AGILITY COUNTS IN COMPETITIVE CANINE EVENT.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

One would have thought Rachel Sanders had been the one competing Saturday at the ninth annual Pedigree Grand Prix of Dog Agility.

Completely winded after leading her border collie, Spinner, through the grueling obstacle course, the San Jose resident could barely utter any words between gulps of air while Spinner trotted happily beside her, looking no worse for wear.

``I quit smoking two weeks ago because of this,'' said Sanders, making her way to her gear for a drink of water.

But the words just tumbled out of her upon learning that Spinner had made the course in 49.36 seconds, beating the 53-second maximum allowed by the judges.

``It's awesome - he's a very good boy,'' she said, glancing at Spinner, who had finally starting panting a bit from his workout.

It was an especially good result given that these dogs tend to be difficult to work with. ``They are very good, (but) they need a lot of control,'' she said.

Spinner was one 282 dogs from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico competing in the weekend-long Grand Prix at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Each competitor had qualified for the Grand Prix by winning in one of 21 events held earlier this year, said Kenneth Tatcsh, president of the Dallas-based United States Dog Agility Association.

Winners of Saturday's contest will compete in the finals scheduled for 3 p.m. today, he said.

In competition, dogs are led by their trainers through an obstacle course that includes jumps, tunnels, dog walks, a seesaw, a ``pause table'' and poles. They must hit each obstacle in sequence within the 53 seconds, according to Tatcsh.

Performance relies on intricate communication between dog and trainer, he said.

Dogs are very visual animals, taking their cues from a signal or gesture from their trainers, he said. A wrong move from the trainer can send the dog in the wrong direction, disqualifying it, he said.

``(The trainer) has to develop a very detailed communication process with the dog,'' Tatcsh said.

Still, the activity has become increasing popular in its 10 years, drawing an ever-higher caliber of competitor, he said. In past years, trainers had few if any role models. But over the years they have developed their techniques and become more sophisticated and practiced, he said.

``More and more people have gotten into it and finally realize what it takes to be a top competitor,'' Tatcsh said.

Leslie Carlson's 8-year-old Finnish spitz, Pyrite, couldn't stay under the 53-second cap, finishing the course in just over 103 seconds.

The Albuquerque, N.M., resident knew Pyrite wasn't going to make it to today's finals. Still, Carlson was happy with the dog's performance, given that it was the golden-red female's first time in national competition.

``She made a good showing. I'm very proud of her,'' Carlson said.

Pyrite is extremely responsive to signals, but just isn't as fast as the other dogs, Carlson said. Still, she doesn't blame Pyrite - only herself.

``We're constantly improving - 99.99 percent of the problems out there are my fault,'' Carlson said.

Competition will continue today from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Trainers run their dogs in a circle fo r judging Saturday in the ninth Pedigree Grand Prix of Dog Agility.

(2--ran in CONEJO only) Royana Palmer, a judge, congratulates competitors after an event.

(3) Amber Lambie and her German short-haired pointer, Sunny, placed second in junior showmanship.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News