Tail Waggers Canine Services
(Lancs)
Dog Agility
Dog Agility is a fast paced fun sport which dogs and handlers enjoy and becomes very addictive very quickly. It has become amazingly popular over the last few years as can be seen from the packed stands at Crufts when this activity is running
An agility course consists of up to 20 obstacles, set out by an agility judge in a design of his or her own choosing with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles.
Jumps, tunnels, weaves (a set of poles the dog has to bend between) and contact equipment are predominantly used within agility courses although Tyres, walls, brush fences, tables and wishing wells can legitimately be used but are seen less predominantly
Faults are incurred for such things as knocked poles, running past an obstacle or not stepping on the ‘contact’ areas of some of the objects (yellow area shown opposite) before alighting and it is the fastest round with no faults that wins the competition and in some instances a hundredth of a second can make the difference between winning and coming second
At Tail Waggers the emphasis is placed on safety and enjoyment for both handler and dog with competitive ability taking second place. Whilst several high grade dogs train at the club, I feel that sometimes winning a class can become more important to some handlers than enjoying the game with your best friend My view is that the original adage ‘Agility is fun’ should never be forgotten however accomplished you become.
At Tail Waggers the emphasis is placed on safety and enjoyment for both handler and dog with competitive ability taking second place. Whilst several high grade dogs train at the club, I feel that sometimes winning a class can become more important to some handlers than enjoying the game with your best friend My view is that the original adage ‘Agility is fun’ should never be forgotten however accomplished you become.
Any healthy fit dog can be taught to do agility and many dogs find a bond with their handlers that was lacking in pre-agility days as the two work as a partnership to complete the course correctly.
Many dogs who were previously considered problematic have gained a new lease of life due to being given a ‘job’ to do and agility certainly provides that stimulus for dogs and handlers to concentrate on
Many dogs who were previously considered problematic have gained a new lease of life due to being given a ‘job’ to do and agility certainly provides that stimulus for dogs and handlers to concentrate on
