Theo, the last of his litter, came with a warning.
Mo and Sarah Alkaysi did their research, locating a reputable miniature Australian shepherd breeder, certified with the AKC. As a black tri-color, Theo fit into a less than popular group of Australian shepherds, but Mo and Sarah fell in love immediately. “He’s awesome,” Mo said. “When we got him from the breeder, the day we picked him up, she told us, ‘Good luck.’ Apparently, he was the craziest of his litter.”
First-time dog owners, they also knew that Theo needed to be socialized, and they quickly found Philly Unleashed’s puppy classes. They worked their way from Puppy Kindergarten into Level 3 and then decided to try agility. “He likes it because it works his mind a bit, and we like it because it gives us a break from the dog park every day,” Mo shared.
The training has brought benefits. “I think it definitely made our bond a lot stronger,” Mo said.
And while they can spot Theo’s high levels of energy when he’s not getting the stimulation he needs through exercise and training, they haven’t needed much luck. “Through training, he’s become a lot closer to my wife and I that he doesn’t like to leave our side,” Mo explained. “He’s developed the mentality that there are times to work and times to have fun. The bond has become stronger because of it and I don’t think we could have achieved that without training or agility. For him, it’s fun no matter what.”
Plus, there are the cuddles and the butt wiggles. And Theo’s been known to tuck himself into bed after a long day. “I find it extremely entertaining that Theo, after a very long day, that he decides to put himself to bed,” Mo said. “He goes upstairs to the bedroom or if I’m working in the garage, he’ll go to his crate and take a nap. If he hasn’t done anything all day, he won’t do that. If we play or train, he’ll put himself to bed.”
His training also has resulted in some party tricks, like “Where’s Theo?” “Whenever I give the command ‘Where’s Theo,’ he sprints to between my legs and looks up at me,” Mo said. “I think it’s really cute and people get a kick out of it at the park. It comes in handy when he’s not listening to recall command. He loves that and he’ll come right away.”
And then Theo focuses on “target”, even jumping for or five feet in the air to boop an item. In general, Theo associates words quickly with actions, which has been helpful in agility. Mo and Sarah love giving him a command for an obstacle and watching him locate it across the room before he runs to do it.
Now, a year and a half old, Theo continues to practice his agility skills, participating in drop-in classes at Rammytime Farm. “It’s good for us because it gives us something to do on Saturdays, and it’s nice to go visit grandparents after training, which Theo very much enjoys,” Mo said.
And he recommends classes for others. “I think every dog owner, no matter what, should do at least Level 1 obedience with their dog,” Mo said. “It’s not just life skills. It does really build the bond between the two, the dog and the human.”
There’s the guidance available with classes, along with the opportunity to try agility, more advanced obedience, or other types of training. “There are always options,” Mo shared. “You can’t always accomplish that off of Google and Youtube alone, which is my preferred method of doing things. Try it just for a few weeks, and get a feel for how the relationship will develop over time.”
