Agility Training All About Trust At High Fidelity Dogs In Everett

EVERETT (CBS) - What does it take to train your dog to weave in and out of sticks and jump through hoops? Obviously, the connection between dog and handler has to be strong but who knew it's the humans that get the most out of agility training.

Agility dog training is all about the trusting relationship between the pet and the handler at High Fidelity Dogs in Everett.

"If you make a dog jump a jump, they are going to leave, they're going to find something else to do. So it's about pumping them up," High Fidelity Dogs owner Kate Bigger told WBZ-TV.

For the canines, as they are learning the obstacles, it's all about reinforcement, positivity and reward.

"For a lot dogs, the treats are the thing, their toy, telling them they are great, but in the beginning, there's a lot of cookies involved," Bigger said.

But in many cases, it's the handlers that get the most out of this and they are all thankful, they took on this venture.

"I could not have imagined my life being any different because this is so much more fun and rewarding for not just my dogs but also for all the dogs that we get to help train," Kristen, a trainer, told WBZ.

"You are really a team member with your dog and I think that's a really unusual way to do something athletic and really to do something difficult," said client Alexander Porter.

This is extremely popular. Bigger has a waiting list of more than 1,800 clients who want in.

"I think the positive training with dogs, it blends itself into positive training with people. So you have to shape up what people do well, play to their strengths and really have them, enjoy the time with their dog," Bigger said.

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