ABOUT AGILITY
By Kathy Lofthouse
June 1994

All kinds of dogs, large and small, mixed breed or pedigree can enjoy agility. They are fit, alert and full of vigor. Dogs who enjoy the sport of agility debunk the myth that spaying and neutering will make them fat and lazy. A possible 80 percent of dogs who engage in this fun sport with their owners are spayed or neutered and the top agility competition dogs are anything but fat and lazy! Their eyes shine with glee in anticipation of a fun-filled escapade with their owners and in the company of other dogs. The owners of these dogs are happy also. They have discovered a way to get out and about in the company of their dogs, get healthy exercise, make friends, and have fun in the process.

Agility is probably the most fun and challenging sport you can do with your dog. Imagine an obstacle course designed and built specifically for dogs, consisting of colorful and interesting jumps, tunnels, a row of poles (which the dog learns to slalom expertly through), a dog walk 4-feet off the ground and about 1 foot wide, a see-saw which the dog must learn to operate and a high A-frame which must be climbed. The dogs must learn to traverse the obstacles in a safe and confident manner. Surprisingly, even the smallest of dogs easily learn to climb the a-frame and even the largest of dogs can learn to walk the one-foot wide dog walk.
 
Once the dog has mastered the performance of the obstacles, the handlers learn to direct their dogs through a course of obstacles, with the objective being to negotiate the course in a safe manner, but with the fastest possible time. Displacing the bars on jumps, running the wrong course, or missing the yellow safety zone on the climbing obstacles are faulted by the judge, who designs the course as well as judging the dogsí performance. The winner is the dog/handler team who negotiate the course in the fastest time and with the fewest faults.

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BECAUSE AGILITY IS A MENTAL GAME:
Here are some Positive Thoughts for Handlers
on the Day of the Competition.
By Kathy Lofthouse
Februay 1991

I enjoy agility competitions because they are a chance to see my friends and a chance to show how good my dog and I have become. I have trained and prepared to do my best and now is the opportunity to put all that training on display. We are going to do well.

When I walk an agility course I look at it as a challenge, which will bring out the best in my dog and I.
 
Before my dog and I enter the ring I concentrate on the course and how we are going to do the best clean run we have ever done. I focus on the job and so does my dog.

I know we can do a good clean run and I will make every effort to be sure that we do.

My dog and I have our own special way of running an agility course. We are special and we can get good clean runs because I concentrate on every detail. I believe in myself, and my dog. We produce great performances. We are going to do well.

I learn the course and decide how I will handle my dog through each part in order to get a good clean run. I do not hear those who may be obsessing about potential problems on the course. I simply decide where my dog and I ARE going to be going.

When we run the course I concentrate on every little detail, working in rapport with my dog from start to finish.

My dog and I move briskly and smoothly through the course doing the best job we possibly can, working together as a team and paying attention to the contacts along the way.

 
I enjoy agility and when I run a course I do everything I can to help my dog. I keep in touch with my dog and give him commands clearly and well in advance so he knows where to go next. We work together as a team. That is what makes us so special.

Today we will show everybody how it's done. Our rounds will be a fluid demonstration of dog and handler working together.
  
I know we are good and today is the perfect day to prove it.

I believe in myself and I believe in my dog and that belief is so strong that we can do anything today and enjoy ourselves in the process!

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WARM UP PROPERLY

Whenever training agility, playing with your dog or before a competitive agility run, please be sure to warm yourself and your dog up thoroughly. This is crucial for the achievement of peak performance and the prevention of injuries.
  
A carefully planned warm-up routine can enhance the agility experience for both dog and handler. Be sure to walk about and allow the dog to gradually stretch his legs, relax and get the kinks out. Let him sniff and answer the call of nature. Gradually walk about with him in a more purposeful manner, gaining speed and stimulating both human and canine circulatory systems.

At this point many competitors like to engage in a stretching routine for themselves and their dogs. Some play little games, tricks and maneuvers, which engage the mind and body of their agility partners. After several minutes, short periods of jogging can be introduced. Only then is your dog ready to engage in playing with toys, jumping the practice jump or sprinting and finally going into the ring. 

One note of caution: Be especially careful when traveling with your dog. Several agility dogs have been injured when being suddenly asked to run at speed when having been confined in a car for long hours of travel. Even if your dog loves to chase the ball, please let him walk about, sniff and stretch for a considerable period of time before throwing his toy. 

One of the most disappointing faults in an agility run is where the dog goes off course in spite of what the handler considers to have been great handling. Unfortunately, the handlersí reaction to this is often a reason for the dog learning to run slowly and carefully around the agility course, sometimes for the rest of his/her career. Before blaming the dog for this transgression please consider the following may have occurred and remember that what you do in the ring for this run will directly affect his or her next performance:

• Handler took her eyes off her dog.

• Command was issued too late.

• Command was not clearly given.

• Dog was not trained for the challenge.

• Handler used ambiguous body language, such as leaning forward when she really wanted the dog to arrest forward movement, waving an arm towards a wrong obstacle in order to "help" her dog, glancing toward an obstacle to which she did not want the dog to go.

• Handler did not know where she was going in time to give proper guidance.

• Dog has been given many rewards for performance of a particular obstacle and very few for the performance of another.

• Keep your eyes on your dog, except while making a very quick and efficient blind cross.

• Issue commands in a timely manner, i.e. in a jumping sequence the dog needs to know where to go while he is in the air over the previous jump.

• Give commands clearly and with confidence and gusto.

• Move rapidly in the direction you wish the dog to go.

• Train the dog better before competing.

• Stand up straight if you don't want the dog to push on faster.

• Keep your arms to yourself unless you are very proficient at using them close to your body. Square your shoulders towards the obstacle you would like the dog to address.

• Learn the course well and then go where you want to go. Do not worry about where you don't want to go.

• Keep a balance in rewarding obstacle performance, i.e. don't just give rewards or praise for contacts, but sometimes for jumps and tunnels, table etc.

• Particularly useful when using the "Here!" command, always be sure that your hands respond to the command before you expect your dog to do so! One of the most common errors is for the handler to be yelling "Here!" while their arm is waving toward the direction the dog is, of course, going.

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THE AGILITY SANDWICH:

Good Agility is like a sandwich.
The Agility run should be sandwiched between two large slices of play.


Agility is not a Game of Perfect, it is a Game of Confidence.

All dog training is an art and agility training requires artistic brilliance of the handler/trainer. A sympathetic eye and a thoughtful mind will be your most optimum tools as you strive to communicate with your canine companion. More than once within the covers of this book you will read that consistency and success in our chosen sport require a degree of sympathy and a depth of trust that can only be achieved by developing careful, positive, patient foundations. The relationship between a top agility dog and his handler is based on patience and trust. On top of this must be added layer upon layer of consistent, positive, highly motivational training.
 
In the highest levels of agility competition we ask the utmost of our dogs, physically, mentally and spiritually. They must believe in us, and themselves to perform at their best. It is doubtful if any human being would be capable of performing the task we set for our dogs, not just from a physical aspect, but also the ability to read a handlerís desires and to react so quickly is something only our canine friends can do. All dogs are different and there are no hard and fast rules in agility training; however, one thing is for sure any negativity in training will come back to haunt you in competition. If only one piece of information is gleamed from this book let it be NEVER BLAME YOUR DOG. Indeed, never even let him think you might blame him.

Finally, we wish to instill the idea that it is not just a dog running an agility course, but a dog and handler running a course together, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. It is the fast pace of an agility run, the constant variety of challenge, combined with the abundant opportunities to succeed or fail as a team that sets this sport apart from all other canine endeavors.

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