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What is Agility?
Dog agility is a fun 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 and the handler can touch
neither dog nor obstacles. Consequently,
the handler's controls are limited to voice,
movement, and various body signals, requiring
exceptional training of the animal and of
the human.
Courses are complicated enough that
a dog
could not complete them correctly without
human direction. In competition, an
agility
course consists of a set of standard
obstacles,
laid out by an agility judge in a design
of his own choosing, with numbers indicating
the order in which the dog must complete
the obstacles. 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 the strengths
and weaknesses of the various dogs
and handlers.
Many things can go wrong, though, and
for
any course on any day, it is rare to
be able
to predict which team will perform
best.
Our agility classes range from beginner through
to competition level and focus on fun and
building a strong and trusting bond with
your dog.
Dogs participating in agility MUST be under
effective control, on and off the lead. If
this is not the case, handlers will be asked
to undergo some obedience training with their dog.

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