PUPPED UP DOGGIE GYM PUTS POOCHES THROUGH PACES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

CANOGA PARK - Anxiously sniffing the air, Lisa takes a tentative step up the mountainous blue ramp in front of her. Still a little unsure of herself, she inhales deeply and then charges upward.

This sounds like an odd scenario until you consider that Lisa is a small, black-and-white terrier whose owner is paying $7 an hour for her to work out at a doggie gym instead of walking her to a park. A rescued occupant of the Canoga Park Pet Adoption shelter, Lisa was a little frightened at first at the new Agility Gym Plus but soon could climb the 5-foot ramp with ease.

``This isn't just good exercise for the dogs,'' said Corinne Schnur, a Topanga resident leading Lisa through Agility's series of obstacles. ``I'm getting a pretty good workout, too.''

Gyms such as this could be the latest rage in pet care, experts say. Matthew Margolis, known to PBS viewers as Uncle Matty on his training show ``Woof! It's a Dog's Life,'' pointed to gyms as a positive new phenomenon for dogs.

``They've been around on the East Coast for four to five years, and it's slowly coming West,'' he said. ``If it's done right, it's a wonderful, very positive thing.''

According to Margolis, pet care is hotter than ever.

``It's a $20 billion a year industry,'' he said. ``When you look at animals and what they mean to you, it's an unconditional love that you can't get anywhere else. For your 'four-legged children,' this is what you have to do.''

In its first month, the dog gym has won steady praise from its clients. The brainchild of Tarzana dog lover Marina Martiros, Agility provides an alternative for owners looking to pamper their pooches.

``It's basically a playground for dogs,'' Martiros said, watching Lisa cavort up the ramp. ``Instead of walking them outside, where it gets hot or rains, or it's possibly unsafe if you're a woman, it gives them a chance to do other things.''

The idea sprung from Martiros' own beloved Shih Tzu mix, Lexi. After watching the fun the energetic canine had playing with other dogs, Martiros decided to open an indoor place for pets to socialize.

``I wanted to spend more time with Lexi,'' she said. ``And also to have a safe place for dogs to play.''

After plunking down $1,000 for the dozen ramps, tunnels and jumping poles, Martiros opened the facility in early January. While based on the Agility exercise system, a series of physical challenges for dogs and their trainers developed in England in the late 1970s, this pet hangout is designed primarily for canine entertainment.

``I don't want this to be a training facility,'' Martiros. ``I want it to be fun for the dogs, so they look forward to coming in.''

Business has picked up steadily in the initial month, attracting a core clientele of regulars and a fair amount of onetime traffic, Martiros said. The $7-per-hour workouts are particularly popular with couples, who trade off playing with their dogs on the ramps. If business continues steadily, Martiros plans on adding a canine snack bar to sell biscuits and an accessory shop with leashes and chew toys.

And, for no extra charge, patrons get their own personal cheerleader in the form of Rose Hovsepian, Martiros' mother.

``She's the grandma to every dog that comes,'' Martiros said. ``She's always giving them treats.''

``Why not?'' Hovsepian laughed. ``I spoiled Lexi, so why shouldn't I do the same for everyone?''

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Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Hillary, a Welsh Cardigan corgi, above, emerges from one of the obstacles posed for pets at Agility Gym Plus in Canoga Park. At Saturday's grand opening, Lexi, owned by gym owner Marina Martiros, bounds through a tunnel at the pet gym.

John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News