Published
21.Feb.2007

Introduction to Agility Training: Question and Answer

This isn't just a kids' sport: I see so many middle-aged women waddling around the courses with all sorts dogs. How did it all get started?

The relatively new sport of Dog Agility started as entertainment designed to hold a restless audience's attention between events at an obedience championship in 1977. Combining his knowledge and interest in horse show jumping with his friend Peter Meanwell's experience with working dog competitions, John Varley set up a rudimentary agility course at the Crufts conformation competition in Birmingham, England. It proved to be so popular that agility quickly became an established sport all its own.

The courses all look different from one another, and so do the patterns the dogs follow. What does an Agility course look like?

There are many different competitions and "games": Jumpers (only jumps and tunnels, occasionally weaves); Gamblers (some distance handling for tunnels, jumps, A-frames, and there may be see-saws and weaves); Snooker, a complex format loosely based on the game of the same name; and Pairs/Relay. Although there are endless variations and combinations for agility runs, the competitions have minimum requirements that include several common "obstacles," as they are called:

• Contact obstacles - these include the A-frame (a very steep ramp up and down); the see-saw (the dog steps on the down end; as he walks to the up end, it tilts so that he must then walk down at the other end); and the dog walk (like a balance beam in gymnastics).
• Weave poles - these are light ski slalom gates: the dog has to slither his way in and out of a row of ten to twelve poles.
• Tunnels - there are both pipe tunnels (fixed tubes like culverts) and collapsible (fabric tubes that lie flat on the ground until the dog moves through them like a snake's meal).
• Pause tables - These are flat surfaces where the dog must lie Down (or, in some competitions, Sit).
• Tire jumps - These are rings or hoops the dog jumps through.
• Jumps/Hurdles - There are many variations on these: fixed bars, breakaway bars, crossed bars, log pyramids, solid barriers, picket fences, and even brush/shrubbery - each with its own training issues.

Scooter is a mix of Poodle, Collie and some sort of retriever - I think - that I saved from the pound. Can I still train him to do Agility?

Absolutely! One of the main reasons so many trainers prefer Agility over Obedience competitions is that almost any dog can compete. Dogs of all shapes, sizes and appearance are usually eligible, from the purebred Australian Shepherd to that Poodle-Collie-Heinz 57 mutt you rescued from the pound. Most of the competitions have different divisions to keep things equitable and democratic, with dogs classified according to size and experience - not by pedigree. As long is your dog is healthy, not in heat, and obedience-trained and well behaved, he will more than likely be eligible.

Of course, there are favorites among the dedicated competitors. The most popular breeds for these trainers are dogs accustomed to working at high speed, for whom quick turns and jumping obstacles come easily after years of being bred for herding, such as the Border Collie, Puli, Shetland Sheepdog, Golden and Labrador Retriever and the Australian Shepherd. Nevertheless you will find everything from a Teacup Poodle to a Great Dane running a course - and winning competitions - at one time or another. (Some competitions may require dogs that are not purebreds to have an "ILP number" - go to the akc.org website to find out more about this restriction.)

I don't live in a big city. Will I have to go to England to enter Scooter in a competition?

Not at all. Although the sport began in England, it is now popular worldwide, and there are many official Agility clubs, including the Kennel Club in the U.K., the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Agility Association of Canada (AAC). Local breeders, trainers, rescue groups, clubs, and other groups sponsor competitions all the time throughout the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and many places in Europe.

Scooter isn't a puppy. Is it too late to train him?

Agility courses are very demanding. Although the minimum age for some competitions in the U.K. is six months (and more often 12 or 18 months, especially in the U.S.), puppies are usually not sufficiently developed for the arduous training, and should not be doing some of work required here, especially jumping (and, more importantly, landing). Most trainers don't begin working with a dog for agility training until he is at least a year old, so Scooter isn't necessarily out of the running. As for the maximum age, they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but if Scooter is still capable of learning, give it a try. He may not be the next grand champion, but he'll almost certainly have a great time - and so will you!

The courses look very complex and specialized. Will I have to spend a lot of money buying special equipment?

