Agility & the Irish Setter by Valerie Wroblewski
"Iain" in the Tunnel "Iain" is Kerry-Eire Hidden Agenda CD, NA, NAJ, NJP, NAC	"Risty" on the A-Frame	"Risty" thru the Tire "Risty" is Touchstone's Aristides Blue NA, NAJ, NAP, OJP, NAC-V, NJC-V, TDI Ranked in Front & Finish magazine as  3rd for ALL IRISH SETTERS in the county under Preferred Agility Standard Open

 WHAT IS AGILITY? 

Agility is a competition where dogs must run a specific course of obstacles within a given time limit.  The sport began as a demonstration at Cruft's Dog Show in 1978 where dogs completed a course that resembled a miniature version of equestrian show jumping. The sport of agility training has evolved into a recognized event supported by several canine organizations. 

In all agility competitions dogs are grouped by jump height (if jumps are involved in the class) so that little dogs do not have to compete against larger breeds.  Irish Setters generally run in the 24” height division.  There are also veterans or preferred divisions where dogs jump a lower height and get slightly more time to run their courses.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Agility is an AKC recognized event.  A dog can receive titles ranging from novice through excellent level, all the way to MACH (Master Agility Champion).  There are two types of classes in AKC agility – standard and jumpers with weaves.  Standard agility involves contact obstacles, which the dog must traverse safely in order to achieve a qualifying score.  These are the A-frame, dog walk, seesaw, and pause table as well as jumps, tunnels and weave poles.  Jumpers with weaves is a must faster run course involving jumps, tunnels and weave poles but no contact obstacles.

AGILITY AND THE IRISH SETTER:

If you’ve ever watched agility on television, you’ve probably seen a lot of Border Collies and Australian Shepherds competing at the highest levels.  Herding breeds are born with a slight edge in agility; they instinctively look to move in a certain direction and accomplish a certain task at the command, either verbal or visual, from their handler.  However, Irish Setters can excel in this arena too; especially when their intelligence and athletic ability are honed for a trial. Remember, Setters are bred to be fairly independent workers, using their innate scenting abilities to find game birds, to wait on a handler’s command and to retrieve; couple this with their eagerness to please and your setter can be an agility star.

An Irish Setter on the agility course is elegance in motion. Your Irish Setter’s rollicking personality, intelligence, and natural athletic ability make agility just plain fun for dog and handler! Of course there is work involved in training for this sport, but the time spent together and positive training techniques will strengthen the bond between you and your Irish Setter. 

TRAINING NOTES

While agility is a very fast sport for the dog, it need not necessarily be for the handler; good training is the key. Some basic obedience (sit, down, stay and a good recall) plus the ability for your Setter to travel at your side off lead will give you and your dog a head start in agility. Also you will have to take into consideration that an Irish Setter is a big, long-striding dog that needs to be trained to make tighter turns in order to achieve a fast time on the agility course. 

FUN!  First and foremost – keep it fun for both your dog and yourself, but especially for your dog!  Some Irish Setters have very soft personalities so it is especially important to keep the training positive and upbeat.  If corrections are needed, make sure they are non-emotional.  Clicker training works especially well with Irish Setters in agility.  If the dog makes a mistake there is no reprimand or correction, you don’t say “no” or “bad dog,” instead they don’t receive a reward of the click and the treat. Agility is also a great confidence builder for the Irish Setter with a softer personality.

ATTENTION! That is what you want from your Irish Setter in the agility ring, there are many distractions at an agility trial—sights, sounds, and especially smells.  It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask of your setter to give you his or her complete attention for such a short time…a little over a minute for a standard run, just over half a minute for a jumpers run…but it is. Commands such as “no sniff” or “leave it” take on a new importance in training.  It also helps that you are allowed to talk to your dog all the way through an agility run, but remember to keep it all “happy talk” as it is you that is asking your dog to go in the ring and perform.

Because Irish Setters are so intelligent, they can get easily bored.  So don’t work on any one skill for too long at one time.  Once the dog has learned his or her agility skill, do a few repeats to make sure he or she knows the correct behavior to do, then go on to a new skill.  If your Setter gets bored, he might try making up his own rules to the game and we’d really like them to be playing by our rules rather than getting too creative.  If your Setter is having a hard time learning a skill, take a few steps backward and go back to something that the dog does well and build from there.  Always end your training session on a positive note by doing something that your dog can do successfully and be rewarded for.

