Hounds (Cont'd) May 28 2006 Hounds From 1C world. "Not everybody gets paid to go work and schmooze with puppies," he said, in a deep, rich voice unexpectedly coming from his lean, lanky frame. "The whole idea is fun and motivation for the dogs. You can tell they are having fun. They wag their tails and run for the fun of it. Dogs can feel joy and pleasure. We see a lot of what we call 'Tigger' jumping." You know the move: It's like their tops are made out of rubber, and their bottoms are made out of springs. Agility training grew out of a sort of halftime "stunt" show at a serious dog show about two decades ago, Mathews said. Dog owners were intrigued, and agility grew into a sport open to all dogs, including those who weren't exactly purebreds. The goal is for the owner to stand at a distance and give the dogs signals that will lead the animal through a course. The animal must not hesitate or falter in the flawless completion of the feats. Courses are about 40 percent hurdles, but also include weave poles, elevated walking planks, fabric tunnels, and chutes, which are fabric tunnels without a wire frame at one end, allowing the tube to go flat. All motivation is positive, with incentives including praise, snacks and a favorite toy. Murfee is partial to a cloth flying disk, with a spotted cow design in the middle and scarlet fabric at the rim. "He'd do anything for his favorite toy," McWhorter said. Agility is a relatively new sport, and many competitions exist on the national level, Mathews said. In Utah, agility training has not caught on to the degree seen elsewhere, Mathews said. Murfee is fairly new to agility training and still learning rules such as always entering weaving poles from the right. He's come a long way since McWhorter and her daughter found him roadside, a tiny puppy, dehydrated and close to death. The family nursed him back to health and put themselves and him through obedience training. "It's really the owner you're training," McWhorter said. "I'm sure Jeremy will tell you that. But I think people don't understand there is a commitment to having a dog, just like there is to any other being. "People don't expect their children to learn to read without training. A dog won't learn without training, either. People complain that their dogs are chewers or diggers, but they're not giving their dogs any training, or any way to work off energy. They don't even walk their dogs." Detection dogs Training detection dogs, in greater demand since the bombing of the World Trade Center, is more intensive work, Mathews said. Besides positive reinforcement, most professional trainers use choke chains and shock collars. There is no room for a behavioral mistake that might cost the dog or law-enforcement officials their lives. Detection dogs must learn to identify the assigned scent without being distracted by food, other odors or their en-vironment, Miller said. "You need a dog that would rather search than eat." Miller finds most of his detection animals at dog pounds, selecting them for healthiness and for drive. His working course has a number of places for hiding potentially distracting food treats and for hiding small LEFT: Jeremy Mathews persuades Murfee to jump over a set of wooden obstacles as Murfee's owner, Terrie McWhorter, looks on. ABOVE LEFT: Kennel owner Roger Miller runs Abbey, a certified explosive and firearm detection dog, through an obstacle course at his home in Marriott-Slaterville.