Dog agility is a timed event with obstacles the dog races through or over. Speed and accuracy are important to your success. The run is always off leash, and handlers communicate with the dog using verbal cues and body language, motion, and positioning.
No rules dictate what cues you use for your individual dog, and many handlers have their own set of words for various obstacles, turns, and speed. But there are commonly used terms, like break, left, right, check, dig, wait, and more. You’ll train verbal and body cues that tell your dog to turn right or left, make a tight turn (called a wrap), take an obstacle from the opposite/back side, slow down, move ahead quickly (go!), and more.
Most dogs quickly learn the names of the obstacles: jump, tire, tunnel, table, A-frame, and dog walk (walk it!), and you’ll hear many handlers repeat the term three times as the dog approaches the obstacle. As the dog becomes more confident in your communication, his speed naturally increases. That is one of the many reasons why agility handlers say, “The dog is never wrong.”
A dog should have foundation handling skills before starting agility, knowing how to walk quietly on leash, stay when cued, and has a strong recall (return to you when called). He doesn’t need to be an obedience dog, but he does need the basics.
Classes are divided by the dog’s height and experience, so you’re competing against similarly sized dogs and dog-handler experience. You move up levels of competition as your dog qualifies (does the course well enough to achieve a set qualifying score at a required minimum speed). There are regional and national competitions that you earn the right to compete in by achieving a set number of qualifying scores. All organizations have championship titles as well that are highly sought after and require a consistently good dog-handler team.
Any dog can do agility, but it does require a level of athleticism and attitude to excel. Among the best breeds for agility are Border Collies, Papillons, Shelties, Australian Shepherds, Malinois dogs, Golden Retrievers, many terriers, and a huge number of mixes. A great agility dog has “drive,” which is a term for a dog’s motivation. These dogs seek out and jet away to the next obstacle.