For all Irish Setters, the challenges of agility training are great exercise for both body and mind.  And don’t forget to stretch your dog’s muscles before a training session or agility run.  They are athletes who need that warm up and cool down just as human athletes do.

 HOW TO GET STARTED

Agility is a very fast growing sport.  Most localities have an agility club full of friendly agility enthusiasts who are always willing to welcome a newcomer.  Look for a trainer who is flexible and willing to try different approaches to any training exercise depending on the abilities and personalities of both dog and handler.  There are also many books and videos on agility training as well as on-line resources. 

An Irish Setter on the agility course is truly a picture of beauty and grace.  The benefits to both dog and owner are many, from the physical and mental fitness to the strengthening of the bond between our Irish Setters and us.  As you train your Irish Setter, remember that the journey itself is every bit as rewarding as the destination.

For more specific organization information, rules and regulations visit the following web sites:

American Kennel Club (AKC)                                    United Kennel Club (UKC)

Agility only organizations:

         North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC)         United State Dog Agility Association (USDAA)

Canine Performance Events
(This organization allows for veterans 6 years or older to compete at lower jump heights)

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Obedience Training
by Robin Willey

Obedience

Webster’s Dictionary defines obedience as: “the state or quality of being obedient”. obedient as: “willing to obey”, and obey as: “to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of”: (1)

I pick up on the words instructions, willing, and quality right away. Instructing your dog in obedience will help him or her to be a willing companion and will improve the quality of your relationship with your dog. The bond that you will have with a dog that you train, and who works for you, will be one of the closest you will have with a dog. I believe every dog should have some obedience training. Many breeders will write into their puppy contract that the dog must complete at least one obedience class.

Basic obedience requires no more than some treats, a leash and collar, and the desire to learn. You can join a club, take classes from an instructor, or read a book and “do it yourself”.

What a joy it is to be able to take your dog anywhere and have them be complimented on their behavior. I’ve had people tell me my dogs behave better than their children. My dogs and I can walk down crowded sidewalks. I can take my dog into public buildings (when dogs are allowed). We can stay in hotels and motels and go to events all with confidence that my dogs will be obedient and well received. 

AKC Obedience 

If you find that training your dog is a fun and rewarding thing to do, you may want to try competitive obedience. This will require a little more training and a bit more equipment, and it will be incredibly rewarding! You will learn to train your dog to heal on and off lead and do recalls, retrieves, and jumps. Your dog will learn many verbal commands and hand signals. Learn to go in the direction you indicate and be able to determine articles that have your scent on them. 

The AKC offers the following titles: 

CD -Companion Dog, for the completion of Novice Obedience
CDX -Companion Dog Excellent, for the completion of Open Obedience
UD--Utility Dog, for the completion of Utility Obedience
UDX -Utility Dog Excellent, for competing in Open and Utility consistently
OTCH -Obedience Trial Champion, for winning 100 points and 3 first places in the Open and Utility classes.
NOC -National Obedience Champion, for winning the annual AKC Obedience Invitational

The CD, CDX, UD and UDX titles go after the dogs name and require you to get qualifying scores, called a leg, at AKC events. You do not need to “defeat” anyone. You are working to attain a score of 170 or better out of a possible 200. You need 3 legs for a CD, CDX and UD, and 10 legs for a UDX. The OTCH and NOC titles are Championship titles and go at the front of the dog’s name. For these titles you must defeat many dogs. Dogs that achieve these titles are the “cream of the crop”.

The Irish Setter in Obedience

I often tell people in class that to be a successful trainer you must be smarter than the dog. This is not as easy as it sounds when you are dealing with an Irish Setter. Ask anyone who has owned an Irish Setter and they will tell you many stories of their escapades. On top of being extremely smart they are also very imaginative. The combination will give you years of enjoyment if you can but learn to channel it into a constructive activity such as obedience competition.

Irish Setters were bred to be an independent bird dog that could run and hunt all day. They have abundant energy, a pre-requisite for obedience work. They were not bred to do a lot of repetitions of the same thing. If you try to use that method of training with an Irish they will quickly decide that it’s no fun and they can be more creative than you. They can invent numerous ways of doing things, and it may not be the way you think it should be done. They really do want to please you, but if you don’t reward them for a job well done, and move on to something else, they will think that they should do it differently, maybe you’ll like that better. 

