The "Doggy Agility Thing" Story
This is Shady, my best mate, my life. He is a high drive Border Collie who absolutely adores his agility. His desire to work and please is always there, and I've never known a dog try harder.
Although fit and healthy, Shady has "Early Take Off Syndrome (ETS)", a condition which makes it difficult for him to judge the appropriate position to take off when jumping. For Shady, ETS causes him to knock poles during an agility run. Sometimes he takes off so early, he can knock a jump pole with his chest!!
I have always been conscious of Shady's ETS, and along with my agility trainers, we have taught him he can adjust to a more appropriate take off position by lifting his hind legs, and taking an extra one or two strides before taking off. He is now a much more confident jumper, although there are always times where he has poles (however a lot fewer than he used to!!!).
And so, "Doggy Agility Thing" was born...
Early Take Off - Two Strides Early
Mid Jump - Ideally he should be over the jump here
Landing - he just clears the pole on the way down
Although Shady cleared the jump, at full height he would have likely landed on it with his chest, potentially injuring or unnerving himself. Since then I have been building my own jumps, specifically designed to keep my dog safe whilst doing what he loves. I have also been manufacturing my own training aids which I use to support his stride pattern, his take off point and his ability to adjust to different jump layouts.
And now I want to offer them to you to support and help your dog, not only enjoy his/her agility, but also be the best dog they can be.
