Volume II - Steps for Obstacle Training

By Ruth Hobday
Reviewed by Mary Ann Nester

Agility is fun...if it's not raining. Mary Ann Nester takes a fresh look at Ruth Hobday's latest do-it-yourself manual for agility handlers and instructors.

When it's pouring with rain, your legs are covered in goose bumps and you're the last person to run your dog at a show, it's hard to believe Ruth Hobday when she says, 'Agility is fun' in her earlier books. But I do!

I first met Ruth in 1992 after I had been competing several years with my lurcher, Aslan. I wanted to be sure my new dog, a German Shepherd named Bounty, would get the best training available. I wasn't disappointed. Ruth is a systematic instructor who carefully guides her students through step-by-step procedures without loosing sight of their capabilities or aspirations. Agility Fun The Hobday Way - Volume II is just the sort of training manual I would expect her write. As Ruth says in her Introduction, 'I teach some things very differently than I did in the early days';. What has remained constant is the clarity of explanation making her experience and knowledge accessible to all her readers.

Agility Fun - The Hobday Way aims to help agility instructors instruct rather than steward students over obstacles and focuses on introducing the adult dog to agility. It is equally useful as a do-it-yourself manual for handlers and this spiral bound volume can easily be read cover to cover or dipped into it at random.

The first section concentrates on the agility equipment and how to teach a dog to negotiate obstacles safely and competently. The next details how to teach directional control and is followed by a section on how to organise an agility class. The book concludes with eight lesson plans which include warm up exercises, helpful teaching hints and course plans.

Ruth Hobday is a prolific writer of agility books and if I can't find what I want in one book, I'll open up one of her earlier publications. There are bound to be similarities between the earlier Agility Is Fun and the later, Agility Fun. I confess that sometimes I feel that I have read the same thing once or twice before.

Transatlantic Training
There are two major differences. Agility Fun has been written with a wider audience in mind. Ruth is a regular contributor to the American agility magazine Clean Run and frequently invited to the United States to run training courses. Earlier Hobday books were published by Britain's Our Dogs and it is not surprising that her allegiance has now changed to Massachusetts-based Clean Run Productions. I found contrasting UK and US information interesting and it did not intrude on my enjoyment of the book. For example, the cross over and the water jump are rarely seen in Britain, but often appear on American courses. The only person I know who owns one of each is Ruth!

All Levels of Experience
Ruth does not distinguish between experienced and inexperienced handlers in her earlier book, but does so in Agility Fun in her chapters on direction control and contact training. Looking more closely at contact training, Method I, for inexperienced handlers, teaches the A-frame, dog walk, and see-saw as individual obstacles. Method II, for experienced handlers, teaches the dog to focus on the contact, and each obstacle is taught simultaneously. The implication is that the experienced handler is more dedicated and willing to put in the repetitions necessary to make this Method II successful. How quickly does the inexperienced handler become someone who wants consistent hits on the contacts is anyone's guess. I expect many instructors will use a combination of Methods I and II until they can make an accurate assessment of a handler.

The most important innovation from Ruth for this book is the lesson plans for an eight week beginner agility course. These are a real boon to the instructor who wants to be thorough and realises that people and dogs learn best in easy steps. There are equipment lists for each lesson and I noted that the flyball box was included for lessons 6 and 8. The diagrams and course plans are simple to read. (I have trouble reading numbers when I'm running a course, too where is number 12?) In addition to the class lesson plans, Ruth covers the pros and cons of one-to-one tuition. Many agility books concentrate on group instruction and I was glad to see the private lesson highlighted as a way to introduce handlers to the sport.

Throughout Agility Fun, explanations of training methods are well supported by black and white photos and Rebecca Cheek's drawings. There are photos of American competitors and, of course, Heidi, Ruth's once in a life time dog. I also recognised some Hurricane Dog Training School equipment. I looked in vain for familiar faces from the British circuit. One of the things I liked about Ruth's first book was spotting the agility celebs. Why is it Tony Veal, Mary Ray and Sandy Dyer never look any older?

Do-It-Yourself Manual
Agility Fun The Hobday Way is a useful addition to any library or sports bag! My favourite quote from Volume II is, "Agility should be fun for dog, handler and instructor". So often the latter is forgotten. As an instructor, I think I would have more fun if I got some new thermal underwear and waterproofs for Christmas! Nonetheless, I look forward adding Agility Fun The Hobday Way Volume III to my shelf and no doubt will be having another Shropshire agility holiday when I get my next dog!

About the author
Ruth Hobday, pictured (right) with her canine family, runs her own agility training school - Hurricane Dog Training situated in Shropshire. She visits agility clubs as a guest instructor both in the UK and abroad. She also judges and competes. This is Ruth's fourth agility training book.

About our reviewer
Mary Ann Nester (left) is a member of APDT. Born in the USA, she came to Britain in 1972 as a student. She has pursued a mixed career - fruit picker, gymnastic coach, keep-fit instructor and academic librarian. In 1997 she set up Aslan Enterprises, a dog-training school named after her first agility dog.

Running Aslan, a lurcher dog, at agility competitions got Mary Ann hooked on the sport and Bounty, a German Shepherd Dog, and Tam, the Border Collie were soon added to the household.

Mary Ann's most successful dog to date has been Brillo Pad, a Miniature Poodle who took her to Olympia and Crufts. Brillo also competed in the Draw Challenge on National Lottery Live!, winning Mary Ann the privilege of pushing the button that released the evening's lottery balls in front of millions of television viewers.

Daz, another miniature poodle and most recent addition, was bought for competition in the Mini ring, but grew too tall! He has proved that size doesn't matter. He entertained the crowds at Olympia as one of the 'fun dogs' and has strut his stuff in the ABC competition (Any Breed but Collie) at Crufts.

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