Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 03/01) - The horses make room for the dogs each week at the indoor riding arena at North Country Stables.

Doris McCann leads her dog, Riley, over one of the obstacles at dog agility school. - Richard Gleeson/NNSL photo

Mutts rub elbows (or are those knees?) with the purebreds Tuesday nights when dog agility school convenes.

One of the organizers of the class, Gay Kennedy, said the school improves relations between pet and owner.

"You learn how to communicate, you learn what your dog responds to," Kennedy said.

For the uninitiated, dog agility school involves teaching your faithful friend how to negotiate a course of tunnels, jumps and other obstacles.

Once that's done, the focus turns to racing. With the growing popularity of pets and a proliferation of specialty cable TV stations, dog agility racing is now a televised sporting event.

It was after watching such an event on television last year that Kennedy and Anne Gunn decided to try agility training with their dogs. The school grew from that beginning.

Jack Russell Terrorists (as one agility school participant calls them) are one of the star breeds of the racing set, darting through the courses as if powered by a few too many batteries.

The dozen dogs and owners at last Tuesday's class included a number of border collies, generally recognized as the smartest of dogs, a couple of bird dogs, a sheltie and several mutts.

The purebreds included a smarty-pants Llewlyn setter named Riley.

"He loves it," said owner Bruce MacDonald. "This is his second time in the course."

Positive reinforcement is the only form of persuasion used at the school. Dogs are given a treat for negotiating each obstacle. Owners have to be fast to take away treats placed at the end of each obstacle when their dogs run around the obstacles instead of over or through them.

"You give them treats first until you condition them and then you gradually stop doing it until they do it without a treat," MacDonald explained.

Among the mutts was Buddy, a tall Airedale cross from the pound and the biggest dog in the school.

"He's not wearing the muzzle because he's mean," explained owner Margaret Ferguson.

"It's to stop him from eating the treats the horses leave behind."

Apparently Buddy's not the only dog that falls for the sweet temptations buried in the straw.

By a remarkable co-incidence, all of the owners polled said their dogs were blessed with a keen intelligence to the challenges of the obstacle course.

"He's a very quick learner, I'm the one who has to learn," said Chriss Tricoteux, owner of Max, a golden retriever.