What is Dog Agility?
Someone is getting up early in the morning full of protein for a nice fast run around the block or park, then on to a rigorous day of training and focus. Sounds like a marathon runner, but this is what dog trainers must do for their purebred dog in order to have them ready to compete in a dog agility challenge.
Dog agility is a very competitive “sport” where dogs compete with each other through obstacles. There are many strict rules that must be followed in order for the competitors not to lose points. The dog and trainer work very close together as a team.
Although the dog is the one running the obstacle, the trainers are right along side them. Unable to give any physical touch type of cues, the dog relies on the trainers to tell them with voice command where to go. Trainers run the obstacle course showing their dogs with body cues and voice commands where to go.
The obstacle course is outdoors in an area of 100 yards or more. Each one of the agility obstacles is designed to test a certain skill. These purebred canines of any breed are tested on their balance, quickness, and listening, and like the challenge implies, agility. The dog and trainer must go through the course in a specific way and order. These competitions can also include a team of dogs, where dogs and trainers work together in unison as they pass each other some form of stick or flag.
Some of the obstacles most people are familiar with are weave poles, tyre jumps and hurdle jumps. Weave poles are exactly that, soft poles that stick up from the ground. The dog must run through them in a weaving motion without skipping any, going back or bending them down or it will cost points. Tyre jumps are tyres or hoops that are held up with stands and a dog must jump through them without touching or knocking them over or going under them. Hurdle jumps are just that, poles adjusted to the size of the dog to be jumped over properly without knocking anything down.
Some of these are called contact obstacles, because the dog must touch these. These include the teeter-totter where the dog must keep stable while walking up the ramp, while the ramp lifts and changes positions to then let the dog walk off but the dog must not jump off before and must touch the teeter-totter all the way down till it gets off. The same rules apply to “A-Frame”; this particular obstacle looks much like a triangle. Dog walk has the same rules but it can be tricky because it can be reversed, so the way the dog comes up might be the way he comes down next time. It’s up to the trainer’s ability to make sure the dog does not get confused.
Lastly tunnels, which seem like great fun for a dog, are long rigid tunnels or tunnel that begin rigid and end with a soft parachute like material. The dogs must go all the way through the tunnel.
