In July, 18-year-old Elizabeth Kolath will represent the U.S. as one of 21 dog handlers competing on Team USA in the American Kennel Club’s Junior Agility Open in Mannheim, Germany.
For the teen, it’s the culmination of a years-long dream, coupled with hours upon hours of practice time with her border collie, Nim. And even though she’ll be competing at the highest level, Kolath says she’s just looking forward to having fun with her beloved dog.
We chatted in June ahead of the July 10-12 competition. (This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Chip Chandler: You’ve been doing dog agility for several years now. So what got you interested in it?
Elizabeth Kolath: My family got a German Shorthaired Pointer, and he was very high-energy, so we started taking some agility classes with the Amarillo Obedience Training Club, which is a local AKC club. From there, I got Tansy, who was my first true agility dog. She was the one I started competing with, and she’s still competing to this day. Then we got another English Cocker [Spaniel] named Ru, and then finally Nim.
CC: What is agility?
EK: Agility is like many sports with teams, but the team is you and your dog. You have to help your dog around a course with jumps, tunnels and other obstacles. It is a timed event, and there are different levels of competition—local, national and international.
CC: What does it take to be a good handler?
EK: Timing is always very important, especially when you’re running a fast dog. They are very quick to respond to your movement, so you have to be timely in your commands and your body language to tell them where to go. The other thing that’s important would be how you trained your dog—knowing your commands, your cues, and how to manipulate your dog around the course. You also have to be smooth with your commands. If you’re herky-jerky, they tend to not respond as well.
CC: What makes a good dog for this sport?
EK: Any dog can do agility. You want a dog that’s willing to learn and work for you. It doesn’t matter how fast they are. It is a timed event, however, speed is not the deciding factor on a good agility dog. You really just want a dog that is willing to work for you and willing to learn alongside you.
CC: Tell me about this competition and what’s going to be different at the international level rather than stateside.
EK: The big difference is the courses that we’re going to be running. At either the national or the local trials that we go to, they’re a little bit tighter, there are more turns. But at this international event, there’s going to be a lot more length to the course. So instead of 100 by 100 feet, we’re going to actually be running closer to a 100 by 140, I believe. Other than that, a lot of the equipment is still the same. But the competition will be different. There will be a lot more younger handlers and handlers who have really fast, experienced dogs.
CC: How did you qualify?
EK: I sent in an application to the team. I submitted several videos of Nim running and a lot of information about her and about me as a handler.
CC: What’s the training regimen been like for you guys?
EK: Everybody has their own training regimen, but for this team event, we’ve been training a lot of skills that we already have. So I haven’t been adding anything new in, just really making these skills that we have as a team solid. One of the major things that we’re training right now is her dog walk contact, where she has to run the length of the dog walk and then hit the yellow [zone] at the end. But I’ve also made it a goal to work on my timing and myself as a handler, so fitness and all that good stuff for me as well as for her. She does some fitness training as well, but nothing too strenuous on her. We don’t want any injuries.
CC: What is fitness training for a border collie?
EK: Just like you or I could have fitness equipment, we have fitness equipment for canines as well. It’s really just a lot of balance training, but we do have some exercises that work their hind end muscles. It’s also important to get them out and moving. So a little 10-minute brisk walk, whether it’s around the neighborhood or just in the backyard, really just to keep them moving and keep them feeling good is part of my fitness routine.
CC: How do you feel about representing Team USA on this international stage?
EK: I’m so excited. It’s gonna be fun. I’ve never been to an international competition before, and I’m really excited and honored to represent Team USA.
CC: If you had to describe it, what’s so special about the human/dog bond?
EK: I think that what makes it so special is how we can build our relationship. The bond that we can have with these dogs and the different ways that we can continue to grow this bond, that’s really special.
CC: If a 9-year-old came up to you and said they wanted to do dog agility, what’s your advice to them?
EK: To persevere. Agility is not easy, but it is so, so rewarding. Persevere, learn all you can about it, go to all the different trainers, all the different opportunities, and just have fun with your dog. One of the things that I always used to get caught up with is, oh, I have to do this. My dog can’t do this. And that’s not necessary. Just go out there and have fun with your dog and build the relationship that you need to with your dog. Don’t worry about what the fancy trainers think about you or whatnot, just go out there and have fun.
