POWERGRAMS

7 It's often said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But Laurie Hudspeth has proven that old dogs can do anything with the right training and lots of practice. Hudspeth and her 4-year-old Siberian husky, Ellie, have put that training to good use as they compete in agility events. "I had always seen the dog agility competitions on TV, and I said, 'I'd like to try that,'" said Hudspeth, who made that decision after finding Ellie through the Southern Company Classifieds website and bringing her home. "There's not too much I think I can't do. If I want something, I push pretty hard until I get it done." Hudspeth set to work to learn everything possible about agility trials, events in which dogs and their handlers negotiate obstacle courses while racing the clock. She first traveled to Baker, Fla., in January 2014 to observe a competition. Returning to her home near Abbeville, Hudspeth was ready to get started. Before she could train Ellie, Hudspeth needed agility equipment used in the obstacle- course trials. She bought some equipment in Dothan and built other pieces from wooden pallets. For the next few months, Hudspeth worked with Ellie five to seven days a week, training her to run through tunnels, walk over a seesaw, jump through tires, climb an A-frame-shaped ladder, weave through poles, perform jumps and go across a catwalk. "Huskies are stubborn and they're hard to train," said Hudspeth, Metering Services assistant, Eufaula State Docks Crew Headquarters. "You have to put them through boot camp to get them to understand what to do. "I pushed Ellie really hard because I'm very competitive. She didn't like me one bit for a while, but I finally got her on the same page," Hudspeth said. Hudspeth, who was as new to the sport as her dog, taught Ellie by following training methods on the Internet. "The hardest thing to teach Ellie was the weave. She had to learn to weave in and out between 12 poles set up in a row," said Hudspeth. "It took her about four to five weeks to learn what to do." Hudspeth and Ellie competed in their first agility trial event in Mississippi one year ago. After the competition, the two began training with Marilynn Smith, co- owner of MarDPaws, a training facility in Crestview, Fla. Smith has been working with Hudspeth and Ellie, teaching them the finer points of the sport. For instance, Hudspeth has been learning to use her voice and body language to direct Ellie through the obstacles on an agility course. "Laurie has done a wondrous job on her own," said Smith. "She had taken a breed that is very difficult to train and had already taught her dog the obstacles when she started working with me. She had even taught her dog how to run through the weave obstacle, which many dogs don't learn until they are much further along in their training." As they honed their skills, Hudspeth and Ellie began to meld as a team. In January, the two competed in their third agility event, walking away with titles in two divisions. It was an amazing feat for a new team, Smith said. Hudspeth is now grooming Josie, her 15-year-old Australian shepherd, for the sport. Hudspeth is taking Josie on the 260-mile roundtrip to Crestview every weekend to train. Josie will take part in her first agility competition April 10-12 in Pensacola, Fla. "Josie has been much easier to train because it's in the genetic makeup of Australian shepherds to stay with their owners," said Hudspeth. "Aussies are also hyper and are always looking for a job to do. Their thoughts are 'What can I do next?'" Competing with her dogs is not Hudspeth's only hobby. She conducts horseback riding classes, leads trail rides on her family's 350-acre property and is a champion horsewoman in the show ring. Hudspeth said she loves the adrenaline rush she gets in competitions with her animals. "I'm so proud of Ellie," said Hudspeth. "I love to see her do well; it makes me feel like we've really accomplished something. It's true: teamwork makes the dream work." By Carla Davis Dogged Determination PROFILE Hudspeth and her Siberian husky have won ribbons in competitions across Southeast. EU FAU L A E M PLOY EE E XC EL L I N G I N E A R LY EFFO RTS W I T H EL L I E Ellie jumps obstacle.

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