Okay, so you walk or run with your dog every day. But have you tried “Agility?”
Said to be the fastest-growing dog sport in the nation, Agility is essentially cross-training for dogs using obstacles and equipment. Zoom Room, a new business franchise in town, specializes in Agility training classes designed to whip your pooch—and you—into shape both physically and emotionally.
“We challenge the dog, but also the owner,” says Kevin Ohern, Zoom Room's general manager and head trainer.
Agility training progresses in four stages:
• During Agility I class, dogs become acquainted with basic equipment, such as tables, A-Frames, hoops and tunnels.
• Agility II revolves around an actual off-leash course in which a dog may, for example, be required to go from a table to an A-Frame to another table.
• Agility III is an extension of Agility II involving more complicated courses and movements.
• Agility IV adds a lot more equipment to the mix—seven or eight pieces of equipment instead of three or four—and teaches owners how to run a course with their dog.
Zoom Room launched and began classes Jan. 12 but had its grand opening just last week, on Feb. 16. "We've had a decent turnout and it just keeps getting bigger—Sherman Oaks is such a dog-friendly place," says Taylor Waldorf, who manages the store's front desk and brings Luke, her Chihuahua-Basenji mix, to work every day.
Zoom Room, 13618 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 538-9666.
