Intro
We’d been training 6 months, Bertie was flying so of course I decided to throw us into a steeple chase away from our training group, Pingy Agility. Whilst 6 months seems rushed, you know your own dog and how they’re progressing. At this point, Bertie was at a really good level at jumping and tunnels but his contacts were progressing slowly, along with his dreaded weaves. With Bertie being a more nervous dog, I decided to take him to a steeple chase show (just jumps and tunnels) to see how he’d react in a different environment. Not really knowing what to expect, we set off at around 9 am and tackled it headfirst.
What to expect as a first time Dog Agility handler
Before we get into Bertie and how he was, I think we need to discuss what you, as a handler, should expect, since personally, most of my nerves were about looking out of place as a handler and not knowing etiquette properly. My main concern was not knowing how to announce I was there to the event handlers and to be completely honest, not knowing what type of venue I was going to and even the bloody parking. Looking back, I bet I looked like a fish out of water but now I think about it, what was I even stressing for? It’s fairly simple: arrive and ask. Everyone’s friendly and especially at a steeple chase event, where nobody is competitive about it. In reality, we were all there for the same thing: experience. Whilst most handlers were there to test their dogs and how their dogs react, they’re still learning, they were all friendly and helpful.
How did Bertie react?
As I said earlier, Bertie is a nervous dog. I remember the first time I attended my group agility class, he sat and shook with his little tail tucked. Nowadays, turning up to class is exciting and he loves it but taking him out of that environment and into a brand new environment was always going to let me know how far we’d truly come with his confidence. The nerves certainly weren’t as bad in the waiting area, etc, he was really responsive and happy with me. Then our first run of 3 came. So, Steeple Chases are simple courses but this felt way too simple. It was literally a sequence of clockwise jumps into a tunnel. During my course walk, I think I was a little disappointed to be completely honest.
I didn’t expect a grade 8 course for us but I know with Bertie, when it’s too simple, he shuts off a bit and doesn’t drive as much for it. Potentially, he sees I’m not as interested or focused as when it’s more complex and my demeanour reflects on him? I’m not too sure really, but that’s just how my little man is. Our first run went fine, he was a little sniffy and not as responsive as usual but he ran, all the way until he had to back jump towards the gallery and then refused a jump. This threw me off a little and still plays on my mind to this day. The other two runs were perfect, as I said it was a simple course and Bertie is genuinely bloody brilliant, so I expected him to clear it, which he did twice.
What did I learn from this experience and how have I adapted since then?
The main point of this section is Bertie’s complete shutdown when back jumping towards a gallery. If he did it on such a simple course there, how on earth could I expect him to complete any contact or anything more complex in a competition? I suppose all I’ve done since then is stop babying him as much in class. Before this Steeple Chase, I’d ask people to move away from the jumps and Bertie in class during our training. Realising my mistake and that I was missing out on vital exposure training, the very next week, I asked people to come closer. I let my trainers come into the courses we were running and get around us more. If I’m completely honest, it has put me off doing more Steeple chases and instead made me focus on actual training until he’s got his weaves perfect and can compete properly. However, this won’t be as simple as it sounds; Bertie still needs to be measured. He’s completely avoidant when someone wants to touch him or place foreign objects around him. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do about this when it comes to his measure. I’m just going to have to go and see how it goes in the moment. To be fully transparent, I’ve been putting this off completely and writing this has made me realise this. I’m going to register him and get him measured asap! There will be a post on this linked here if you want to see how the process is to register and measure an Agility Dog. My avoidance of steeple chases could come back to bite me massively. I’ve tried to adapt my training to make him more confident but who knows how it’ll go. I’m rolling the dice and just praying he’ll respond to contact and weaves when the time comes. I think we all know our own dogs and I know Bertie will enjoy more complex courses much more.
Reflection: What Our First Agility Show Taught Me About Handling a Nervous Dog
I feel I’ve been quite negative towards this experience. I think I just wanted more from it. That’s not to say it wasn’t a huge step in our journey. Here are the main points I personally took away from this experience:
- For a first show: It’s not about the course, it’s about the environment and actually really analysing how your dog responds to commands. Train outside the ring, basic obedience commands, make sure your dogs are responsive around distractions in a new environment.
- There’s no pressure, make it fun, Bertie had fun and by the end of it, I was happy.
- Just go, just going is so important, put your own nerves to the side and just throw yourselves into it.
- Steeple Chases, or at least the ones I’ve seen, are simple. Don’t go in expecting high-level courses. It’s not your ‘training class’, this is a time to let your work speak for itself. It’s another tool you use to build foundation-level experience before you start working up the grades.
- Don’t get frustrated if your dog acts up; nobody judges there, you’re not competing for first, you’re literally training. Don’t let the fact that people are watching affect you, this is your time in the ring that you have paid for. Use it for learning, not showing off.
At the end of the day, that first show was never about winning or running clean. It was about walking into a completely new environment and trusting the work we’ve done together. For anyone taking their dog to their first show — just go. You’ll learn more from those few minutes in the ring than from months of training at home.
What’s next for me and Bertie.
To sum it up, more research is needed to be honest. I just need to find more foundation shows with some form of difficulty to them. I think the show we attended just wasn’t for us and the level we were at. There has to be a bridge between graded competitions and basic steeple chases, I just don’t know how to find them yet. Firstly, I need to get him measured and registered under the KC Activity register. Most of the ‘better events’ require a measure and KC registration to compete. Getting this done and being able to explore these events should, hopefully, give me the answers I’m looking for. I need to get more personal experience at shows before Ralphie, my Working Cocker Spaniel puppy, is ready to attend.
It needs to be second nature for me so I can hold his hand through it all and build his foundations up carefully, to eventually get him running up the grades. Personally, due to Bertie being my first Agility Dog, my experience and knowledge is on its arse with this and my anxiety about exploring more competitions with him is holding me back. We always compete in my group’s (Pingy Agility) competitions and they are at the level Bertie and I need. I just hope I can find some more shows like the ones we run. That first dog agility show gave me the confidence to keep training, keep learning, and keep showing up with my dog — no matter how messy it gets.
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