HELENA – 4-H members with their four-legged partners dodged and weaved through dog agility courses Wednesday morning at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.
Obstacle courses were set up and reconfigured through the morning to test the animals’ training, obedience and athletics.
The 4-H Agility Program teaches members skills for dog care, canine anatomy, grooming and helps them explore dog-related careers.
Students with whom MTN spoke said it’s been a lot of work and fun over the last year.
“We’ve been working on it all year. It takes a while for them to get used to all of the different obstacles,” said Mariah Olson with Last Chance Livestock 4-H Club.
Olson ran the courses Wednesday with an organizer’s dog named Oreo; her own dog had to retire due to age. She said she’s learned a lot about dog behavior and training by running another animal, and although Oreo did have a couple stumbles, Olson said she wasn’t worried about a few slip-ups.
“We’re not really competitive. We just come out here to have fun,” said Olson.
-Reported by John Riley/MTN News
