Do you love agility, want to get involved in agility, need info on agility? This site is packed full of some of the best agility resources we could find!
Some folks call me Johann, some folks call me JoJo (YoYo), and some folks call me Rocket Dog. I don't care what they call me as long as they call me to do agility!
This is me at a 2006 agility trial, clearing the triple. As you can see I take my job very seriously. Seriously fun!!!!
Here we will bring you lots of dog agility information for beginners and those that have been doing agility for years. Everyone can learn something new! We'll have resources for training and equipment for both dogs and handlers; information on how to get started, as well as details on how to compete, health and fitness for both dogs and handlers, and much, much more!
We're just getting started here, so watch closely....you'll never know what you'll find! And when you get a chance, check out my other lenses on Squidoo!
Thanks KathleenSchaffer from PupArt.net for the photo!What is dog agility?
Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs must run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives.
The handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles, except accidentally. Consequently, the handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal, and the human.
The courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete it correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist, to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds, and strengths and weaknesses of the range of dog and handlers. The handler tends to run a path much different from the dog's path. So for the handler, there can be extreme amounts of mental planning, for what turns out to be a quick run. Many things can go wrong though, and for any course, it is rare to be able to predict which team will perform best on a given day.
In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles, laid out by an agility judge in a design of his own choosing on a roughly 100 by 100 foot (30 by 30 m) area, with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles.
Thanks Horace for great pic!
Dog agility - an overview!
How to get started in agility!
I got started in agility, because I was a hyper little guy from the very beginning.
Mom took me to an obedience class, where I began by failing miserably. But I got better, and achieved Most Improved! Someone in the class told us about agility, so Mom went right home and searched on the Internet for resources.
There is a lot of info already on the Internet. So we're not going to attempt to start over! But we will definitely give credit where credit is due. Thanks to those who have put together such useful info.
Here are some great links to get you started:
The 2007 AKC National Agility Championships
The 2007 AKC National Agility Championships were held March 31-April 1, 2007 at Eden Park Equestrian Complex in Sunbury, Ohio. See all the results here!
And check out some of the cool vids we found from the event on YouTube!
Check out the JohannTheDog line of shirts and more at CafePress!
Dog Agility Links
Below are links to various dog agility organizations.
- Search for Dog Agility Events - Thanks Clean Run! Clean Run has a great site where you can search for dog agility events in your area or around the country.
- USDAA The United States Dog Agility Association
- AKC American Kennel Club Dog Agility
- CPE Canine Performance Events, Inc.
- NADAC North American Dog Agility Council, Inc.
- TDAA Teacup Dogs Agility Association
- JFF Just For Fun Agility
- AAC Agility Association of Canada
- CKC Canadian Kennel Club
- DOCNA Dogs on Course in North America
- AAC Agility Association of Canada
- UCK United Kennel Club
Great training and obstacle resources.
- How to paint contact obstacles. Thanks Dog Patch!
- Building obstacles at home. Thanks again Dog Patch!
- Great training info. Dog Patch has put together some great training info here - for beginners and for experienced folks. I find myself going here every now and then to pick up a few great tips!
- What the heck are crosses? Ever wonder what the heck those front and rear crosses are? Here are great explanations!
- Beginner problem solutions. Every beginner has a few problems at their first trials. I sure did. Went to visit with a bar setter right in the middle of my second standard run at my first USDAA trial. Well here a few ideas about what you can do!
- Sample agility courses. Here is a great page with all kinds of agility courses to study and review.
- Great agility training videos! Clean Run has a great page with links to all kinds of training videos. Thanks Clean Run! (Please note: Clean Run is currently revamping their website and this link is temporarily unavailable - so check back, K?)
- Need training plans? Clean Run has another page with links to exercises you can work into your training plans. (Please note: Clean Run is currently revamping their website and this link is temporarily unavailable - so check back, K?)
- Weave pole training. Agilityability.com put together this page on ideas for training the dreaded weave poles.
- Snooker - The Agility Game. The USDAA website has a great article on Snooker rules and regulations -- I call it my cheat sheet!
- USDAA titles abbreviations. What do all those titles abbreviations mean in USDAA. Well, here's the answer.
- How do you get all those USDAA Titles? Here's a great pdf of the requirements for all USDAA titles. Nice reference to keep on hand!
- CPE title requirements. A great reference for qualifying runs for CPE Titles.
- Agilitynerd.com - searchable database of Clean Run articles. Now this is a find! The great folks at Agilitynerd.com have put together a wonderful searchable database of all articles in past issues of Clean Run Magazine.
- AgilityEvents.net What a great site - sometimes it's difficult to easily find agility trials near you - this site has them all, in all venues. Check it out!
- Agility Record Book This is a must have (as long as you're using Windows, that is)! How do I keep track of all my runs, trials, results, yards per second, double Q's, MACH points, placements, and more with all the venues? I use Agility Record Book. It's a great software program for Windows users - and has great printouts to take with you on the road!
- Canine Palm Pilot Page For all you Pilot users here's a great page! It includes all kinds of Pilot aps to help you not only keep track of agility results and runs - but lots of other great dog stuff!
- A1Agility.com A1Agility has more great dog agility information, training articles, resources and more!
Dogs doing what they do best - Agility!
The best agility Internet resources from Yahoo!
Yahoo has a great bunch of groups you can subscribe to with a wealth of information on agility - from training and equipment, to rule changes and finding an agility dog. Subscribe - you'll be happy you did.
Great agility shirts on CafePress!
If sheep can, you know us dogs can!
Ahhh, the trials of agility!
You need equipment!
Dog agility, like any sport, requires equipment. We've put together here a great list of equipment resources - from training, obstacle and trialing gear -- everything you need is rights at your paws.
All kinds of agility training and gear. This is one of the best (other than my site JohannTheDog.com of course) sites for anything you need for agility - from training gear and clothing, to travel and first aid necessities, and of course toys, treats, books, DVDs, and much, much more! Check it out -- all of us dog agility enthusiasts shop there!
Need obstacle equipment? Here is a great resource for equipment. I got my teeter, chute, weave poles and jumps here.
A tribute to the All-American dog!
More great stuff on CafePress! Luv Agility Sticker (Oval) from MuddyPawz Price: 3.49
Health and Nutrition
Health and nutrition are foundations for any athlete. Even us dog athletes! Here you'll find some great links to keep your dog healthy, fit, and running in top condition.