Last weekend the CHB Dog Training Club celebrated its 25th anniversary championship show, where dogs and their owners compete over courses for the fastest time with the least faults.
A bit like horse showjumping there are faults for refusals and knocking rails down. There are four grades in agility from starters through novice and intermediate up to the senior classes. Each class is also split into heights – small, medium, and large.
Show secretary and long-time club member Jill Payne says running a show has evolved in 25 years. “The results all used to be hand-written, and the dogs were timed with stopwatches, and now it’s all electronic and digital. So much easier.”
“My dogs simply love the agility game” says club secretary Lynette Sayers, who runs four border collie dogs in the different grades. Her oldest dog, Jinx, is an agility champion, and she has recently started competing with Echo, a rescue dog who is deaf. “I love the challenge too, that’s why we do it.”
