Agility started out as intermission entertainment during Crufts Dog Show in England in the late 70's. The sport was patterned after stadium horse jumping, with modifications made to accommodate dogs. There are jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and contact equipment (teeter, a-frame, and dog walk.). In AKC, there are two classes available to compete in: Standard (has a variety of all of the equipment) and Jumpers with Weaves (with, you guessed it, nothing but jumps and weaves, with a few tunnels thrown in on occasion.)

There are three levels, like in obedience, going from Novice to Open to Excellent. There is also a Masters title and a Championship title to be had, but they aren't extra classes, just points accumulated in the Excellent ring to get those titles. That said, I thought I'd touch a little on helping you decide if your dog may be right for agility. Almost everyone has seen agility in action, so a description of the sport might be redundant. The hardest part of agility can be "can MY dog do it?"

The agility motto is said to be "the dog sport for everyone" and to a certain degree, that's true. Just about any dog can "do" agility. But can your dog do well, qualify, get titles, or most importantly, safely enjoy him/herself? Those are the questions to ask yourself. What body type should my dog have? After years in agility, I have to say, there is no dog that can't do agility at all physically. I have seen tiny dogs (a 4 pound Chihuahua) and huge dogs (Leonburgers are very popular in agility). There are heavy dogs (French Bulldogs built like bowling balls with legs) and long-legged dogs (Irish Wolfhounds are out there doing it as well). But while any breed, or combination of breeds, can do agility, all dogs must be fit, healthy, and most importantly, NOT OVERWEIGHT.

This is an athletic event, and your dog should be in top physical condition. A few extra pounds will cause your dog to put a huge amount of stress on their body when jumping or running down the a-frame, and will certainly make your time slower. But as long as your dog is in good shape, any breed or body type can do this sport. But you want to know the BEST body type for this sport? Flexible, agile, long striding, and muscular. That description fits Border Collies to a T, but it also applies to most sporting breeds, a few of the lighter-bodied working breeds, most herding breeds, and quite a few terriers. Quite a list, isn't it?

What type of personality should my dog have? Again, most dogs CAN do this sport, but a laid-back, slow-moving, easily bored dog won't do as well. But often, those dogs just aren't being properly motivated. Find what turns your dog on, and use it. You may find your slug is actually a speed demon with the right toy or food. Again, what personality is best? Smart helps, but isn't critical. Lots of drive is nice, but sometimes too much drive can cause frantic behavior, which is definitely not good. And remember not to confuse speed with drive. A desire to MOVE is drive. You can have that with a short-legged dog and still do well (Corgis), and without drive on a long-legged dog you won't get moving very fast. Willingness to work is important, although a stubborn dog, with the proper motivation, can be trained to do well. With personality, breeds aren't as critical (although, quite frankly, most Border Collies have the proper amount of drive) but rather individuals within the breed that matter. The best dogs are ones that will work with lots of energy, are focused on the course, and are under control, and are able to work with you as a team. There is a wonderful Pharaoh Hound working right now that has focus, drive and desire. Go figure. What about me? What type of handler does well? Basically, if you're motivated, you'll do well. As with everything, you'll get out what you put in. If you train hard, have a plan, and have a great relationship with your dog, you'll get titles. It helps if you're physically fit, but if you look around an agility course, you'll see many ordinary, everyday folks out there. There are even handlers in wheelchairs competing. How trained does my dog need to be? To start the basics, they need no formal training beyond paying attention to you. As you become more advanced in training, you'll find that obedience skills make agility a lot easier. A dog that stays when told, and comes when called, is definitely easier to train and show than one that doesn't. To even think about competing, you need to make sure that your dog stays with you in a very stimulating environment, with lots of distractions at ringside. What are the ultimate behaviors for a top agility dog? Waits for a long time at a great distance, knowing the obstacles by name, knowing left turn, right turn, go back, come close, and stop. But you can certainly succeed with much less than that. Having your dog's attention is the only real "must have". Luckily, most dogs love agility so much, they don't even see the crowd!

To sum it up, agility is really the dog sport for everyone. I have had many personalities, breeds and body types in agility myself. From dumb to brilliant, lazy to highly driven, tall and leggy, short and leggy, and short and stocky. They've all competed, succeeded, gotten titles, and most importantly, enjoyed themselves. Even if you've decided you don't want to compete, you will both enjoy training in agility, for the pure fun of it.

Laurie Buckley
Agility Chairperson & proud partner of: