Good Dog Agility Club

All About Agility

What is agility, anyway and what do you get for all the time spent training your dog? The answer to many agility questions can be found on these agility information pages. Take some time to explore the world of agility.

What is agility? Here is where you will learn some of the basics of agility

Is Agility For Me? Is agility what you are looking for?

Inner Workings of an Agility Show OK, so you're ready to try it. What can you expect?

What to Expect at Your First Show No need to panic - read this first!

What to Bring to the Show Why do these people have so much "stuff"?

Coping with Nerves Take a deep breath and stay calm!

First Show Lessons Learned Article written by one of our own about her learnings

WHAT IS AGILITY?

Agility is a sporting event in which one dog and one human work together so that the dog successfully navigates a series of obstacles arranged in a random course. The course is usually about 180 yards long and snakes around inside an area about 100 feet square. Each run is timed or scored to so that the goal is to complete the course with the highest score or the quickest time possible.

Below is an example of a typical agility course; followed by descriptions of the various obstacles.

	Tunnels are made of a flexible material sewn over circular ribs about 18" in diameter. Because of this flexibility, tunnels can be setup in a variety of shapes as shown in the example. Tunnels are typically 15 to 20 feet long.
	The dog walk consists of three planks 10 inches wide and 12 feet long placed end to end. The middle plank is elevated to stand about 4 feet in the air with the two end planks serving as ramps to the middle plank.
	The weave poles are a series of vertical poles placed 18 inches apart through which the dog must weave, much like a slalom skier. The number of poles placed in series varies from six to twelve. The weave poles are one the more difficult obstacles to teach a dog, but also one of the most exciting when a fast dog bobs through a set of twelve poles in about three seconds.
	The table is just that, a 3 foot square platform elevated to between 12 inches and 30 inches depending on the size of the dog. The dog must jump onto the table and lay down for a count of five seconds.
	This obstacle is the A-Frame; it is basically two 3 foot wide ramps, 9 feet long leaning against each other to create a six foot tall hill.
	The collapsed tunnel is a short, rigid tunnel with a fabric sock attached so that the dog first enters the rigid tunnel and then continues on to burrow through the fabric sock to reach the opening.
	Jumps come in many shapes and sizes. The most common jump is merely two uprights with a horizontal cross bar that is adjustable between 12 and 30 inches. The tire jump is just that, a hoop about the size of a truck tire supported between two uprights, again with it's height adjustable between 8 and 26 inches.