Okay - right agility is as you know a sport where you try to get your dog around a course of up to 20 obstacles in the right order and fatest time without incurring any faults.
The obstacles to be mastered include - hurdles - normal jumps, spread, long jump and tyre (a sort of hoop to be jumped through), wall
Weaves - 5-12 poles a set distance apart which the dog must weave through - always entering with its shoulder on the left of the first pole
Tunnels - both a rigid and collapsible
Contact equipment which the dog must go from end to end touching the painted areas on both ends - the A Frame - called becuase it looks like an A, dog walk - three long planks - an up, accross and down plank and a see saw which pivots to allow the dog to cross.
Also you may in some top classes and finals see a pause table where the dog must jump onto and wait for an amount of time in a deignated position.
Okay - thats the equipment. Most people start agility for fun and find a local training club. A list of clubs can be found on:
www.agilitynet.co.ukBut agiltiy is opssibly one of the fatest growing dog sports in the country and clubs are vastly oversubscribed and have a waiting list. Some clubs also know of trainers who can do a taster/one to one session so ask around.
Dogs need to be min 12 months before they start training as training too young can damage growing joints and bones as agility is quite a high impact sport.
Things to practice before going along to a club. A good recall is a must as agility is exciting but you need that first bit of control. A wait is valuable if your dog is faster than you - (most are). you can also start training your dog lefts and rights (if you do a search on here you will find some tips for that!).
You do not need to be an obedience champion but a dog that is used to being around other dogs and can still focus on you when there is a lot going on is important (although treats and toys can initally help with this as you may find iniitally they do get quite distracted - new sights smells etc).
Always keep it light and enjoy it - always ensure your voice sounds happy and when they do something you like praise and reward - loads at the beginning so you build good foundations and understanding of what is good and what is expected but never forget to praise your dog. Too many people tell their dog off for not doing something when the dog does not understand what you want or forget to praise at all.
Always ensure that the club uses praise and positive motivation to achieve goals and all is done at your pace.
Probably that is more than enough to start but some real basics about when you get to compete (although any good club will explain this)
At kennel club shows dogs can compete in one of three height categories and to compete at Kennel Club shows you must be measured first. Some non KC club organise shows that their rules may be different and you need to check with them. for KC shows the heights are Small - up to 35cm at withers, medium over 35 and under 45 cm at withers and large - over 45cm at withers.
Dogs also compete in grades - grades go from 1-7 with 1 being the lowest. There are more complexities than this but too much to go into here. If you do a search on the agilitynet site you will find diagrams and information on the grading struature which was only introduced in 2007.
Finally although it can be competitive if you want it to be, overall agility is fun so go any enjoy it.
That is a smashing photo by the way and I am sure that you will both have a lot of fun doing agility. But remember speed and jumping is only one aspect - handling control and skill is the other and that is what takes the time to master
Good luck and enjoy - any questions then ask away I can always talk agility and am sure that there are plenty of others who can too!
