Owned by Laurie Buckley
I got him specifically to compete in agility. In fact, he's my second agility pug. He's been training since he was 3 months old, doing "baby" agility in our yard from the very start. I have all of the equipment in my yard, so we try and practice at least every day or two, more if a show is coming up. A little timid about "moving objects", the teeter has been our biggest obstacle in our training. Even now, as an experienced competitor, he still hesitates on the teeter, afraid to continue on. It is by sheer guts, willingness to please me, and constant practice between shows getting cookies on the teeter in the back yard that we qualify sometimes. In fact, at our last show, Levi got his Novice Gamblers title in NADAC, but as we left the ring, friends commented that I was more excited about him doing back to back teeters in our opening sequence than in getting the gamble! He's not brilliant by any means (unlike my pug mix, Puck, who is so smart that it's frightening), but he is VERY trainable. He is always willing to work for me, and never shuts down, EVER. He's been trained with 100% positive methods, and I teach everything with a clicker. He learns quickly, once he overcomes his initial fear of whatever it is we might be "touching". In the ring, he's is always focused and with me every step of the way. He never even notices the crowd, ring help, or judge. I am the only thing in his world - he's never left me to visit anyone or check out something on the ground. A nice change from my socialite, Puck.I started showing him when he was around 2 years old, but it's taken a good year for him to really come together. In the last month or so of showing last year, I was shocked at how responsive he was to my commands. He's a confident worker (except for the teeter), and is especially jazzed doing jumps. I can work at great distances from jumps with him, making running a course less strenuous for me, and gamblers is a breeze. I've trained him in obedience since he was a baby, and will show him when I'm not doing agility (which lately seems never.) He got a tracking harness for Christmas this year, and the plan is to get a tracking title, too (I'm set on getting a Versitility Title on him). And in his spare time, we squeeze in some therapy visits. He really is a well-rounded companion, and quite the little pug.