The Irish is not difficult to train if you keep a few things in mind:

1. You need to be more interesting to work with than the nearest distraction. Your voice should be pleasant, fun and exciting. Let them know with praise, hugs and kisses that you’re glad to be working with them.

2. They need a reason to do it! Use food and/or toys to aid you in training, you’ll have a much more willing dog.

3. If your dog did it wrong, it’s probably your fault. The sooner you realize this the easier your training sessions will be. If something isn’t going right take a break, get some help. 

I’m a firm believer that there is no one way to teach every trainer, and no one way to train every dog. We are all different as are our dogs. We all learn differently. Find an instructor that can work with you and your dog as the individuals you are. 

A Note about Collars:

 I start puppies on a regular buckle collar. I do a lot of off lead training using food as long as you are in a safe place. Constant pulling on the dog’s collar or lead will only make them resent being put on lead. I do not use choke collars. It’s been proven that a prong collar (although it looks scary) is a lot more humane than a choke collar. A choke collar can actually damage your dog’s trachea. If you have a dog that is constantly pulling on their lead, please consider a prong collar.    

(1) Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language

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Before I write about my thoughts and experiences in training my Irish Setter for competitive Obedience, I would like to introduce myself. Irish Setters have filled our lives, hearts and home for 25 years. I belong to the Irish Setter Club of America and am a member of our local club, Irish Setter Club of Western New York. I am the Rescue Coordinator for Western New York and work through rescue to find loving homes for our precious Irish Setter dogs in need of help. This never ending job brings me great joy and equally great frustration. Currently, my husband Tom and our son Steve are proud to have 3 beautiful, intelligent Irish Setters that are members of our family. My heart dog is Erin-Rose (Millennium's Rose of Shannon, CDX) her sire Dickens (CJ Dickens Great Expectations, CD) and our sweet and incredibly handsome Maurice, who was named in honor of my beloved Dad, (Dancin' Dedication). He will be training for Obedience and Agility once he completes his Breed Championship. And always remembering our sweet Samantha and Katie who are waiting for us at Rainbow Bridge. Each of these precious redheads has enriched our lives with love, laughter and friendship.

REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE:

Training and showing our Irish Setters in Obedience has opened up so many paths that we never would have known about if we chose not to show. One of the highlights of my life was entering Erin in her first 3 day trial. We not only qualified every day, but we placed 3^rd and two 1^st places during two days of All Breed competition and our one day Irish Setter Specialty. To see my beautiful, 19 month old Irish Setter waiting to receive her first place ribbon among the Goldens, Border Collies and Labs is a cherished memory that will last me a lifetime.

I was also very excited when we earned her CDX title a year later when Erin was at the tender age of 2 ½. It took 6 trials this time, but when Erin qualified she received two 4^th place ribbons and that beautiful 1^st place ribbon also! In one of our trials for Open, on the exercise Retrieve over the High Jump, when I threw the dumbbell it took a funny bounce and landed far to the right. The Judge told me to send my dog. Erin jumped, retrieved and had to come back at an angle over the high jump. The Judge whispered to me that Erin was very smart. The spectators watching clapped and cheered for my Irish Setter.

Another highlight was at a very large all breed trial. Erin was in Open B and scored her best to date – 193 ½. We did qualify but, because of such high scores, we did not place but there were 2 other qualifying Irish Setters that were in the ribbons. The 3 Irish Setters were lined up next to each other as we waited for our scores. It was a great feeling to be alongside of the other 2 Irish Setter handlers and dogs.

When Erin and I walk into the ring, we are a team of two, when at our best, we work together as one. I believe that Obedience training is the ultimate way to bond with your dog. Training for Obedience also serves a dual purpose of safety, should your Irish ever wander away from you. A well trained Irish will immediately respond to your command to sit, wait, down or come by either verbal or hand command. 

Another reward is watching how my husband Tom and Dickens are working their way up the Obedience ladder. Tom supported me with Erin when we were training for our CD. Then Dickens came into our lives. Tom felt it would good for Dickens to also achieve his CD title. How proud I was that they too achieved their first title in 3 straight trials. Tom thought Open would not be an option for Dickens because he felt that he would never retrieve the dumbbell. Beginning with a very gentle, but firm, forced retrieve, Dickens learned to Toms surprise to retrieve the dumbbell. How excited I am that Dickens and Tom will soon be ready for Open competition!

