The Sport of Dog Agility

Dog Agility is a sport that is played as a team made up of a handler and a dog. The handler has to guide the dog in the correct order over a sequence of obstacles within a certain amount of time. The obstacles include things such as jumps, tunnels, seesaws, ramps (known as A-frames and dogwalks) and weave poles. The handler is only allowed to use body and voice cues to guide their dog in the right direction following the path the judge has set out for them. Dog agility is a fun, fast pace sport like no other, as it requires a strong bond with your teammate. Handlers have to work hard teaching their dog how to perform each obstacle and developing the willingness and joy of performing in agility. Most breeds of dogs take to agility as long as positive reinforcement based training is used as this helps the dog develop the love for the sport and working with their owner. The one negative aspect about dog agility is that it becomes addictive for both handler and dog.