A NUMBER of local teens took the lead, quite literally, when they represented Ireland in an international agility competition recently.
Tara Doyle (17), from Balbriggan, Paul Hannon (17), from Dublin, Abby Ward (16), from Dublin, Sofia Forsgren (13), from Malahide, and sisters Kayleigh (16) and Aisling (12) Lawlor, from Rivermeade, joined a team of junior dog agility athletes and their dogs in the 2020 Open Junior Agility Championships in Northampton.
The team of 11 teenagers, ranging in age from 12 to 17, competed in this fast-paced sport against hundreds of competitors from all over the UK and Ireland over two busy days.
Agility is a sport where dogs compete against the clock to negotiate obstacles guided by their handlers.
A judge designs a course with up to 20 obstacles. The obstacles are numbered and the handlers walk the course, to plan the best route.
The obstacles can include hurdles, a tyre, long-jump, weave poles that the dog has to slalom around, tunnels, and ramps (A-frame, dog walk and see-saw) that the dogs run over.
The handler must direct the dog around the course, taking the obstacles in the correct order, without making contact with the dog.
Like show jumping, faults are accrued for mistakes and the round is against the clock. The winner is the handler and dog with the least amount of faults in the quickest time.
The winner is the competitor who completes the course with the fastest time and fewest faults. It tests the dog’s fitness and the handler's ability to train and control the dog off-lead.
It is open to dogs of all sizes and breeds, including mixed breeds and rescue dogs.
The Irish Junior team worked tirelessly over the last few months to prepare for the championships, travelling to Swords every weekend to train in all weathers.
The team was coached by volunteer trainers from the Dublin Dog Training School, including Dublin Dog Training owner John Ward, trainers and senior competitors Olivia McGovern (team mentor) and Dee Doyle, and former world agility competitor Michael