Our Irish Setters love the time and attention they get in training and showing. They get so excited when we ask them "Do you want to work now?" And they know when they have successfully completed an exercise. Wagging tails, smiling faces and shining eyes tell us. Or if they don't do a successful exercise, they look at us and say, "Mom, can we try again"? As soon as they see us with the Utility scent articles, or dumbbell, or loading their crates and jumps in the truck, they can't wait to get in the truck and let us take them to a show or the park for practice.

As an added bonus, we have made many friends along our Obedience training and trialing paths. There is a true sense of unity among all of us competing in Obedience. We all clap and cheer when one of us reaches our goal of achieving a leg or a title or even just performing well in the ring. We all encourage each other so that we don't become discouraged or frustrated. All of the judges have been kind and encouraging to us as well.

There is no comparison to showing an Irish Setter in the Obedience ring. Although our Irish can show their beauty in the Breed ring, their athletic ability in the Agility ring, I take great satisfaction and pride when they also show their keen intelligence in the Obedience ring.

THE BEST LAID OBEDIENCE PLANS...

Did I have disappointments, or times of frustration along the way? Absolutely. Looking back, those times make me a smile now. During our second Open trial, Erin was "in the zone". She nailed every exercise like she had been doing this for years. I was very excited and honestly a little surprised. Then it came time for the group exercises. The long out of sight sits and downs. She was perfect on the 3 minute sit. Then the long down, with 2 minutes to go, the folks that owned the van where we were "out of sight" came back to leave. My Irish girl, with her incredible scent knew where I was hiding even though she couldn't see me. When she heard that van door slam, she sat up looking for me. We were so close, but that was not our day.

During a different Open trial, it had rained the night before and the grass was still slightly damp. On warm ups, Erin did not want to drop on that wet grass. I practiced as long as possible, but sure enough, when we were in the ring, during that exercise, I gave her the hand signal to drop on the Judges signal. She sat and put her nose up in the air. We waited. The Judge waited. Then the very generous Judge walked up next to her. She still sat with her nose in the air. The Judge softly said "Down". Erin's nose went up higher in the air. I think if she could have spoken, she would have said "Oh no. I'm not getting my beautiful coat damp today".  Of course, we NQ'd, but I am still chuckling thinking about that Irish stubbornness.

HISTORY OF AKC COMPETITIVE OBEDIENCE:

The first Obedience test was held back in 1933 at Mt. Kisco, NY. Mrs. Helen Walker, wanting to prove the intelligence of her poodles, is credited as the founder of American Obedience. In 1936 there were 200 dogs competing in the United States at 18 licensed tests. In 1997, there were more than 10,000 dogs competing in over 2, 200 trials.

Each level of obedience is more challenging than the last. To achieve a CD, CDX or UD title in Obedience, you and your dog must successfully score 170 points out of 200, 3 times under 3 different judges. You may also achieve a UDX title which consists of scoring 170 points or higher in both Open B and Utility B the same day 10 times under 10 different judges. The "OTCH" or Obedience Trial Champion is available to dogs with a UD title and to earn that they must accumulate a total of 100 points (the number of points awarded depends on how many dogs they defeat) by placing 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th.  The dog must earn a 1^st place in Open B, a 1^st place in Utility B and another 1^st place in either Utility B or Open B under 3 different judges. The "OTCH" title is the only Obedience title that precedes a dog's name.

LEVEL ONE – Companion Dog (Novice) – or to the dog an Associates Degree
LEVEL TWO – Companion Dog Excellent (Open) – or to the dog a Bachelors Degree
LEVEL THREE – Utility Dog (Advanced) – or to the dog a Master's Degree
LEVEL FOUR – Utility Dog Excellent – or to the dog the PhD
OBEDIENCE TRIAL CHAMPION – or, to the dog, accepting a position as Dean at Harvard and Oxford Universities simultaneously.

IRISH SETTERS AND OBEDIENCE:

There are currently 26 Irish Setters that have earned the AKC OTCH title. Of these 26 Irish Setters, 5 also have breed championships. 17 Irish Setters have UDX titles and 3 Irish Setters have earned the TDX Degree.

