Underdog Show next Tuesday!
And if you are looking for training books, courses, or videos... just check our left-hand margin for the very best in training! Don't forget to check the FREE video at the Dove Cresswell link... your dog will love the training it offers."
Labels: agility training, novice handlers, professional dog trainers, rescue dogs
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