Not really. When Scooter is ready for a competition, it would be best if he has spent some time training with "official" equipment - seeing a new jump or walk might make him freeze on the spot and refuse to run the course - but when you are first starting out, you can start simple. After all, you want to know first whether your dog enjoys it, and whether you have the time and patience to teach him. There are plenty of websites and links from the associations that sell the components, and these will give you an idea of what you might use in the meantime in your back yard. Some sites include plans for do-it-yourself courses. Just remember, though, if you are constructing your own walk or table or A-frame, make sure that it is not only "regulation" but that it is safe for Scooter - and you!

Some Agility Basics

Practice the 3 Most Important Commands

Scooter doesn't have to be a Obedience Champion to compete, but there are three control commands that he does have master: Come, Sit-Stay, and Down-Stay. As with all dog training, you need to make learning this fun, not work. Bear in mind that praise, clicks and treats will always win out over scolding and other forms of negative reinforcement. Incorporate these behaviors into your daily life - have Scooter Sit-Stay before eating his dinner, or Down-Stay before a rousing game of catch. Whatever you do, don't use Come only when all the fun is over and it's time to go home!

Teach Him To Change Direction - Somehow

You won't always be leading Scooter around a course. Sometimes you must call or signal directions from a distance away. For this you need a command that will tell Scooter when and which way to turn. Some handlers do this with Left and Right, and the easiest time to teach this is during a walk. If you turn left around a corner, say Left! If you turn right, say Right! Use a hand signal along with this command. You also need to practice this when Scooter is not facing in the same direction as you. You can do this by playing ball: toss it to his right (not your right), and say Right! and then do the same on his left. Repeat this randomly until he's got it.

Trainers who don't use Left and Right choose not to because they know that it is difficult, if not impossible, to instantly issue the proper directional from the dog's point of view. Scooter will be moving fast and turning often, and not everyone can shift perspective that easily. Instead, they use combinations of other directional commands such as Out, Here and Away. The Out! command doesn't tell Scooter to leave the ring but to go away from you - no matter which side he is on. Here! is the opposite command, used when you want him to run toward you. And Away! tells him to run straight away from you toward whatever direction you are facing.

Play Follow the Leader

Scooter needs to learn to follow your movements. The easiest way to teach this is, of course, to make it fun. Go to a safe, preferably closed-in area so you don't have to keep Scooter on a leash (if you do need the leash, attach it to yourself to leave your hands free. Walk around as though you were negotiating a maze, with frequent turns. When Scooter catches up, reward him (praise, click, or treat). Don't get him to follow by calling or whistling for him: you want him to learn to read your body language. Don't tire him out. Stop before he seems ready to stop since if he gets bored he won't see it as a game but as work.

Don't Name an Obstacle Too Soon

There are many different types of "obstacles" in an agility course - tunnels, jumps, walks. Because the layouts vary, Scooter needs to know the difference between Tunnel! and Fence-jump! As he encounters each of these for the first time, he may be reluctant to give it a try or even fear it for some reason. You don't want him to associate this initial reaction (run away!) with the command, or he may always hesitate before tackling it. Once Scooter gets to the point where he will happily bound into and through the tunnel, start saying Tunnel! just as he begins negotiating it. Some trainers actually use different commands for every variation of certain obstacles (for example, a picket fence versus a bush) to give their dogs a little "heads-up."

Be Kind to Animals

Learning means making "mistakes." Scooter might knock off a rail, or head to the wrong obstacle, or any one of a number of other things can happen. Do not make a big deal of this. No scolding, reprimanding or even using a tone of voice that sounds as though he has done something wrong - he hasn't. (Let's see you run the course perfectly every time!) No matter what, praise him: for example, if you have to go back and reset the bar on a jump, make sure you say Good Dog! while you do it so he knows he didn't do something bad. And don't correct him with the word No. Always save No for only those times when danger is involved - when what Scooter is up to is something he absolutely should not be doing.

Dress Sensibly

It's true that you are on display right there along with Scooter. But you will also be running, stopping, turning and just generally working up a sweat, so choose your "outfit" with care: running shoes or something similar that will let you negotiate the course, loose (but not too loose!) clothing that will let you move but won't get caught on anything, and clothes appropriate for the temperature. This is not the time to show off the long wool dress and fancy heels you just found on sale. Your role is to help Scooter run the course, and he can't do that if you've broken your ankle back at the first obstacle.