Agility training pays off for dog lovers

By Samantha Pidde Herald Staff Writer

CLINTON — Thirteen-year-old Sarah VenHuizen, of Morrison, has been working in dog obedience training since she was 61⁄2 and in dog agility since age 9.

At the end of the month, Sarah and her 7-year-old Shetland sheepdog, Chelsea, will be competing in the American Kennel Club agility competition in Tulsa, Okla.

When Sarah was 6, she and her parents were watching her older sister, Kayla, show her dog, Annie, in the obedience ring at the 4-H state dog obedience competition in Springfield, Ill. Sarah expressed to her father, Bob, the desire to show dogs as well, but said she would rather have her own dog.

Later that fall, Sarah asked her mother, Nadine, how old she had to be to join 4-H and was told she needed to be 8. She said if she got a dog and began training then, she would be ready to show when she joined 4-H. A week before Christmas, her family went out to look at Christmas lights and stopped at a farmhouse. An 8-week-old Shetland sheepdog was placed in Sarah’s lap.

Sarah’s parents said she and Chelsea quickly became inseparable and by the time Sarah was 8, Chelsea was well-trained. Sarah joined 4-H and showed in the Beginner I class, taking first place. Sarah was unable to compete at the state level until age 10, but began competing at AKC obedience shows in the novice level.

As she continued training for obedience, a neighbor, Ethel Ryan, told Sarah about a beginner’s agility class offered at the Ericksen Community Center in Clinton. After completing the class, Sarah and Chelsea showed in their first AKC agility show at the QCCA Expo Center on the weekend of her ninth birthday. She competed in Novice Jumpers and placed second on Saturday and first place on Sunday.

Over the years, Sarah has continued training and showing in agility with Chelsea, mainly working on her own. She competes in Jumpers and Standard agility. Sarah uses body and hand signals to guide Chelsea through the various obstacles in an allotted time.

Sarah and Chelsea practice in her grandparents’ backyard, her driveway and at the Quad-City training center in Davenport.

Over the past few years, Sarah has only been competing a few times a year.

This year, she informed her parents that she wanted to go to Nationals. To qualify for Nationals, a team must earn 400 points and six “double Q’s” from Dec. 1 to Nov. 30. Sarah and Chelsea received their first double Q in May 2009.  

Each course has four different divisions: Novice, Open, Excellent A and Excellent B. A person must qualify in a division three times before advancing to the next one. Once reaching the Excellent B level, a competitor can begin earning points and double Q’s. A double Q is when a team has a “clean” run with no mistakes in both the Jumpers and the Standard course in the same day. A team earns a point for every second it runs the course under the given time.

When Sarah told her parents she planned to go to Nationals this year, she knew she would have to work hard to make the requirements. Her father made the deal that they would travel up to three hours for shows, so she began finding nearby shows almost every weekend during the summer. Sarah also has paid part of her expenses with money she has earned showing, grooming and training dogs.

Sarah said she is excited and a little nervous about competing with the top handlers in the country. Her mother said 948 dogs will be at the National Trials. Sarah and Chelsea will be competing against 119 other teams in the “12-inch” size class. Sarah has her Masters in Jumpers and in Standard. She is trying for her Master Agility Championship, level one. Sarah will also be competing on the Illinois team against the other states at Nationals.

Judy May said going to Nationals is a great accomplishment for Sarah, especially at her age. May and Evie Siems are the instructors of the beginners dog agility class held at the Ericksen Community Center. She said while agility is a competition that helps teach obedience and helps keep dog and owner fit, she really stresses the fun of the activity.

“Agility, itself, is a fun thing to do with your dog,” said May.

People interested in participating in the class need to bring a record of their dog’s shots to the Ericksen Center. Dogs either need to have obedience training or be positively evaluated for obedience. Training lasts for eight weeks and classes are held on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. The next eight-week class begins Tuesday, March 16.

May said agility training can help strengthen the bond between owner and dog. She said Sarah has shown a great bond with Chelsea, never taking it out on Chelsea if they make a mistake.

“You’re interacting with your dog,” said Sarah. She said this interaction builds companionship and makes her and Chelsea even closer. 

 

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