Are you interested in learning a new dog sport that will keep you active with your best friend?
Are you ready to become a tight-knit team?
Looking to polish up your agility skills for competition?
Are you looking for a whole lot of fun and laughs?
You've come to the right place!
Agility is a dog sport that originated in the UK in the late 1970's where obedience obstacle courses were "spiced up" with speed/time limits as well as judging for accuracy. Agility is a series of obstacles that the dog must perform in a predetermined sequential order and under a designated time limit. There are rules and regulations for the sport of dog agility depending on country and association.
In Canada: The Agility Association of Canada (AAC) is the primary agility association. Some agility clubs also offer UK International (UKI) and Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) agility programs. All rulebook links can be found on the right!
Dogs can begin flatwork (on the "flat" ground only, no jumps) as early as 8 weeks of age but jumping, taking contacts at full height and multiple repetitions of weave poles should be reserved until the dog is 15-18 months old to prevent long term injury and to promote proper growth/bone formation. Safety is very important to promote the longevity of your dog's body and agility career.
There are several different types of obstacles the dog must learn before putting them together (called back-chaining or front-chaining in the training world) to complete an agility course. Here are a few examples of the agility obstacles pictured below:
A-frame
Dog Walk
Teeter (See-Saw)
Weave Poles
Tunnel
Tire Jump
Wall Jump
Winged Jump
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