Agility class wins over dog, owner

Ten years ago, Dee Anna Gamel of Alpharetta was looking for something fun to do with her Shetland sheepdog, Quita, so she signed up for an agility class.

That’s where dogs run through, over or around a series of obstacles, directed by their owner, against the clock. Quita liked it. But Gamel loved it.

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Marcy Mantell

Dee Anna Gamel and her dog Kelsi started agility training together seven years ago. The Sheltie competes internationally.

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“I was hooked from the first moment we did it,” Gamel said. “I loved spending time with my dog, learning how to train her, and the whole social aspect of it.”

Soon Gamel was looking for another dog to train. Seven years ago she got another Sheltie, Kelsi, and this dog was a natural.

“It just all came so easy for her, and she just loved the game,” Gamel said.

And she was fast. So fast, in fact, that she’s made the AKC/USA Agility World Team for the past four years and is competing next weekend for the team again. This year the competition will be in Austria. And in March she won the 2009 AKC National Agility Championship in her height division (12 inch), taking the division for the second year in a row.

Of course, not everyone wants to be that serious. Anne Jones, owner of Alchemy Dog Training in Woodstock, said many people just enjoy the weekly training class.

“And the dogs love it,” Jones said. “When else do they get an entire hour of their owner’s time devoted just to them?”

Jones said three national agility groups are available to choose from, depending on the kind of dog people have and how serious they are about competing. Dogs are divided into divisions based on their height at the shoulder. Jones said it’s best if dogs know at least basic obedience commands and are well-socialized before they start. They also need to be somewhat in shape, as does the owner.

“You don’t have to be in great shape, but you need to be able to get around the course,” Jones said. “It’s definitely a more active thing to do with your pet.”

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