We all have heard the phrase that "artists have termed our Irish Setters to be the most beautiful of all dogs". We all know that they are fun-loving, playful and a little bit mischievous - forever puppies at heart no matter what the age. But we also know how intelligent and eager to please our redheads are. Can an Irish Setter learn the exercises in Obedience? Without question, they not only can learn the exercises, they can excel at them.

I have found that most of my success in competitive Obedience begins with a good trainer. A good trainer will build the Obedience foundation- especially with our Irish Setters. I learned before you attempt to train your dog, YOU need to learn HOW to train them. Before you chose a trainer, do some research. Call your local dog clubs. Go to a trial and ask the folks competing. There are a variety of good Obedience training books available, as well as individual class trainers. There are also tons of online resources, and two good places to start would be the American Kennel Club and the Irish Setter Club of America.

Remember, always keep it FUN! It is critical to hold their attention, and unless we make it fun for them, they will soon look around, or take scent of something more interesting like a bird or another dog. Consistency is also very important, but our breed is very sensitive and we should never push them too fast. They do not respond well to harsh corrections. Training an Irish Setter may be different from training a German Shepherd or a Golden Retriever, and I learned to train each Irish Setter individually. A training method may work with one Irish Setter, but we need to be flexible and possibly train another Irish differently.  With patience and kindness, a gentle but firm approach, once an Irish Setter learns an exercise in Obedience they will never forget it.

ME, THE HANDLER:

Although I normally consider myself self-confident and outgoing, the first time I walked into the AKC Obedience ring, I was not aware that I was holding my breath. And I also lost a great deal of my neck because my head had sunk into my shoulders. But Erin was wonderful in the ring. She was happy to be with me and her wonderful attitude helped to relax me as I went through the required exercises. Gradually, my shoulders went back and my head was up. I think I may have even smiled now and again. I have learned that qualify or not, I still have my Erin to come home with me. And I know if we don't succeed today, there will always be another trial tomorrow that we will succeed in.

UP NEXT-UTILITY:

With our CD and CDX accolades a wonderful memory, I feel it is now time to achieve our Utility title. I feel it is important for our breed, that my smart, sometimes stubborn (and a little shy) Erin earn that coveted title. She is now 4 ½ years old and this time in training, I am taking my time. I want to savor the joy of training for this final frontier in Obedience together. The UDX and OTCH require no new training. But Utility does. We are very close to getting ready to trial. We are still working on the go-outs, and moving stand and keeping that oh-so important attention on me.  I know we will both make some mistakes along the way. but I also know that this Irish Setter will succeed in joining the elite rank of Utility Dog.

THANKS:

I would be remiss not to thank some special folks along our journey in Obedience. First, is my friend and trainer Robin Willey. Robin has over 25 years of experience in showing and training Irish Setters. Robin has a wealth of experience and knowledge that she shares with me to train Erin. She has trained me about the small things that are so important in training. She told me to use different commands for the high jump and the broad jump. She encouraged me to work on the heeling exercises off lead. And of course, proofing before a trial.

Thanks to my friends, family and fellow competitors that encouraged me, especially Valerie who is always telling me how smart Erin is. And a special thanks to Georgianne, who I met when she helped place a rescue dog for me. Georgianne has shown a great interest in learning and supporting Obedience. She has trusted me with one of her puppies that she bred, Maurice, and she is looking forward to watching him perform in Obedience.

And of course, a big thank you to my wonderful husband Tom. I could not have done this as well without him helping me every step of the way. He is always with me to help set up the jumps at the different parks, or he goes to shows with me, or he is playing Judge during practice while constantly encouraging me.

Finally, and most importantly, thank you to my Erin-Rose. Without her patience, trust and love we never would have made it this far. I know she is following the high standard that has been set by the other performing Irish Setters in Obedience. She has done this by demonstrating she is a well balanced Irish Setter with beauty and grace, athletic ability and brains! I learned many commands for competing in the Obedience ring and for safety. But, the best command I ever gave to Erin is softly saying "right here". Because when she is by my side, all is right in my world.

 "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. 
You are his life, his love, his leader.
 He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. 
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"
-unknown-

 "When you bring a dog into your life, you begin a journey - a journey that 
 will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also
test your strength and courage. If you allow, the journey will teach you
many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love.
 You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another
without leaving its mark."
-- Crystal Ward Kent