Playground pups at Game Fair have a nose for the finish line

Obstacle course-trained agility dogs a crowd favorites at Game Fair.

August 10, 2019 at 9:13PM
Dawn Wessels of the Twin Cities area is among about 30 agility dog owners and trainers who are demonstrating their sport and their specially trained canines at Game Fair in Ramsey. This photo was taken in Sweden recently, where Wessels trained with her border collie, Jia.
Dawn Wessels of the Twin Cities area is among about 30 agility dog owners and trainers who are demonstrating their sport and their specially trained canines at Game Fair in Ramsey. This photo was taken recently in Sweden, where Wessels trained with her border collie, Jia. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Each August Game Fair is a favorite destination of leashed Labrador retrievers, English setters, springer spaniels and other canines that earn their keep searching for ducks, ruffed grouse and pheasants. These sporting breeds sniff their way around the fair's 80 acres of woods, waters and fields, sometimes competing in retrieving games and at other times sneaking a hamburger or ice cream sundae from their masters.

Flying somewhat under the radar at the fair, meanwhile, are canines that don't hunt. Instead they run, jump and race their way through an obstacle course, following their owners' lead.

Agility dogs span a wide variety of breeds, from border collies (very common) to coon hounds (not so much).

"My first champion agility dog was a coon hound," said Dawn Wessels, who is among the trainers and competitors who appear daily at Game Fair in agility dog demonstrations.

"Agility wasn't my original dog sport," Wessels added. "I was a member of the Minnesota Coon Hound Association, and my husband at the time was an agility dog competitor. Now I compete with agility dogs, and my husband has switched to tracking and herding dogs."

Agility dogs compete by racing through a numbered obstacle course with their owners (or trainers) alongside them, pointing the way. Set by judges, courses differ, race by race. Completing a course correctly in the fastest time determines the winner.

Oftentimes dogs are specifically bred for the sport. Speed is valued, of course, as is intelligence. Extensive training is required to win consistently.

But not everyone is out to make a champion. Some owners are casual competitors whose emphasis is fun.

"The Twin Cities area is a hot spot for agility dog training and competitions," Wessels said. "If a person wanted to, they could compete almost every weekend without having to drive very far."

In Ramsey, Game Fair is held on the grounds of Armstrong Ranch Kennels, which has been in Loral I Delaney's family since 1926. Hunting dogs are Loral I's specialty. But she and husband Chuck, who own Game Fair, have long been impressed by the athleticism and intelligence of agility dogs and include them in the fair because attendees find them fascinating.

"The agility dogs draw great crowds every year," Chuck said.

Wessels says she loved coon dogs and coon dog competitions. But she's now deeply committed to agility dogs. She just returned from a training session in Sweden with her border collie, Jia, and her goal someday is to compete in the world championships.

"I've got two border collies and a rescue dog we call a corgi," she said. "We're not sure what she is. But she's 2 years old, and we're training her to be an agility dog."

about the writer

Dennis Anderson

Columnist

Outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson joined the Star Tribune in 1993 after serving in the same position at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for 13 years. His column topics vary widely, and include canoeing, fishing, hunting, adventure travel and conservation of the environment.

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