Agility? Give it a Try!

Brought to you by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline – the AKC’s 7-day-a-week training support service
By: Hilarie Erb, AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer

If you think agility is only for lightning-fast Border Collies, think again. This very popular sport is one that almost any dog and handler team can enjoy. All breeds, as well as mixes enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners  program, are eligible to compete.

Whether your goal is to compete and earn titles or simply to have fun in the back yard, it’s a fun way to bond with your dog. It can be a confidence builder for shy and fearful dogs. And many dogs previously deemed “untrainable” have blossomed into agility stars.

To get started, your dog needs a few basic obedience skills: sit, stay, and come when called. Then, find a beginning agility class to attend. There are AKC Agility Clubs all over the country with trainers who would love to help you learn the sport.

It’s worthwhile to get some training from an expert, even if you don’t plan to compete. Learning to negotiate a potentially scary obstacle like the teeter (often seen in dog parks) and dog walk should start with baby steps, and in the beginning, jumps should only be a few inches high – even if your dog is big and clears the sofa with no problem!

It’s about getting through the course as a team, not how high your dog can jump. The fastest team that completes the course with the fewest mistakes and with the fastest time wins. And titles can be earned with clean runs even if they are not the fastest ones. A good instructor will teach you how to do this safely.

You will learn a lot in class, but you need to practice at home too. It isn’t necessary to buy tons of expensive equipment. A few affordable basics are all you need and are available at the AKC Shop: Agility Training Equipment.

Click AKC Agility to learn more about this exciting sport and to find an agility trial near you, visit Agility Events. But be careful, you might get hooked!

For more tips and advice on training your dog, join the AKC GoodDog! Helpline, a seven-day-a-week telephone support service staffed by experienced dog trainers: www.akcgooddoghelpline.org.