Paws2Play Agility for Fun Training

02/20/2022

Congratulations to a couple of Paws2Play students on their awards from the American Stockdog Association. This is a huge honor for Ashley and Connie. Paws2Play is so proud of both of you.

02/07/2022

I did not know that xylitol is being renamed as birch sugar on some food labels. Xylitol aka birch sugar is extremely toxic to our pets. It can be found in some ice creams, peanut butters, and other food products. Be aware.

https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/vth/animal-health/birch-sugar-is-the-same-thing-as-xylitol-and-its-toxic-to-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR0RSD82iuwcfE7-4yTLjJ8jjlli5sRCkNLZ4tmM0kAgymT6f_AsqtCxTyo

Labeled as “xylitol” within the ingredients list for most products, the same plant-derived substance can also be identified as “birch sugar” or “birch sap” in others.

01/30/2022

More chronicles of Bella. We are now using the barrels to teach “distance”. Donna is “sending” Bella to the barrel rather than running with her the whole way. After we have made it really fun and rewarding to go around the barrel, we start increasing the distance in small increments while making it a fun game. Here’s Bella’s lesson today doing a figure 8 around two barrels at the beginning and at the end.

01/28/2022

Our teeter week continues. This is Gemma, a Phu Quoc (Vietnamese Ridgeback), doing her teeter with a great finish position at the end.

01/27/2022

Pre teeter training. Echo (border collie) playing on the wobble board then learning to play the “bang game” on the teeter. Super Cross (mini Aussie) playing the bang game. (Oops, excuse my fingertip!).

01/26/2022

Ronin’s training session today. Puppy agility. We had him work in a little bit of coordination. Sometimes coordination is hard to come by when you are a young English bulldog puppy. First few times we put the “ladder” upside down so he just had to figure out how to step over the bars on the ground. Second one is laddder on short legs so he has to figure out how to lift his legs and place his feet. We did each several times and he improved each pass. Then Ronin got to do a sequence. He went through the tunnel and around the barrel. He still isn’t quite sure how to keep his backend under him on the turn. This has to be the cutest think Inhave seen all week.

01/26/2022

Sometimes I get to play with my own dogs. This is our brand new teeter. Our old one was retired. Lil’Bit, my poodle X rescue, still remembers how to do a low, full length teeter with confidence. Bittie is a bit slower than she was on the old one but it’s been awhile. A few more reps and she will be back to speed. We will start adding in other equipment like jumps and tunnels to “sequence”. After that we will start raising the base gradually and repeating the building blocks until she happily and confidently can do the full height teeter
with the base at 2 feet. Fun and games building on success. Go Bittie! (Excuse my papillon barking in the background. Echo wants to come out and play. )

01/26/2022

Our pre teeter training was done on a wobble board. Then we played on the mini teeter. (You can see it in the corner with the barrels sitting on it). Tonight Cooper (pictured) and Shrute got to be the first two dogs to play on our new teeter. Cooper is pictured playing the “bang” game which is one of the first games we play when learning the teeter. The video is Cooper going over the low teeter at the end of the lesson. We played lots of little games to get to this point so there’s no fear and a sense of fun for the dog.

01/25/2022

AKC has just announced that it has made its Virtual Rally Obedience program a permanent part of its Rally Obedience program. That means you can tape your rally run and submit it to be judged. Paws2Play Agility for Fun Training also teaches Rally. If you are interested in finding out more about Rally Obedience for fun or competition message us and ask.

01/22/2022

All set up for the new 9:30 Beginner Agility Class!

01/20/2022

Star is also learning how to do a “backside” jump in a very short sequence.

01/20/2022

Hercules is learning how to do a “backside” jump in a short sequence.

01/19/2022

Ronin had his first puppy agility class today. He learned how to go around the cone and “come to hand”. We also played recall games and the collar game. We finished with Ronin doing the tunnel. He learned he loved the tunnel. The cuteness factor was almost too much 💕.

01/18/2022

Shirley Ann got to play with Donna’s Golden Retriever, Lilly, on a course this morning. I love the enlargement of Lilly coming out of the tunnel. Look at Lilly’s intensity.

