Dog agility is a dog sport in which a dog navigates an obstacle course guided by his/her handler. A dog's ability to race through the course is judged on time and accuracy.
Dog agility can be traced back to the 1970s when a demonstration was held at the Crufts Dog Show in England to entertain spectators. The course was based on the type of course used for horse-dressage events. Since then, the dog sport has spread across the globe and major competitions are held worldwide.
The obstacle course can consist of a-frames, tunnels, jumps, teeter totters, weave poles and more.
The dogs must run off-leash, without incentives (no treats, no toys) and are guided by the handler using hand-signals, body language and voice commands.
Scoring of runs is based on how many faults are incurred as the dog races through the course. The faults can include things like exceeding the standard course time or knocking down a bar in a jump.
All breeds of dogs (including mixed breeds) participate and enjoy agility.
Read other articles in our series on Dog Sports:
- Introduction
- Agility
- Bikejoring
- Cani-Cross
- Canine Freestyle / Dog Dancing
- Disc Dog / Frisbee Dog
- Dog Hiking
- Dock Jumping / Dock Diving
- Dog Scootering
- Dog Surfing
- Earth Dogs
- Flyball
- Scent Work / Nose Work
- Skijoring
Do you have a dog sport experience or tip you want to share? Post your comments below.
Copyright 2013 DogHeirs. All Rights Reserved.
Titchmarsh brings up the issue of whether some of Millan's dog training techniques are questionable. What do you think?
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