Tri-Cities Agility Barn

06/17/2024

This is a pretty good little summary. IGs are several thousand years old. How cool is that?

A speedy game hunter who doubled as a loving companion has delighted Italian Greyhound owners for more than 2000 years.

11/06/2023

Sorry about moving the course on Saturday morning. We had to get the rotting cabinet out to take to the dump. And didn't get back before you all showed up to put those obstacles back.

Next weekend I will be cleaning the barn and will plane the surface so request the big equipment move to the sides for the tractor. We will be shutting windows and doors to prepare for winter...

Thank you!

09/16/2022

This little monster won a 4 point major first time in the ring yesterday !

09/02/2022

The Barn has just been Groomed! Classes are up on the web for Fall 2022. www.tricitiesagilitybarn.com We can now take fees through the website with your registration. We are also offering an annual membership, which allows access to the barn for practice. Dogs must be safe on all equipment.

08/17/2022

You can now register for classes on the website: www.tricitiesagilitybarn.com

The Tri-Cities Agility Barn is designed to teach the dog sport of agility to everyone from rookies to experts. Classes are held on a dirt surface (insulated building). This building was built because many of tri-city agility dogs have had career-ending injuries on mat surfaces in the Tri-Cities. Agi...

08/11/2022

The new website is live. Check it out and give me any comments! This was the view in Ellie's class last night. https://tricitiesagilitybarn.com/

07/17/2022

For the hot summer, I have a class idea - a mostly on-line weave and contacts as i train them with my puppies. I will post 1-50 videos/week on a FB page. The original post will be me babbling about the concept and how I'm getting started. My first comment will be a video of me doing whatever it is with puppy 1 (first ever run through, warts and all). Then a video of the other puppy showing progression, or warts from a different puppy, whatever. For $75, you can join this page, watch the videos, ask questions and have access to my backyard and/or the barn to work on things if you don't have the equipment (barn and my yard time will have to be organized so you don't get swarmed by IGs). We can also meet once or twice a month if people want/need to work together. As many of you know, I get into the minutia - my puppies will learn contacts from ground work and progressing through. I use 2x2 method for weaves, but I'm also bringing in some of the concept from weave shaping. Let me know if you have any interest and what you think of this idea.

07/04/2022

Upcoming Class:

Contact and Weave Pole Foundations
Six 1 hour sessions, beginning 7/12/22
Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM
$110

In this class, we will focus on the foundation skills for weave poles and the contact obstacles (dog walk, A-frame, teeter, table). This is a workshop-style class, and we will tailor the exercises and topics to the individual needs of the dogs enrolled.

Pre-requisite: dogs must be 12 months of age or older, and have taken at least one foundation agility class.

Please private message me directly (Ellie Allen Cook), or email me at [email protected] to reserve your spot, or if you have any questions. Thank you!

06/08/2022

05/31/2022

Classes will start June 7th and will last 7 weeks (gives us a chance to have a make up class if we need).
12:15 pm - Advanced - dogs are safe on all obstacles and can do weaves (don't have to be perfect). Will have more advanced handling, possibly work on Premier elements.
1:30 pm - Intermediate - dogs should be able to do 6 weaves and are safe on all equipment (low contacts). This class will emphasize sequencing seen in Novice - Excellent level courses. Get more independence and snap to your runs.
2:45 pm - Novice handling - those of you who have just finished the puppy classes, your dogs have been taught what to do, now we'll work on handling. short sequences, learning crosses, learning when and where to do crosses...

Please let me know if you'd like to sign up for any of these classes! comment below or PM me.

05/02/2022

Ellie foundation for agility class begins tomorrow at 6:30 pm at the barn. If you're interested send an email!

04/04/2022

I am working on the "final" set up verbals I have decided upon with Ripley. They include "switch" (switch leads, essentially a rear cross verbal) and "Tight" - which is a switch/tight wrap. Sheyla Gutierez' finals course from NAC provided me with a perfect scenario to practice. Jump 2 is where I am doing various different rear crosses. White circles are the NAC course up until #4 (my tight command at 2). White squares allow me to work on Switch. White squared are also switch (if I handle from the same side) but a serp into the tunnel. Note, I am handling differently than anyone I saw in Nationals! I have no idea why they all handled the way they did, except most were right "on top" of their dogs, and I make my dogs go out and do things on their own. This has been a fun course to play with!

04/01/2022

Beginning this coming week (April 5th) - 2:00 pm - "fabulous contacts" this is for dogs who don't yet "do" contacts, or who do them poorly. You'll need to decide if you want running or stopped dogwalk.

04/01/2022

Beginning this coming week (April 5th) - 12:30 pm - "competition contacts/weaves" will just be a class, but will have lots of contacts challenges (With some weaves as well). I think there are 8 people in the class, so we'll plan on 1:15 hr class (at least). See you all!

03/30/2022

Foundations for Agility class
Tuesday evenings at 6:30, starting on 5/3/22 and running for 6 weeks

This class is six weeks long and is the foundation class for agility. While much of what we do in this class will not look like finished agility behaviors, it lays the building blocks for good habits that will carry you and your dog through a rewarding agility career.

Some of the skills introduced:
* Body awareness (including contact foundation behaviors)
* Transport (entering and exiting the ring)
* Engagement and rewards
* Basic handling
* Cone work and turns
* Obstacle commitment

Because this is a low impact style class (no contacts, weaves, full height jumps etc), it is appropriate for puppies and young dogs, as well as adults. Dogs must have a basic obedience foundation (sit, down, stay, come) and be able to work off leash or on a long line for short periods.

03/29/2022

The two contacts-centric classes will be: 1) Contacts challenges (12:30 pm Tuesdays for the month of April only)- for dogs who are competing and who have decent contacts - we'll make them better/stronger faster. 2) Contacts foundations (2:00 Tuesdays for the month of April only)- this class will REQUIRE HOMEWORK. We will using foot targets to teach the contacts behaviors we want - stopped or running on DW. This is only a 4 week class, so will be intensive. I'll put who is signed up for each class in the comments - and add a comment if you want added.

03/27/2022

Ellie Cook will be doing a foundations agility class at the barn on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm.

Torka will also be doing some more advanced classes Tuesday afternoon... Contacts and Proofing contacts...

Email [email protected] if interested.

03/27/2022