Do you ever think back to the ‘good ole days’ of agility?
Remember when:
- Most trials were outside, so your agility season ran from April to October.
- AKC allowed both an 8’ or 12’ teeter.
- We had to roll out mats at the armory, and unload the trailer before practicing.
- Reloading the trailer and rolling mats back up after practice!
- 2 on/off contacts were the ‘in thing’.
- Weaving on the right was AMAZING!
- There was ‘no such thing’ as a Blind Cross.
- No one owned their own contact pieces.
- You had to travel at least 4 hours to the nearest AKC Agility Event.
- Classes were once a week.
- Seminars once a year, maybe!
- WOW! You have a computer! You were SOMETHING!
Now:
- The majority of trials are indoors, on soccer turf.
- The 8’ dog walk is obsolete.
- Few people would think of running, or training on mats.
- Unload a Trailer once a week? NO WAY!
- True Running (Full Extension) Contacts are in!
- Weave poles are 'just another obstacle'.
- Blinds aren’t ‘totally’ in, but they will be. (Prediction here)
- Most people own at least one piece of contact equipment.
- Trials are getting closer.
- Classes can be found on multiple nights.
- On line classes are now available.
- Seminars are offered all over.
- Internet is on your phone.
It’s just amazing how things have evolved, and continue to do so.
Do you ever wonder if you might be able to ‘trial’ in your ‘own back yard’.
Literally!
Maybe someone sends you a course to set (depending on your yard size),
You simply send in a clip of your dog running it, and someone ‘judges’ you.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see…………it’s a crazy changing world we live it.
Who would have thought you’d ever be able to type a message into a phone?
Even more unbelievable, Molly,
our Bichon would be 20 years old this week!
WHAT!!!
Time sure flies!
(My first Agility Dog)
I guess this is all HER fault!
Posts
Wow - 20 years. Molly was the first dog I ever saw get a MACH. That was so much fun. Thank you Molly!
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwww!!!! She was such a good little dog. I have a picture around here somewhere of you and her in front of your MACH tent! LOL
ReplyDeleteWhy do agility people not practice or run on mats? In the flyball world, mats are the in thing, with most tournaments moving indoors onto mats instead of being playing on dirt or grass.
ReplyDeleteHi K,
ReplyDeleteFair question! I prefer not to as Seeker tears his pads on them. He has 'sweaty feet'! EEWW!! I know. One of our building has nicer mats, I have worked some things in them, but again, I need to be careful. I think for most dogs, mats are probably fine. Fall Ball is on mats, one tourney we went to...LONG AGO, had mats over a wooden gymnasium floor. Talk about FAST TIME!! I think it was the spring in the wood! Obedience mats that curl up are dangerous for the handlers. I know there are a few places "On the Run" in MN, that I really like the flooring, and it's a matted surface. We just don't see many trials on them anymore.
"Back in the day," remember telling our dogs "EASY" to slow them down on contacts? Heaven forbid they FLEW over an A-frame or across a dogwalk. A big change has been from trying to "slow down" a fast dog to learning how to handle so you don't need to worry about "keeping up."
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhoops.... read that wrong! She *would* have been 20! :) Ya gotta start somewhere! What a neat story!
ReplyDelete