My training background goes back to when I was 9 or so and started training horses and competing with them. Starting with Trail and western pleasure then moving to hunter/jumper events. There is something that happens when you become teammates with an animal. The bond you create is amazing, and there is nothing like it. I didn’t play team sports growing up, but I can assume it’s much like the bond a team has, except that you have to learn to read your teammates body language and cues to understand how they feel. After leaving horse world, I found dog sports, and haven’t looked back! No matter the dog sport, when the two of you come together on the field, it’s the best feeling! I truly believe there is a sport out there for every dog. For the next few newsletters, I will be discussing different sports, how to start training, and places you can go if you want to take it to the competitive level. One important part of any dog sport is that your dog already has a basic understanding of manners. Almost all dog sports will require your dog to know basic commands like stay and also have a reliable recall. Not just for the sport, but for the safety of your dog if you decide to compete. 

    For this month, I will start with my favorite game, agility. You may have seen it on ESPN at Westminster, or the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. I watched it for years in awe of those handlers and their talented dogs, thinking how fun it would be to do, but also thinking I could never train a dog to be that amazing! Fast forward years later, I have two amazing agility dogs, and I have attended 3 National Championships and gained multiple championships in several different venues. It takes time to teach (approx. 1.5 years to be ring ready depending on the dog) but it is easier than they make it look on TV! 

    Agility is an obstacle course where the handler must guide the dog through the numbered course, and the dog must perform all the obstacles. There are jumps, a tire, tunnels, weave poles, and contacts, which are the dog walk, seesaw, A-frame, and table. To have a successful clean run the dog must take all the numbered obstacles, keep all the bars up on the jumps, and hit the yellow portion of all the contacts including the seesaw that the dog may not leave until the up end touches the ground. Difficulty ranges from the novice level of 14-15 obstacles, to the international world team level of 22-25 obstacles (course maps of each included below)  

    As difficult as it looks, it is not that hard to get started, and there are ways you can train and play just for fun with your dog! If you want to be a backyard enthusiast, eBay has starter kits with jumps, a tunnel, and weave poles. 

DOGS UNDER 1 YEAR OF AGE SHOULD NOT JUMP OVER 1IN! (it is very important to make sure your puppy’s joints are fully matured before jumping full height) If your pup is under one year and you’re interested in getting started in agility there are games you can play to help get them ready to start training. My favorite is the Vito game. (link to Fenzi academy showing how to play, great watch) This teaches the dog problem solving skills, teaches them to work away from you which is a must in agility, and later will teach them the verbal commands for jumps. This is a great game for dogs of any age, but I have found it is a great way to build a puppy’s confidence! YouTube has a lot of great videos on training jump skills and weave poles. 

For anyone interested in learning more about the game of agility, feel free to me a message. Also, there are places that offer basic foundations such as What A Great Dog or Zoom Room. For a small yearly membership fee, The Dallas Agility Working Group, DAWG offers beginner and more advanced level classes.