EUREKA!!

Oh my god, my dog understands weave poles!

Sorry.

This may seem like a completely trivial post -- of all the things I could be happy about, and I'm over the moon about something canine related...?

So.

What are weave poles you ask?? Vis-a-vis:

(c) Wachusett Kennel Club

Straight line of poles and your dog is expected to weave through them without "popping out". Honestly, it's a lot of fun to watch different sized dogs go through the weaves ... smaller dogs sort of "bounce" through them, while the larger dogs make it look like all they're doing is stepping right through. 

Either way? One of the trickier pieces of equipment to train. If you're going to buy one set of agility equipment: the weave poles are definitely it. I've been going back and forth between ordering a less expensive PVC set versus a competition set with a steel base. The PVC is clearly less expensive, but there are more parts and is inevitably going to take more time to set up/take down. The Competition set? Super easy. Steel base (with ground stakes if you want to use them outdoors) and you pop the poles over the pegs. But the difference between the two is about $100. Either way, now that Bristol "gets" the concept of weave poles -- I should be seriously considering investing in a set.

One day, I should get my husband out there to take video/photos of us in action! Don't mind me -- I'm probably the goofy handler that doesn't know what she's doing. ;)

I'm really looking forward to what Bristol can do -- she's definitely got "the bug" for the sport; she's quick, she's happy and she finds 90% of agility super rewarding! Now, if only I could cue her correctly ...