Noordelijk Enterprises, Inc. ~ Professional Dog Training Services

Devora Locke comes from the world of cocker spaniel rescue and started agility in 1999 with her then 6 year old cocker Cyrano, who at age 11 became a USDAA Top Ten Doggie and Regional Performance National Standard semi-finalist (3^rd place).

She became a Certified Agility Instructor in 2001 and has a diverse background in canine behavior and temperament. During her 8 years of competing in the four major organizations, she has trained 3 border collies, a mini-poodle, a mini-aussie, and a half dozen rescue fosters. Her current competition dog, Pixel, recently earned her Masters Agility Dog title, has 21 qualifiers towards her USDAA Championship, and has qualified multiple times in Grand Prix and Steeplechase.

Devora’s latest training protege is a spry but shy young herding dog mix from a working cattle farm.

Agility is a wonderful tool to create and deepen relationships, to catch a glimpse of how dogs think, to build confidence in both dog and human, and to broaden communication skills. Its amazing what dogs will tell you once you know how to listen. Agility success is really all about cooperation, harmony, and feedback,.. Although a really fast dogwalk can never hurt!

My perspective on Dog Agility is framed by the opportunities it provides. Agility is an opportunity to have fun with your dog. It’s an opportunity to deepen the bond and strengthen your relationship with your pet. It’s an opportunity to work on your skills as a dog trainer. It’s an opportunity to exercise the mind and body of both you and your dog. Agility can be what you make of it and it should always be fun for your dog.

Whether you compete or ‘train for fun’ it should be done correctly and safely. Skills are skills and should be included as the foundation for any future goal. There should never be pressure to compete. Competition is really a poor description for the trial. It should really be considered an “exam” or test to see where you stand in your training, especially with a beginner dog. It’s you, your dog and the course. The goal is not to be better than someone else. The goal should be to complete the course according to your criteria.

The best part of Agility is the team you create with your dog. There is no better feeling when you are working together as a team. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment, but it’s worth all your effort when you can celebrate your accomplishments as a team.