Max: What kind of personality does best for dog agility?
If I want a dog for dog agility, should I look for one that is laid back? Very outgoing? Somewhere in between?
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Answers and Views::
Answer by Camile
get one thats athletic
Answer by Larinda
Try to look for a very trainable, energetic dog that has the stamina to go through agility training. You need a dog that is also very loyal and friendly ( such as a pit-bull).
Answer by Kristen
You want a dog that is eager to please and loves to run and play with you. A dog that is very food or toy motivated and willing to do a lot for one piece of food is good. Too scared or shy isn't ideal, but neither is too happy going and boisterous. You want a happy medium of the two, a dog that has confidence enough to do scary obstacles, but not so much carelessness that they will do things like fly off the teeter. These last things aren't as important, because you can train your dog to have more confidence or to be more careful, but it is always important that you have a motivated dog. Dogs that are not eager to please you are really difficult to train in agility.
Answer by Mica
The dog with lots of Agility potential is outgoing, athletically built, food and/or toy motivated, confident and able to quickly bounce back after a stressful or climatic experience, intelligent (doesn’t have to be extreme), eager to please, and should love working with you. However, you could get the world’s best Agility dog, but without the proper training and raising, it could turn into the world’s worst. So a lot has to do with how you raise the puppy, how you train him/her, and the expertise of you and/or your agility instructor and mentor. Herding dogs such as Shetland Sheepdogs, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds etc. normally have most of these qualities (with the right training and raising), and are therefore the most popular Agility breeds. Papillons and Jack Russels are also very popular, but generally any dog with the right training and character qualities can do incredibly well. This book on Amazon (#ad) was incredibly helpful for me when I just started: The Beginner's Guide to Dog Agility
as well as many of the books from Cleanrun and the Cleanrun dog agility magazine (worth every penny). Hope this helps, and have fun, Agility is such a blast!
As others have mentioned, any physically sound, confident, eager to please dog will do for your first Agility dog, a border collie (some mentioned that they knock bars, this almost always just means that the dog doesn’t know how to jump correctly, and lacks essential jumping skills and foundation work), anyways, a BC might be too much for you the first time, and it would be better to start with something a little less intense. You might even find the perfect one at your local shelter. Just let them know that you’re looking for a dog with Agility potential. Most shelters will either have, or quickly obtain these dogs.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Donya says
agile personality
Second Chance Poms not AKC! Poms CAN do Agility! says
I have a Pomeranian who`s in Agility. He`s not your usual Agility Dog and ain`t the most athletic Dog out there (How many Agility Dogs have a metal plate in one leg and a bone chip in the other?), but he`s got spirit, and he`s fast, and loves doing the tunnels and jumps, and he is always up for an adventure. But dosn`t have as much energy as my Pomeranian Sheltie mix.
Really, if the Dog is fit enough and is willing to do it and well trained, and also listens to you, any Dog can do Agility. It`s not just Collies and Shelties and other Sheep herders that do Agility.
WyrDachsie says
You want the dog that meets your lifestyle. You don’t get a dog specifically for agility, you get a dog you can live with.
Next, I see lots of people recommending the typical BC’s. However, while BC’s may be very fast, they freuqently knock bars. Plus, they have a lot of energy and truly take a commited owner. Also, it’s very unlikely that you will get to a level of competition with your first agility dog, where you’ll be going to the Nationals or representing the U.S. in International competition.
Now, while I admire BC’s, I wouldn’t own one. They don’t meet my lifestyle needs and I’m not particularly attracted to them. I happen to run dachsunds. I also do other things with my dogs, like obedience, field and natural hunting, so while I love agility, it’s not the only sport I do.
Someone else mentioned pitbulls. While pitbulls are very smart and want to please their owners, they dog aggression can be a problem. While they are out there, you don’t see loads of them doing agility.
So, I would tell you to visit your local shelter, you might find your new canine companion and future agility partner there. There are many many rescues competing in agility and doing very well. You don’t need a purebred dog, you don’t need a dog with a fancy pedigree.
I would look for a dog that is athletic looking and biddable. (Willing to please attitude). Smart and Willing to Please are not necessarily the same thing.
Jazzie says
If you just want to tinker around with agility and trials and such, any physically sound, positive dog will have a load of fun with you and you’ll have a load of fun, too. For just having fun, breed is not really important although some will not take to it like others will. I don’t imagine a Lhasa Apso to be an agility dog like a Shetland Sheepdog, for example.
As said up there somewhere by kind, intelligent folk, if you’re aiming at being fairly dedicated and really going all out in agility, you want a dog that is not only physically sound but physically active and outgoing (aka: high activity) to be able to withstand racing around the agility course as well as all those practice sessions.
It’s a load of fun and a great activity for any dog. Agility though physically and mentally challenging is a LOT OF FUN for everyone involved.
Roxi says
Border Collies are very energetic, that breed would be good for agility. But look out, because they like to herd and if they don’t have anything to herd, then they end up herding their owners and eventually bite their heels! They do best in rural areas with lots of land, and also a farm.
ladystang says
talk to a trainer that does agility
research breeds and their requirements
go to meets and talk to people