From Walking to Agility

This became our daily routine in my sunny California backyard: periods of off leash, clicker-training sessions alternated with gardening. As I walked around the yard with Hardy, I would simultaneously assess what I could add or take away to make the space better for practicing, while also keeping things aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I added a barrier fence to delineate the garden from the training zone, a splashy water feature in the patio zone, as well as statuary, newly planted flowers, and ornamental shrubs along the borders. Because we were out there so often, I also included quaint places to sit and rest.

With the barrier fencing installed, and my clicker in hand, it was decidedly easier to keep Hardy’s attention. Dog training took on a new direction. The walking problems I had experienced in the past basically went away. Hardy was a polite walker in every circumstance from trail walking, to going to the nursery, to entering and exiting dog parks, to going to pet friendly restaurants. My off leash methods had worked. I marveled at how clever he had become.

Taking the advice of a friend at the dog park, I began to add agility obstacles into the backyard training area. I began with a hula-hoop that was rigged to some PVC pipe that I had fashioned into a jump, and this inspired the creation of some other types of jumping hurdles. Eventually Hardy was jumping over anything he could loft his little body over. My little Schnauzer was an outstanding jumper!

Meanwhile, word started to spread throughout the dog community that I was a great dog trainer. I had business cards printed, and I gave them to anyone and everyone with a dog. Clicker training was something people in my sphere wanted to learn, and it became my business to teach it to them. Hardy was the perfect example of how well it worked, and he became my training partner. A little bit of money started to come in, and a new vocation was born.

I believe Hardy was the reason people wanted me to help them with training. He was a walking advertisement, and because I took him with me practically everywhere, the potential to pick up training clients was ongoing. It was easy to pick up clients. I would start up a conversation, and then demonstrate how smart Hardy was by showing off a few tricks. My favorite one involved him jumping through my encircled arms, which I usually saved for the finale. He would perform anywhere and everywhere without hesitation - even inside the dog park.

Lucky for us, I had inadvertently created the perfect facility to train dogs. There was a well-trodden path for walking, the barrier to keep the dogs in the training zone, and a little agility playground in the middle with jumps, a plank dogwalk, and a chute type tunnel to use as a pleasurable finish after the training session was over. Hardy and I became the “dog training duo.” Together we instructed people and their dogs of all sizes, everything from basic obedience commands to agility tricks. It was one of the happiest times of my life.