Agility Queen, Bebe

My husband and I were newlyweds and did not have any immediate plans to expand our family but things don't always turn out as planned. That is when our first dog, Bradley, came into our life quite unexpectedly. He came to us off the streets near a landfill on a warm summer day with big brown eyes and a sweet furry face and our life has never been the same since. After about a year of love and training which included some work to get him through his case of fear aggression, we took the next logical step which was to get a companion for him. We started searching for a terrier breed that would fit our lives and complete the family. Petfinder.com led us to the Bill Foundation website where we spotted a Border Terrier mix named "Miss Lemon". 

My husband and I made plans to go to an adoption fair to meet Miss Lemon and to introduce her to Bradley. Adoption fairs can be a very emotional experience. We were drawn to a few different dogs, however, we had to remind ourselves that we were there to find the best match for Bradley. We took "Miss Lemon" on a walk with Bradley to see how the doggie-chemistry would work. We could not tell at first if they liked each other as they pretty much ignored each other, but we were assured by the Bill Foundation volunteer that this was a good thing because they seemed comfortable together. We expressed an interest in adopting her and went forward with the adoption process.

We renamed "Miss Lemon" BeBe and bought her all the necessities prior to her homecoming. To our surprise and happiness, Bradley and BeBe almost immediately started playing when they were brought into the house after a short walk outside. It was great to see the immediate connection between the two dogs.

As we expected, rescue dogs often come with some sort of baggage.  My philosophy is that people have baggage so it only makes sense that animals do too. At first, BeBe was a little clingy and fearful of certain noises. Bradley loves to play with squeaky toys and the whole toy thing was completely lost on BeBe.  She would not even pick up a toy and she ran away when the toys squeaked near her. This disappointed us a bit since we had hoped that she would be a good playmate for Bradley and engage in a good game of tug with him from time to time. Training clickers were another no-go with BeBe as the noise sent her running for the couch. It was evident she had a timid side but we knew that is often common with rescue dogs. This was just something we would have to work on with her using love and patience.

Despite BeBe's timid side, we soon discovered she had another personality hidden beneath that fur – an alter ego if you will. She definitely proved to be an "outdoor girl". She would start dancing around every time we got her leash and really turn on the energy during walks. While at a friend's house we watched in amazement as she athletically and fearlessly jumped into an old tree and started climbing up into the branches like a cat. She made it back down, but it was a real eye opener into her abilities and her terrier prey drive. It's all about squirrels with her. This experience got me thinking about activities that might make better use of her natural abilities and I remembered Jo who delivered BeBe to us had recommended agility training.

About six months after adopting BeBe we started a pre -agility class at Happy Dog Agility in Moorpark. Pre-agility is a little more than sit and stay as the dogs learn some hand signals and other commands necessary to begin obstacle training. BeBe started out very timid and would choose to hide behind my legs instead of crossing behind them for the "circle around" command. The instructors at Happy Dog use methods that never involve scolding or harsh correction in order to keep the experience fun and positive for the animal, and the pre -agility teacher also knew a few different ways to get a dog to do a trick. She assured me that she felt BeBe had a little bit of the "wild beastie" in her. At some point the food and praise motivated BeBe enough for her to break through some of her shyness. BeBe learned to really focus and perform and even run around doing joyous "zoomers" when she got especially happy. Her timid shell was starting to break but even today we can't use any sort of clicker training with her as the noise still freaks her out.

BeBe passed the pre-agility class and we immediately went to obstacle training with the tunnel as the first obstacle. The tunnel turned out to be her least favorite obstacle and the fact that her class started after dark and the tunnel was long did not help much. Luckily each obstacle is very different and she was drawn to anything with a plank. The dog walk, A-Frame and teeter were all objects that she was fearless and coordinated running across. She turned out to be an agile jumper as well. After class, we would go home and my husband would always play with both dogs using the squeaky toys. Believe it or not, it has taken longer for her to learn to play tug or chase a toy than it has taken her to learn some of the more advanced obstacles in the agility training. Despite this, the more time we spent exposing her to these things in a positive environment, the more courageous she became. One day she even went through the tunnel in one of her classes. With a little encouragement with the "ready, steady, go" game which is used to promote fun and speed while training, she learned to run through the tunnel without fear. On another day at home she even picked up a toy and owned it.  She was not completely sure what to do with it, but she chose one to play with and still favors that particular one. 

Currently, our challenge is getting BeBe through an entire course of obstacles without stopping to redirect her. There is a lot for the human and dog to learn together which results in a great bonding experience. I started agility training with the primary goal of increasing her confidence, which has certainly worked! It has been a ton of fun working with her in the classes and all the people in the class have commented on what a different dog she has become. At the end of the day when we get home, BeBe celebrates with a good game of toy-tug with her buddy Bradley. It has taken a whole year but I think one of our best accomplishments was teaching her about toy play. My husband will have to take credit for that – he is an amazing dog dad!

Having a rescue dog is a labor of love. We follow the Cesar Millan school of training and the general philosophy of exercise first as this is what I think a lot of dogs are often missing. A dog should always get daily exercise and should not be allowed to turn aggressive toward people or animals. We are also lucky to have great day care opportunities for BeBe and Bradley. We believe this is a good alternative to dog parks as a means for socializing a dog. We take our dogs at least once a week to be with other dogs since being part of a pack is an important part of a dog's life.

Bringing BeBe into our home has been a wonderful experience for us. It has been amazing seeing her transform from a very shy, introverted rescue to an outgoing, agility loving bundle of energy. It is very rewarding knowing the difference that can be made with just a little patience, and lots of love! Our dogs make us laugh and smile every single day and our lives have been enriched with them in it.  We are very grateful for the wonderful care that the Bill Foundation gave BeBe prior to her adoption and we thank them for their good work in fostering and placing dogs in new homes with loving owners.