Q. Hello

I wonder if you answer a query for me?

I attend two agility classes.  Both trainers are good and I have every confidence in them but I am being told to enter the weave poles from the right side by one and from the left side by the other. A book I have on agility, written in America by Laura Leach, teaches entry from the right.

I am rather confused and don't want to upset either trainer by arguing

Which is it please and is it crucial or does it vary from course to course?

Jenny Rowson

A. Hi Jenny,

The rules are clear.  Your dog must always enter the weaving poles with the first pole on his left regardless of where you are standing on the course. If your dog fails to do so, he will be faulted.  In the words of the Kennel Club regulations,

'The dog to enter the weaving poles with the first pole adjacent to its left side. Each incorrect entry to be classed as a refusal— further error, maximum 1 fault—failure to complete correctly before negotiating any further obstacle, elimination.'

It will be the same for every course you run. Although the dog is always enters in the same place, you may stand anywhere on the course and I think this may be the root of your confusion.

An experienced and well trained agility dog will be able to correctly enter the weaving poles from any approach. And he should be able to enter with the first pole on his left and weave confidently and happily whether his handler is on the right or the left side, behind or in front.

So, no matter where you are on the course and no matter which direction your dog comes from, your dog should always enter the weaves with the first pole on his left. Sounds simple, but it can be very easy to miscommunicate in a class.

Hope this helps clarify things in your mind!

Meet Auntie

Mary Ann Nester was born in the USA and came to Britain in 1972 as a student. In 1997 she set up Aslan DTC, named after her Lurcher and first agility dog.

She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers as well as a SAQ® trainer (licence 30800) and accredited trainer in the DAQ® method.

Mary Ann's most successful agility dogs have been miniature poodles. Brillo Pad competed in the Agility Draw Challenge on National Lottery Live! winning Mary Ann the privilege of pushing the button that released the evening's lottery balls in front of millions of television viewers. None of her friends had a winning ticket, but it was good PR for poodles.

In addition, Brillo and Daz have both been finalists at Olympia and Crufts and have competed at international level. Brillo represented Great Britain at the World Agility Championships in Portugal 2001 and Daz in Germany 2002 and France 2003. 

In addition to competing with her dogs in agility and heelwork to music, Mary Ann accepts a number of judging appointments throughout the year.  She is also an official measurer of agility dogs for the Kennel Club.

When not training her own dogs, Mary Ann writes for a number of agility magazines including "Agility Eye" and "Agility Voice".  She has been the regular guest expert on BBC Radio Northampton answering listeners doggie queries and has helped many people solve their training problems by posing as the Agility Auntie at www.agilitynet.co.uk.