Agility in the rain?

[crysania]

I'm going to my first outdoor trial tomorrow (only my 3rd trial). They're calling for rain. I'm not sure how much rain and how often. Has anyone ever done agility in the rain? Is it safe? I'm very worried about injuries. My dog is not really fast or out of control, but I still worry about her slipping.

[stardogs]

I wouldn't hesitate to pull my dog if it got really sloppy, but just regular old rain doesn't seem to start causing problems until a few hours in when the heavy traffic in the ring starts to create mud.

[96 GTS]

Well, there's this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D_EqdtiayE

[crysania]

Oh gosh I didn't even think about mud! So on wet grass dogs seem to do ok? I'm a panicky sort of person about my dog and her health so naturally I'm panicking about it. lol

I'm hoping it'll just be light rain on and off or that the rain they're calling for will amount to nothing (it often has here..."Severe thunderstorms" become "sprinkles for a half hour" it seems).

[SaraB]

I would go and check the rings. If they are muddy and slippery I would pull. If the sod is holding up well, I would stay in. It would be more ideal if you could watch other dogs first.

[crysania]

Thanks for the video! My dog is definitely nowhere near as fast as those dogs and they seemed ok. We also jump fairly low. She's a 20 inch dog and only jumps 16.

We'll definitely be able to watch folks first. We're not doing the first game and so won't be going until a little later in the morning.

[Panzerotti]

I used to love going out to train in the rain at my old club because I knew I'd have the place to myself.

If your dog isn't too fast you shouldn't have to worry too much. Just be aware of where the tight turns are in the course, especially if you run later in the class when the ground may be more torn up and slippery and you can alter your handling to slow your dog down at the possible problem areas. Your dog will probably adjust his stride himself though.

I found a clip of a nice competitive run in the rain to make you feel better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAIHeJC2AW0

[crysania]

(OMG that little Cavalier though! And the lady didn't even notice.)

The dogs all seemed to get right back up and keep going. I'm pretty sure I'd be down for the count if I fell! lol

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by SaraB

I would go and check the rings. If they are muddy and slippery I would pull. If the sod is holding up well, I would stay in. It would be more ideal if you could watch other dogs first.

Definitely this. I've ran Auggie in rain before with no problems. There was one particular place we trialed where it had rained the day before we got there and it had been disgusting that day. It was dry enough by the time we got there, but if I had been there when it rained, I wouldn't have run him. Nothing is worth a hurt dog.

[crysania]

There shouldn't be any tight turns I would imagine. We're only at CPE level 1 so it's a lot of small turns and straight-aways. We're REALLY SUPER beginning folks, which is why this is a new experience for me!

I think I'll go and check it out. My instructor will there so hopefully she can advise me if pulling out of some runs would be a good idea. I'm glad to see so many fast dogs not falling and so many who DID getting right up and keeping going no worse for the wear. My parent's dog has had knee surgery twice (not due to agility; she's just a poorly bred dog whose done damage to her ACL twice now by running around) and so I'm expecially careful with Dahlia!