Scaffolding and rally racing. Agility has similarities with many different sports. Iida Vakkuri has been practicing the sport for thirty years and there is still fire.
Agility Championships on ‘s channels on Sunday from 9.55 am to 12 noon.
Stick! Stick! Stick! Ke-Ke-Ke!
There are refreshing instructions in the hall, and between them there are enthusiastic barking as three-year-old Helka and six-year-old Kate fly over obstacles, slip through a yellow tube and stitch in a string of sledding sticks.
Not even in top condition would have kept up with this going Kalle Palander.
Iida Vakkuri however, he stays a few steps ahead of his dogs all the time, for he knows what he is doing – and of course leaves the dogs to overcome obstacles.
Helka and the Shetland Sheepdog Helka, officially named Jimassenta of Cimillan, won Biathlon gold in the mini class of the World Agility Open competition in the Netherlands at the end of May.
Helka is also the reigning Nordic champion and hall Finnish champion. So a top class agility athlete.
– I especially like the dog as an athlete in this sport. Even for a director, the sport is a sport, but I don’t consider myself a top athlete. This is most dog training where your own physics are useful.
A sports background is not necessary for the instructor, but it is useful in the sport. In agility, we run and make quick changes of direction. The basic condition of a dog athlete develops partly on his own, as there is a lot of jogging in different terrains.
However, the role of the person in agility is more coaching. It’s important to be in the right place at the right time to tell your dog things.
– Strategic thinking is useful. You know your dog and you know its strengths so you can use them properly. You don’t overestimate or underestimate what you do, and you don’t compare it to others, says Iida Vakkuri.
Vakkur himself has 30 years of experience in agility.
– Originally, I didn’t even have my own dog. I went to the first races with a loan dog. My friend knew such a species existed. We started our hobby in Lappeenranta in an old industrial hall, where there were a few rag rugs on the concrete floor. The spark in the species ignited and I finally got my own dog as well.
Helka is already Vakkuri’s eighth race dog. Every dog is different and has its own temperament. It has provided Vakkur with various challenges, which in turn has developed and brought experience.
– By competing abroad, I have been able to see how the world works. Yes, the traditional rule of ten thousand repetitions also applies to this species, and it will never be completed. Circumstances and trajectories change and judges come up with new challenges. Compared to the early 90s, the tracks and the speed of the dogs are quite different.
Four-legged athletes are, of course, well taken care of. Dogs visit a masseur, physiotherapist and veterinarian. Vakkuri compares physical agility from a dog’s perspective to rack gymnastics.
– The instructor’s training skills, of course, determine how well you develop with your dog. The dog must be healthy to withstand the physical demands of the breed. We jog a lot and work out at home. In addition, we always do the exercises according to what each dog needs.
Before the exercise, Vakkuri uses Helka and Kate for a walk. After that, it’s time for a warm-up in the rehearsal hall.
Initial warm-up ensures that the dog has recovered from the previous exercise.
– Check joints and toes and extent. The dog must not be scolded by anything. If there is any pain, then at least that day’s workout is sure to be skipped and investigated further.
Border Collie Kate seems so excited about the presence of the reporter following the warm-up that it brings her a toy to be thrown over and over again.
According to Vakkur, Kate’s liveliness and training friend Helka’s calmness also come to the fore in competition situations.
– Dogs also have their own race nerves. For example, Kate gets upset and excited about the race atmosphere a little too much. That’s when it collapses between mistakes and your own choices. Helka, on the other hand, is a sure performer regardless of the situation. It does what is asked, and does not surprise.
– It is always cool to be in the finals of any agility competition. It doesn’t matter if it’s on the World Cup level green carpet or in a village competition. The most important thing is that the dog and the handler have fun together.
– From the driver’s point of view, this is a bit like driving a rally car. Here you need to look at the notes, where to go and how to get the dog to turn.
In the rally, the driver and the co-driver form the car community, in agility we talk about the dog. In both sports, the contribution of both parties is required for performance.
The supplier’s first agility experience ends with a literal stomach on the second hurdle. However, Kate, who is amazed at the clumsiness, quickly brings the toy as a consolation.
The performance of the editor can be seen in the video in the main picture of this story. Below Iida Vakkuri shows how things should really be done.
The training of four-legged athletes proceeds in the same way as that of human athletes: after the workout, recovery drinks are sprinkled on the muzzle and a cooling loop is made to get the rest of the lactic acid out.
Agility has taken Iida Vakkur as it goes, but it doesn’t quite fill her daily life. He works as a development director in a company that provides design and consulting services.
– There are a lot of professionals involved in the sport who compete in agility and train dogs for the job. My own work is more of that type of eight to eight. I have trained and trained some other dogs on the weekends, but nowadays I mainly focus on hobbies with my own dogs. The sport offers a great counterbalance to working life.
If there is any other free time, Vakkuri will jump on the back of his motorcycle.
– However, I don’t have a sidecar for the dogs in it, and they don’t sit on the rickshaws either, Vakkuri laughs.
A group of dogs move in a station wagon.
Agility’s Finnish Championships are part of a multi-sport event, which shows on its channels. Agility’s Finnish Championships are scheduled to be broadcast live on Sunday at 9.55 and 12 noon.
You can find the full program of the competition below.