17/03/2019
I'm regularly asked a bunch of questions about the group so I thought I would do a FAQ post so here goes:
Q: Can my dog and I come to the group?
A: We have a waiting list which we can add you to but the group is full at the moment.
Q: Why not start a second session
A; Jo, the lady who ran the group before us tried this several times but the second group was never well attended. My health is not so great and my wife works full time so we just don't have the time/energy to run a second session.
Q: Who runs the dogs?
A: You run your own dog, it helps strengthen the bond between you and your dog which is a special thing!
Q: My dog is not great with other dogs, can they still come?
A: Yes, our own dog Skittle is not great with other dogs but she loves agility. When not in the arena all dogs are kept on leads and are with their owners, we generally flag which dogs to keep a wide berth of. When in the arena you and your dog are alone (unless you need one of us to help) so your dog can be off lead in a safe environment.
Q: Are you trained?
A: No, but we make no claims to be. Basically we are a group of friends who want to run their dogs on an agility course. We do not compete, we give advice on the little we know about. WE DO THIS FOR FUN!
Q: So how does a session run?
A: The session starts at 6.15pm on a Thursday, we have the third Thursday of the month off as the arena is booked that night. We start each session with a pack walk, this gets the dogs used to each other and drops the tension somewhat. At the end of the pack walk you will have a look at the course and maybe get a few tips.
Each dog will then have a turn running the course, we usually split the course in two and we run it twice each go.
At the end of the night we pack down, a task that we would hope you would share with us.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: your first week is free (call it a trier) then it's £5 per session. This pays for the arena hire, maintenance of the equipment and the odd new piece of equipment.
Q: So do you earn a wage from it?
A: No! We do this for fun, we dropped the price from £7 per session as the kitty got too large. We do however monitor the takings and would adjust the amount per session as and when. Currently we are able to run at the price we charge but only just, that is the reason we need the people who join to attend as often as possible, the hall hire is the same however many attend.
Q: How old does my dog have to be before we can come?
A: Apparently dogs bones are still developing up to 18 months so they should not jump until then. That said if they are nearly their we can drop jumps so they are still getting the benefits of the agility
I think that covers most things!
