Here is the article written by Cassie Weiss for the seminar that we hosted last week:
Learning seminars come in all shapes and sizes, for those looking to
learn about sleep patterns, to information on social media, and
everything in between.
One local club opened its doors last weekend,
bringing in a unique seminar to the area, one focusing more on dogs
than on humans.
Flashing Canines Agility, whose winter location is
on an acreage just off Highway 41A, has been in existence since 1994,
hosting their first official trial in 1998.
More than just a club
for those skilled in the sport of agility, Gail Thompson, treasurer and
the last remaining founding member, explained Flashing Canines has been
working with dog trainers and lovers for many years, starting people off
through all levels of classes.
Also seen throughout the community
hosting demos and showing off their dogs, the club has always strived to
teach its members everything and anything there is to be known about
agility.
“We host seminars, our instructors go to seminars,” said
Thompson. “[This weekend we had] Stephan Henry. He is originally from
Quebec, and he has been on the Canadian National Team for a few years.”
According to Thompson, in agility there are different systems of
handling, but in addition, there are those who don’t believe in these
systems.
“Stephan is one of those who doesn’t believe in systems. He
feels that each individual should handle according to their abilities
and their dog’s abilities.”
Bringing Henry in from Calgary, Thompson stated this was the first time the club has had a waiting list for a hosted seminar.
“Stephan is on one of the national teams, he has good handling. He has a
style that we watched and we liked, and we felt he could help
individuals optimize their performance in trials.”
Also with the
knowledge that Henry has worked with many different breeds of dog,
Thompson commented that all shapes, sizes, and speeds of dogs have been
handled, giving broader instruction ability to the local club.
“We
have quite a mix of breeds in our club. It is a sport that almost any
dog can do. You don’t have to be registered, you can be a mixed breed,
and it is really fun.”
With the seminar just one aspect to the club,
Thompson explained the club is there for support, whether a person
wants to become a world champion, or just wants a fun extracurricular
activity for them and their dog.
“People are looking for things to
do with their dogs. Agility is a great socialization skill. It’s also a
way to burn off energy. A dog doing agility is almost the equivalent of
running many kilometers.
“They can go out and practice for half and hour and end up exhausted. It is a very arduous activity.”
All about the bond the owner/handler creates with their dog, Thompson
stated agility can bring focus to a wired dog or help a shy dog to shed
its shell.
Always learning and moving forward, the club believes in
furthering education, and the seminar they held on the weekend was just
one more thing to help out those wanting the experience.
Although
the seminar had a full house, Thompson said people shouldn’t be
discouraged, the club is always accepting and open to new participants
and members.
With the next round of classes starting in January, Flashing Canines can be found on Facebook at Flashing Canines Agility! or www.flashingcanines.ca.
“A lot of people come out and watch, and they simply get the bug.”
