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Agility is a sport in which a handler or owner directs a dog through an obstacle course. The sport of agility was originally based on equestrian events, and is now enjoyed by many dogs and human owners or handlers around the world. In the US, agility training is gaining popularity at a speedy rate.

There are a variety of events and contests involving different combinations of obstacles and courses. A standard dog agility course will use nearly every type of obstacle, while a tunnelers course will be only tunnels, a jumpers course will be mostly jumps. Most well known throughout the United States are the jumping courses.

Any breed of dog or mix of breeds (your mutt can do it too!) can enjoy agility training. Some breed personalities and body types may be better suited to competitive agility success. There is no need to compete if you or your dog is not suited. Many owners and dogs get tremendous enjoyment with just training (and showing off to the neighbors and relatives).

While “any” dog can enjoy agility, there are some considerations regarding your dog’s age and overall health. Tremendously overweight dogs should get a clean bill of health before training. Talk to a vet.

Also - many senior dogs are able to enjoy agility into their senior years, but you should talk to your vet to determine if agility is safe for your senior dog.

Puppies have soft bone plates in their joints. These bone plates need time to solidify, similar to the skull plates in human babies. Therefore, puppies are not allowed to compete in agility and should not train like adult dogs. Some agility basics can be taught to puppies for fun. Puppy agility training should be done with a professional and more and more “puppy agility” classes are popping up around the US.

Puppies can attend obedience classes prior to agility training so that they are ready to accept more complex commands. They should understand some basic obedience commands, particularly sit, stay, come, and down before starting training.