What is an Obstacle Skills Class? It is a class that falls under Wag It Games for dog training. There are a series of different class types for dogs of all ages and breeds, with all the courses focusing on the relationship between dog and owner. Obstacle skills class is a like a super relaxed form of agility with no need for speed! One can do the course at a snails pace, or high speed. Cheering and supporting the teams is also encouraged.
Over the summer Mom signed Bailie and I up for a variety of introductory classes, just for fun. I took a three week Shadow Skills Class last month to work on paying more attention to my mom. Bailie did the Intro to Barn Hunt which was just one evening, and then the three weeks of Obstacle Skills. Dog sports competition is fun, but for a change trying new forms of sports for fun only is a nice break.
Obstacle skills uses a lot of course items similar to regular agility equipment, but it is very relaxed, treats are encouraged on the course, do overs are allowed, and it is all about fun and bonding. If you would like, you can work on it and compete, but we wanted to just do it for the fun of it. The obstacle skills classes also help a dog learn about their body positioning, and how to keep track of where all their legs and their back end are at all times.
Because Mom was constantly working with Bailie, photos were few and only taken with her phone. This short video shows off some of the skills Bailie and Mom were working on. As you can see, sometimes things went well, sometimes not so well, but it didn’t matter. Mom was learning how to work as a handler, and Bailie was learning to run the obstacles. We had a really great time in our classes this summer and would recommend these types of classes to all of our dog friends. Thank you to Active Dog Sports for offering the summer short courses!
This looks like fun. I giggled when Bailie passed up the tunnel the first time. I’m pretty sure Ruby would do the same thing!
That was really weird because she loves the tunnel and never misses a chance to run through…but when it comes to video, that is when stuff goes awry!
oh that looks like a good thing we can do together… and it keeps us fit and our humans too. btw… don’t furget to ask for another treat, you did the tunnel twice Bailie :o)
Lots of treats and tunnels. Perfect for Bailie!
When Freighter was in puppy class, they worked on a lot of those things too. The nice thing about this is that you can duplicate much of the equipment at home and for a low cost. We still do some of these things in the basement when the winter weather makes it impossible to do much outside.
Hunt tests are kicking my butt this summer…lol. Stop by and say hi when you get a chance. 🙂
We’ve been really busy lately with activities and Mom is starting a new business, so we haven’t noticed until now that we are no longer getting your posts in our email. I’m sorry! We will visit today and resubscribe. How weird!
Baillie aka Purple Girl have you thought about agility? It might be lots of fun for you and your mom. Have a wonderful weekend. XOXO Sparkle
Mom doesn’t want to do agility with us because of all the jumping and stuff. She is afraid we will get injured. We have enough sports as it is, but this was fun for a summer class for Bailie.
Mom says that would of been perfect for me – I always did pawsome at agility but always at my own pace 🙂
It would be perfect for you!
It sounds like you need to be a smarty pants for that stuff
Lily & Edward
Not really, even Bailie managed it.
I think you will have some fun pretty Bailie!
She really enjoyed it.
Oh my cats! Bailie you and your mom are both very very well trained! Bravo bravo.
As much as it pains me to say this……neither mom or me have any marketable skills
Hugs
Madi your kitty friend
Well, my cats don’t have many skills either. I think it is a dog thing.
Your class looks like fun Bailie! And look at all those treats you’re getting from doing stuff.
Anything with treats is always fun!
It looks like both Bailie and Mom were having a good time! I like that you all got to do something just for fun – you deserve it after some pretty rough times.
The just for fun stuff is really nice for a change.
Tyler use to love agility class, no competition. The bars were low for the smaller dogs so we didn’t have to jump. They had a tunnel that was a half circle so you couldn’t see through. He was afraid to go in so I had to crawl through from the other end to let him see me. He knew then that you could get out the other end and thats all it took for him. Of course everyone was laughing at my crawling but thats Ok we were having fun:)
Fun is what it is all about!
Go Bailie!!! Looks like some great together time for your Mama and Bailie!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
It was a lot of fun, and I liked my classmates too!
So much fun, great things to do with your pooch, Bailey is having some fun!
It was something different which is always nice.
That looks like so much fun! I love the video. ☺
Thank you. I was a nice way to have fun doing something different.
What an awesome video!! We thoroughly enjoyed watching you guys! I think Chloe would truly enjoy this…when she is feeling better!! Thanks for sharing…it looks like something we could both handle!
It is very low key and all about the fun of it and doing something together working with your pup. Hope she is feeling better soon.
She did a great job! Way to go, Bailie! I’m sure Sam would look at me like I’d just spoken Yugoslavian to him. 😉
Bailie thought it was a ton of fun, and Mom enjoyed it as well. It was something fun to do in the summer.
WOW…we never heard of a class like that but it sure does sound like fun (especially the treat part) 🙂
I think these Wag It games are fairly new. It was a lot of fun for us in our own classes.
Bailey is so adorable! That looks like a fun activity for Jaxson and I. Thanks for sharing,
Bailie loves all the obstacles. She has been into that kind of thing since we got our own tunnel.
Looks like a lot of fun!
Bailie and Mom had a lot of fun in that class
That’s pretty awesome. I love how you are getting a sampling of the sports that are out there. You never know when one of them will catch your fancy.
That obstacle course looks very relaxed.
It’s always fun to try new things, and just for fun is also nice. No pressure, just pure fun.
It is really weird to hear about this kind of class. But I think it will be nice to try something new. Thank you for sharing.
If you don’t want to get into serious agility stuff it is perfect, or for older or timid dogs. It is really fun and relaxed.