Agility is a fast paced sport in which the dog is required to run a specific course comprised of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and contact obstacles. The handler guides his canine companion through the route by the use of verbal commands, hand signals and “body English”. The way the owner turns and moves his body helps tell the dog which direction to go.

The obstacles are set up the day of the show, they’re numbered, and the handlers have the opportunity to walk the course and memorize it before running their dogs. The dogs love the speed and excitement of the sport, and it capitalizes on the dogs’ love of running, jumping, and playing games with their owners. And the owners have a ball doing it also! Agility clubs have sprung up all over the country, and many obedience and all-breed clubs have added agility classes to their curriculum.

by Susan Strickland, Honeyfox Corgis © 2005