Maxx-imum Action

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Sep 6, 2004 by BILL RADFORD THE GAZETTE

Maxx is an athlete in pursuit of perfection.

He's a tan blur as he races through a line of weave poles. He goes up and down the teetertotter and easily soars over a series of hurdles. Only the tire jump gives him trouble as he apparently misjudges and fails to make it through.

It's another evening of training for Maxx, who will be one of more than 300 dogs competing in the North American Dog Agility Championships at the end of this month in Castle Rock.

Dog agility is a competitive sport that tests human and canine as the handler guides a dog off-leash over a timed obstacle course. It's a relatively new sport, first presented as a form of entertainment at the Crufts Dog Show in 1978 in Great Britain. Since then, the sport has exploded in popularity, giving birth to such sanctioning groups as the North American Dog Agility Council and the United States Dog Agility Association.

Maxx was introduced to the sport two years ago and has come a long way in a short time, says his owner and training partner, Lorrie Taylor of Peyton.

The pooch, who appears to be part Corgi and part Australian cattle dog, walked up Taylor's driveway in April 2002.

"He was cute and he was scared and he looked like he needed a home," Taylor says. After a fruitless search for his owners, she and her husband decided to keep him.

She enrolled Maxx in obedience training at the Friendship Academy dog-training center in Peyton. Katrina Scott, the center's owner, popped in on the obedience class and saw Maxx as a dog with a lot of restless energy -- a dog, she says, that needed a job.

"Katrina walked in on the last day and said, 'You're coming to my agility class,' " Taylor recalls. "And I said, 'What's that?' We took the first class and he did really well and it was fun and we're still doing it two years later."

Taylor swore she would never enter Maxx in competition. "We were just going to do it for play."

But Maxx was such a natural that Scott convinced her otherwise. Within nine months, Maxx was competing in his first trials.

"It's actually a lot more about knowing how to handle the dog than it is about teaching the dog to do the obstacles," Taylor says. "Teaching the obstacles is easy. Learning how to work together as a team is what takes a long time."

But that's not the only challenge, she says.

"The toughest part for me is I'm not in good enough shape to keep up with him. The hardest part for him is controlling his enthusiasm."

That enthusiasm has helped Maxx win ribbon after ribbon, all displayed on the back wall of the Friendship Academy. But that same enthusiasm can get him into trouble, Taylor says.

"He either totally blows the course or he gets first place."

To earn a spot in the championships, a dog has to earn 200 points at NADAC-sanctioned trials, including 100 points in the past year.

"I'm really excited," Taylor says. "I can't believe that in such a short time we made it."

Scott praises Maxx as a quick learner. "He's a phenomenal little dog."

Though some dogs take to agility training quicker than others, the great thing about the sport is that anybody can do it, Scott says. "Any dog, any mix."

Most people get into the sport as a way to spend time and bond with their dogs, she says.

"Both parts of the team have to do their job, and I think that is what really strengthens the relationship between the dogs and the people."

It also gives energetic pooches such as Maxx a useful purpose, Scott says.

"They really need somewhere to focus their energy or they're going to turn into diggers, chewers, barkers. I think it helps a lot of dogs in that way."

Taylor has started a second dog, a German shepherd mix, in dog- agility training. Her advice for others considering the sport: Start with a basic obedience course and find a good trainer.

"And just have fun," she adds. "That's the whole thing about agility is it's supposed to be fun for the dog and the person."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or comics@gazette.com

TRAINING

Some local centers that offer dog-agility training:

Animal Instincts, 20 Mountview Lane, 264-6460, www.animal- instincts.org

Angel Acre Farms, 9000 County Road 74-82 in Peyton, 1-303-648- 9292, www.angelacrefarms.com

Friendship Academy Dog Training, 11975 Bradshaw Road in Peyton, 749-2990, friendshipacademy.com

Lucky Dog Resort & Training School, 4403 Mark Dabling Blvd., 599- 9663, www.bealuckydog.com

Pikes Peak Obedience Club, 2460 Powers Blvd., 578-1218, www.pikespeakobedience.org

IF YOU GO

The North American Dog Agility Championships, open to the public, are Sept. 29-Oct. 3 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds indoor arena in Castle Rock. Hours will be 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. on the first and last days and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. the other days.

MORE ABOUT DOG AGILITY

American Kennel Club, www.akc.org/dic/events/agility

North American Dog Agility Council, www.nadac.com

United States Dog Agility Association, www.usdaa.com

The Dog Agility Page, www.dogpatch.org/agility