蜜桃视频

For newlyweds Jessica Ajoux and Perry Dewitt, dog agility is more than what brought them together; it鈥檚 a way of life. Residing in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, the couple have nine dogs 鈥� four of which are competing in the 2024 Agility Premier Cup. Together, the pack will travel more than 17 hours to this year鈥檚 competition in Blaine, Minnesota, hoping to place in the 20-inch division.

漏骋谤别补迟顿补苍别笔丑辞迟辞蝉

鈥淲e are excited to get to go to compete at the event,鈥� Ajoux shares, whose 6-year-old Border Collie, 鈥淗allelujah鈥� (NAC MACH Pride Creek鈥檚 Now We鈥檙e Talking MXB MJB) won 1^st place in the 20-inch division in 2022 and again last year. 鈥�All of [our] dogs are in the same category, so that doesn鈥檛 happen all the time,鈥� adds Dewitt. 鈥淚 guess we could [place] 1,2,3,4, but that鈥檚 very difficult to do.鈥�

From Backyard Training to Global Competitions

Ajoux and Dewitt have traveled all over the world competing in agility competitions, from Finland to Belgium to the Czech Republic. Among their many accolades and achievements, one of their most notable is representing the U.S. on the AKC European Open Agility Team. However, the road to training and competing with dogs didn鈥檛 happen overnight. In fact, the duo first got their start with dogs long before they even met.

Dewitt, a self-described 鈥渄og-obsessed kid,鈥� first trained her family鈥檚 Border Collie to weave through poles and clear obstacles in her backyard. She shares that the week after graduating from college, she purchased her own Border Collie, who she began formally training. 鈥淭hat was about 15 years ago, and now, let鈥檚 see, I鈥檓 on dog number five now. So I kind of just caught the bug and keep doing it,鈥� Dewitt says.

漏骋谤别补迟顿补苍别笔丑辞迟辞蝉

Ajoux, like Dewitt, also cultivated a love of dogs from an early age. 鈥淚 saw agility on TV, and the way I describe it, it was like one of those 鈥榓hh鈥� moments. And I just said, like, 鈥業 need to do that.'鈥�

Today, when Ajoux and Dewitt aren鈥檛 traveling the world to compete in sporting events, they鈥檙e helping trainers refine their skills at UDog Agility, their joint enterprise founded in 2019. However, UDog Agility is more than an agility school. They say it鈥檚 also a safe space that encourages growth.

鈥淲hat I love hearing from our students is how nice and how happy and welcoming everything feels at UDog,鈥� Ajoux shares. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the environment in which you鈥檙e actually going to be able to not only enjoy training your dog, but be able to learn and feel comfortable making mistakes and learning and experimenting and being vulnerable sometimes. But you really have to be in a comfortable, safe place, and I鈥檓 glad that is what we are able to provide.鈥�

Two Owners, Four Dogs, One Competition

Training, traveling, and competing with four dogs is a feat in and of itself. But which of Ajoux and Dewitt鈥檚 dogs are running at this year鈥檚 Agility Premier Cup?

漏骋谤别补迟顿补苍别笔丑辞迟辞蝉

The first is Ajoux鈥檚 Border Collie, Hallelujah. Weighing 20 pounds and standing 19-and-a-half inches at the withers, she was invited back to this year鈥檚 competition after winning first place in the 20-inch division for two consecutive years. Hallelujah is also the mother of Dewitt鈥檚 Border Collie, 4-year-old 鈥淕enuine鈥� (Fast Talk Words Are Wind), who is competing in the Agility Premier Cup for the first time.

鈥淥ptimus Prime鈥� (MACH Optimus Prime MXS MJS OF) is Ajoux鈥檚 9-year-old Border Collie who won third place in the 2023 Agility Premier Cup, also in the 20-inch division alongside Hallelujah. Dewitt is also running 6-year-old 鈥淲it鈥� (Pride Creek鈥檚 Walk It Like I Talk It), who is Hallelujah鈥檚 littermate.

In the future, another dog may join these four competitors: 10-month-old 鈥淪pike,鈥� Dewitt鈥檚 Border All-American Dog. This affectionate merle puppy was present during the interview, unable to decide whether to rest in Dewitt or Ajoux鈥檚 lap. With time, she too could join the others competing on the national stage.

Same Breed, Different Personalities

Despite being the same breed, Ajoux and Dewitt鈥檚 Border Collies each have their own personality. Optimus Prime in particular is known for being a wildcard. 鈥�Optimus is a little bit more on the tail end of his career. He just turned 9,鈥� Ajoux says. 鈥淚鈥檇 call him my 鈥楽teady Eddie,鈥� but I don鈥檛 know that that鈥檚 actually true. While we鈥檝e been doing agility for a long time together, he does some unpredictable things sometimes.鈥�

Hallelujah, on the other hand, loves the glory that comes with being at the top of her game. A two-time winner at the Agility Premier Cup, she鈥檚 hoping to snag a three-peat this year. 鈥淚 think she loves the show. She does the best at the competitions,鈥� Ajoux notes.

While living in a house with nine dogs comes with its share of dog hair, Dewitt says it鈥檚 a mostly harmonious lifestyle. 鈥淲e kind of have it worked out that they know what their boundaries are, and they know that if they have conflicts with one another, it鈥檚 up to us to sort it out,鈥� she explains.

漏骋谤别补迟顿补苍别笔丑辞迟辞蝉

What Goes Into Competing in Agility?

Training for an agility competition isn鈥檛 something that can happen overnight. For starters, the Agility Premier Cup uses a different course than other events. Every course has its own 鈥渇lavor,鈥� and training involves understanding the unique twists and turns, along with judges鈥� expectations.

鈥淪ome courses lend more to that dance feeling where you feel like you鈥檙e flowing the whole time, and it鈥檚 nothing gritty,鈥� Dewitt says. 鈥淭hen other courses and other dogs, you feel like you鈥檙e fighting the course the whole time, where you and the dog together are trying to figure out how to defeat it, where it鈥檚 almost trying to trap you at every corner.鈥�

While some crash courses promise to transform an uncoordinated dog into a nimble-footed pro, if you ask Ajoux and Dewitt, agility training isn鈥檛 just clearing hurdles quickly; it鈥檚 about the relationship between dog and owner. Ajoux notes that it鈥檚 important for the handler to understand how to bring out the best in their dog. For example, she shares that Hallelujah and Optimus Prime require different handling styles to succeed in competitions.

She says, 鈥淚t feels like it鈥檚 more on me not to let my dog down 鈥� I have to always remember that with Optimus, because he鈥檚 not historically done well, if I am more focused on the course, I just have to be his friend, like 鈥楤uddy, I鈥檓 your friend, I鈥檓 here with you. We can do this.'鈥�

So, what鈥檚 the secret to succeeding in agility competitions? Ajoux echoes one of Dewitt鈥檚 sentiments: 鈥淧ut the right emotions for the right dog.鈥