01/18/2022

Our Bella chronicles for the day are part
of this morning’s lesson. Bella is learning to “drive” to the table and do an automatic sit when she gets there. The one video is just the drive to the table. The second video shows a sequence with Bella driving out to the table. Look how she stays forward focused and leaves Donna in the dust. Exactly what we want to see—an independent drive ahead of Donna. Well done little Bella, well done!

01/17/2022

I chose this rescue because of their work with impaired animals. My grandmother was blind and my father was legally blind. In honor of Betty White’s 100th birthday and her life’s work with rescue animals I donated today. Please consider donating either to Second Chance Farms ( check them out on FB or at secondchancefarmgranbury.org ) or your local animal shelter or favorite rescue group. .

The animals we take in are often deaf and/or blind while some have other challenges. We are devoted to giving Second Chances to those that may otherwise be overlooked.

01/15/2022

Saturday morning is Leslie’s weekly date with her dog learning agility for fun. Bear is very shy and doesn’t have a lot of confidence. With the weekly lessons that is slowly changing. Best of all as Bear’s confidence grows so does his sense of fun. Here Bear is practicing the cloverleaf pattern on the barrels. The toy (with a treat hidden in it) is his reward.

01/15/2022

Fred had his first agility lesson today. He played in the tunnel, learned to go around a barrel, learned to “come to hand”, and started learning the mark bucket. Fred and his human had a great deal of fun. They also did a great deal of playing in the room to help
Fred build some confidence being here and being around the equipment.

01/15/2022

01/15/2022

Fatboy isn’t the only one who got to play this morning. Martini came along to watch and got to play. Martini loves her treat and loves to play with her girl.

01/14/2022

From Fatboy’s lesson today. Fatboy is learning to do the weave poles in a modified 2x2 channel method. He is doing wonderfully. Fatboy is an Irish Wolfhound x Border Collie.

01/11/2022

More cuteness doses of agility puppy training with Bella and Donna. Bella learned how to do the tire this morning. The wobble board is helping her learn that the item moving can be fun. The puppy bump circle is a coordination and striding exercise. Fun is had by all!

01/09/2022

Athena wants you to know that agility at Paws2Play Agility for Fun Training is fun. She also wants you to know that there is a spot left in the Saturday 9:30 am Beginners class starting January 15. Athena says you can phone or text Paws2Play at 817-726-7434 or messenge if you would like to come out and give it a try. The January intro package is three classes for $60.

01/09/2022

Penny is putting Fat Boy through his paces on the wobble board. We use the wobble board to condition dogs to noise and movement before we ever start teeter training.

01/09/2022

Puppy Bella had a great class on Friday. Here’s Bella doing a figure 8 around the barrels. Look at her intensity! This is so much fun for the dogs.

01/08/2022

Huge congratulations to our Rally students Christi and Jett. They entered their first ever AKC Rally Obedience Trial in Glenrose today and took first place out of 11 dogs with a score of 92. Paws2Play Agility for Fun Training couldn’t be more excited for you.

01/07/2022

Early mornings at the Paws2Play Agility for Fun Training building can be beautiful. This was taken at 6:55. My camera doesn’t do the colors justice. Sunrise was still 30 minutes away, and the rose colors predicting that sunrise were deep rose. My first class is at 7:30. My dogs and I got here at 6:15. I like to have a good stretch of time to play with my three before the day starts.

01/07/2022

Donna is playing barrels with Lilly. We teach all
our students how to do the cloverleaf barrel racing pattern for several reasons. The most important reason is that it is fun for both the dog and person. It’s a great game to play in your own backyard to burn off both physical and mental energy for both of you. Those are just barrels for holding leaves available at Walmart or Lowes. I use empty 5 gallon paint pails when I am playing this in my backyard. You can play this with all ages of dogs, puppies, adult dogs, and seniors. There is no impact on their joints. If you want to do agility, playing barrel racing can teach you more foundations than you can imagine.

01/06/2022

Come out and join us. This just might be the most fun you can have with your dog. We are offering everyone who wishes a free 30 minute lesson. The Monday night beginner class is full BUT we have now opened a 9:30 am Saturday Beginner agility class starting January 15. Only four dogs per class taught by Instructor with 24 years experience. Call or text us at 817-726-7434 or hit the messenger button below.

01/05/2022

My dogs enjoying our outdoor area as I am getting ready for the day.