THE INTERVIEW – How Hannah Woods Trained Rosie The Agility Bolognese

Hannah Woods is just 13-years old and she has trained her Bolognese girl Rosie to an amazing standard in a short time. Rosie is just 2-years old. We were so impressed with a recent video that we asked Hannah all about training Rosie. These are the questions we asked. You are welcome to add comments or further questions for Hannah in the comments box at the end of the post.

When did you first realize that Rosie had an aptitude to agility?

Rosie was always a very energetic puppy and seemed to naturally enjoy going over objects, the tide breakers at the beach for example, when she was younger. From here I started getting her to try similar jumps in our back garden, she loved it! This was definitely our first indication that she was going to love agility.

How old was Rosie when you first started training her for agility?

Rosie was just under a year when we started getting her to go over obstacles in our back garden. We did not start agility classes however until she was 18 months.

What was the first agility type things you would do with Rosie?

We first did jumps and tunnels with Rosie as these are probably the easiest obstacles to train.

How easy is Rosie to train?

We were actually extremely surprised at how easy Rosie is to train. The Bolognese breed appears to be highly intelligent. Rosie is capable of picking tricks up in as little as 15 minutes. She is eager to learn and loves to be challenged. For example she managed to master the weave poles in under a week.

How did you find and agility club?

We actually found our agility club when we went to get some advice about getting Rosie to walk to heal, as well as preventing barking. We knew they did agility classes and when we inquired about taking Rosie to their classes they suggested we started coming to the Saturday class.

How often do you train with Rosie?

I train with Rosie once a week at our classes, however I now have some of my own equipment and train regularly at home.

 What is the format of the training sessions?

We would normally start a training session by having a go round a complete course to see what needs improving. We build on this by working on separate components in an attempt to improve them and make them faster. Towards the end of a session, a course is normally assembled out of these separate components to hopefully see an improvement.

Why do you think that Rosie has taken so well to agility?

I really believe that it is in Rosie personality, and a trait of the Bolognese, to be inquisitive and be eager to try this energetic activity. Rosie has an extremely positive attitude towards agility and is always very excited when we arrive at classes.

 What kind of nature does Rosie have?

Rosie has a very inquisitive nature. She is always up for a challenge and therefore has a big personality. Despite a streak of independence though she always wants to please.

What made your family choose the Bolognese breed?

We first discovered the Bolognese breed at Crufts when my granny took me there for my birthday. Being a very keen animal lover, I felt right at home. When we stopped to get a drink, luck would have it that we were adjacent to the Bolognese stand. When we heard about the characteristics of the breed we immediately knew that this breed would be perfect to us. Not needing an excessive amount of exercise, being gentle and yet still being loyal and intelligent enough for me to train was exactly what we were after from the breed.

 Have there been any particular challenges you have faced with training Rosie?

The biggest challenge I find with Rosie is keeping her attention. She is quick to memorise a course, so the maximum times you can go round is three before she is bored and requires a new layout. Although eager to please her mind will quickly wander if not constantly challenged. This can sometimes be a slight issue when training.

Hannah Woods