WHO IS QUALIFIED TO ATTEND AGILITY PRACTICE?
***Please note this service is open ONLY to current Urban Pooch Agility Club Members.***
***Non-members, even if they are very experienced agility students or were former Club Members, are not permitted to utilize this service. Non-members who make a reservation for Agility Practice will have their appointment canceled. ***
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Agility Practice sessions are a great way for our more experienced agility students to get extra time on the course and with the agility equipment at a more affordable cost. There will be no instructors or staff on site, but with a smaller group setting (there is a 4-student max limit) amongst other experienced agility students, you will get a chance to utilize a pre-set agility course in any way you like. You can work on sequencing the course or just working on a specific contact or skill: some Members might want to focus on portions of the course to advance their sequencing skills; some Members might want to spend their time solely on contacts like the A-Frame or Teeter; some might want to work on collection or obstacle discrimination; and some will want to mix it up. The choice is up to the individual Member.
RULES REGARDING CLIENT CONDUCT DURING AGILITY PRACTICE
Participants are allowed to make small adjustments to the course (e.g. height of jump bars, how closely the adjustable weave poles are pushed together, etc.), but the course must be reset by participants by the end of each session to ensure the next training class can begin smoothly. Please do not make any adjustments to the height of contact obstacles like the A-Frame, Dog Walk or See-Saw (Teeter). All contact equipment will be pre-set by the trainers to the appropriate height. If your dog is not capable of navigating an agility course with all contacts set to competition height, then your dog should not participate in these sessions.
Students are expected to work with their fellow participants to manage their time on the course in a courteous manner as there will be no supervision by our staff. Please divide your course time fairly, respect one another’s varying experience levels, and ALWAYS give proper space to both the human and their pooch.
Please note, our staff will not be able to assist with any adjustments to the course.
Please make sure to clean up after yourself/your pooch and leave the place as you found it!
HOW TO ENTER & EXIT THE FACILITY FOR AGILITY PRACTICE
Typically we have group classes line-up outside the facility prior to class and then their instructor brings them into the building at class time, but this will NOT be the case with Agility Practice as there is no instructor overseeing class.
ARRIVAL: Please arrive no more than 10-minutes before the start time of your session. When you arrive, please enter the front lobby area via the special code you enter on the keypad of the front door. If a class/appointment is still occurring when you arrive, please wait until that class/appointment ends and the owner(s) have put their dog(s) on leash and have exited the facility. Make sure to give everyone proper space as they come/go and never let dogs meet on leash or socialize during these sessions.
DEPARTURE: Please make sure to exit the facility via the front lobby just as you came in. There are only 15 minutes scheduled between sessions so please make sure to exit in a timely and safe manner so that subsequent students can begin their session on time. As always, make sure you give fellow owners and their dogs enough space so that everyone (2-legged and 4-legged alike stay safe).
POLICY ON CANCELLATION
Clients who cancel a reservation less than 12 hours prior to the start time of the session will still have that session counted against their total. To cancel a session without penalty, we require 12 hours or more notice. Clients who no show for a session will still have that session counted against their total.
WHEN DOES MY PACKAGE EXPIRE?
All Agility Practice packages expire 90 days from the date of purchase. All sessions still remaining on your package will be forfeited after your package has expired. There will be no refunds or credits granted for unused sessions.
CLEANING FEE & NOTE ABOUT POTTY TRAINING
Please note there is a $20 cleaning fee for dogs who pee and/or poop inside our Sports Annex. The annex is an all turf facility so clean-up from accidents requires our staff to stop class and use special cleaning implements to ensure no damage is done to the turf while still removing any urine/excrement and lingering odor. Please respect the training ring and potty your pooch before entering the training area.
***If you are not confident your pooch is fully potty-trained, then we ask you to work on that BEFORE joining this program.***
APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR & TURF CLEANLINESS
We cannot permit shoes that are wet, dirty and/or covered in snow and salt onto our turf. Weather in Chicago can often be unpredictable so we ask that you bring an extra, clean pair of shoes with you to class. If you have forgotten an extra pair of shoes, you will need to leave your outdoor shoes in the waiting area while you are in class. Feel free to run the course in your socks if that is easiest!
If your pooch's paws are muddy, wet or covered in snow/salt, please make sure to wipe off their paws in our waiting area before entering the turf arena. There are towels available in the waiting area for your convenience.
