Quote Originally Posted by agilityk9trainer
Interesting. So you teach agility? I own my own agility school. It's a great way to make a living!

Here we don't have outdoor trials at all. Where I live is horse country, so there are many arenas to rent at good prices. There are also many climate controlled (heat and ac) arenas where the trials are now held. We've gotten spoiled. On the coasts, they still have many outdoor shows. We never have to worry about the weather, except for driving purposes.

However, most agility schools here teach outdoors, as we can go year-round. I've always felt bad for the folks up north. I can train in my back yard all year long, and you guys are limited to when your training facilities are open in the winter months.
I'm actually an assitant in the agility classes as well as some other behaviour classes at the training centre that I work at. I'm the one that does the running around to move the equipment or grabbing target plates, and I make sure that all the dogs are safe when we are first learning the contact equipment, weaves and when they are waiting their turn in line. I also answer some of the general questions that people might have when the head instructor is busy helping someone else. Eventually I might want to become a head instructor but for now I'm happy being assitant because the person that I help has to be one of the top handlers in Canada and also one of the best instructors as well.

Outdoor trials are a blast because it adds that extra bit of challenge to the courses and keeping the dogs with you. For example where I live the weather can change from nice and sunny to overcast and pouring rain in a matter of minutes, plus there is always the joy of your dog spotting a bird or gopher and deciding that it would be more fun to chase that then to listen to you, but that's all stuff that just adds to the fun of the outdoor trial.

Our schools go year round as well, we just find it easier to run the classes in doors all year so we don't have to worry about the weather. We do however have outdoor fun matches and seminars as soon as the weather permits it.