Although eight-year-old Rebecca Wood can get her dog Bizzy to run an entire agility course in 35 to 65 seconds, her favorite trick is getting the Jack Russell Terrier to play dead.
‘Bang! Bang!,? she yells, pointing her gun-shaped fingers at the dog, who subsequently falls onto the floor.
It’s that fun-loving, girls? best friend relationship that helped the pair snag two First Place ribbons and one Second Place ribbon April 26-27 at their first United Kennel Club’s (UKC) Agility Trial competition in Grand Blanc.
Wood also earned the honor of High in Trial as a Junior Handler, scoring 198 points out of 200. It’s a great accomplishment for someone of her age.
‘The fact that she can go out there and compete with the adults and bring home the ribbons is saying something about her handling skills and patience,? said her mother, Staci Wood.
The second-grader at Clear Lake Elementary learned the basics of agility training from her mom and soon got bit by the bug.
Dog agility training is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy.
Wood began training with Bizzy when she was just 6-years-old, and has competed and won in Canine Performance Events as well as in the Hadley Hounds 4H Dog Club trials the last two years.
During each course run, Wood must lead Bizzy through tunnels, jumps and crawls for a total of 20 obstacles.
‘It’s pretty tricky sometimes,? she said.
To get her dog to obey her commands, Wood said she has to ‘get him happy and motivated.?
Treats are not allowed to be used during the trials because wayward crumbs can create a distraction for other dogs.
The hardest part, according to Wood, is not stressing out if Bizzy doesn’t complete a task properly.
‘If (the dog) sees you stressed out, it gets stressed out and then it doesn’t really want to run,? she said. ‘Your dog thinks you’re mad at it.?
Before each trial, Wood and her mom walk each course without the dog to strategize handling moves.
And what happens if she doesn’t qualify?
‘Oh well,? she said. ‘It’s all about having fun.?
So far she’s garnered over 10 ribbons between the different events she’s competed in.
Wood hopes she can continue to compete with Bizzy in agility training, and even plans to give up dance class for it.
Her goal is to continue training her dog with hopes of earning his UKC Championship.