How to Evaluate a Dog for Agility Training

Dogs of all breeds and mixes can enjoy and benefit from training regardless of whether or not their handlers want to compete in dog sporting events. Dog agility training can help dogs build confidence, improve the relationship between the dog and its human and is quite a lot of fun. Before asking your dog to do agility, consider your dog's foundation for training, temperamental qualities and physical type and condition.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Assess the Dog's Training Foundation

1. Determine where your dog's attention tends to be. Some dogs are very interested in interacting with other dogs, some want to visit other people and others are more focused on their own handler. Attention can be trained; however, dogs that are more innately focused on their handler are easier to train and make the best working partners.

2. Evaluate your dog's comfort level in new situations. Take the dog on outings to parks, pet supply stores and other dog-friendly environments. Notice if the dog is frightened or nervous, and if so what stimuli are distressing to him. Observe whether the dog wants to explore the environment, meet other people or cling to you.

3. Take inventory of your dog's repertoire of commands such as "sit," "down," "stay" and "come." If your dog doesn't know any of these commands, a basic obedience class is a good place to start.

Evaluate the Dog's Physical Status

4. Weigh your dog. Run your hands over her body to see if you can feel the ribs. On a dog in good weight you should be able to feel the ribs and the hip bones, but these should not be protruding sharply.

5. Assess your dog's muscle tone and aerobic fitness. A dog that has been sedentary might need to start a program of daily walking in order to get ready for agility training.

6. Look at the dog's overall body type. A long-bodied dog such as a Dachshund will need to build back strength and jump very low jumps in order to avoid injury. A very large dog like a Great Dane will need to learn the body control necessary to trot on a narrow plank and make sharp turns. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the individual dog's body when planning a training program and setting training goals.

Tips & Warnings

• Herding breeds are the most common high-level agility competitors, especially Border Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs and Australian Shepherds. If you have one of these breeds, or a mixed breed that has this type of dog in its family tree, you might be ahead of the game.
• Do not ask a puppy under one year old to jump an obstacle higher than wrist joints of the dog's front legs. Too much jumping at too young an age can damage the growth plates of the leg bones.