By RICHIE HALL
It was a dog’s life this past weekend at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds.
While the 4-H Fair officially begins on Thursday, the dog projects take place a few days early. That was again the case with the Dog Agility project, which was conducted last Saturday at the fairground’s llama barn.
4-Hers of all ages led their dogs through obstacle courses that featured several requirements, including many jumps, going through a tunnel and sitting for five seconds. There were two categories this year, beginners and intermediate.
Dawn Moos is one of the 4-H dog project leaders, called the participants “amazing” and said they “work really hard” to get the best out of their dogs.
“Dog project, like any other project, is something that you have to work at home,” said Moos. “You just can’t come in, show your dog. They’re up here every Tuesday for two to three hours training and then they work at home. It’s just great. It’s wonderful to see them come back year after year.”
Moos said that one of the most important things the dog projects teach the young people participating is life skills. Moos said that kids can practice and teach their dogs, and the dogs know what to do, and then they get out there and then they act like they’ve never heard the command before,” she said.
“It teaches them patience, a lot of patience,” said Moos. “It teaches them that there’s different ways to learn. Some dogs respond well to treats, some to praise. I asked some of my kids that come back as parents, ‘What did the dog project teach you? And they’re like, ‘Consistency, patience, practicing.’ A lot of life skills.”