How to tell if a dog will be suited for agility?

[hotdog2007]

Hello! I am new here, and was hoping you could answer a question for me. In the next month or so I'll be adopting an adult dog from either a shelter or the rescue group I volunteer with. I would like to do agility training and possibly other sports with the dog, and I was wondering how I could tell if a dog would be suited for it. I also live in an apartment, so I can't get a super high-energy dog that needs to run for hours each day. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

I forgot to add - I'll most likely get a mixed breed from a local shelter rather than a pure bred dog from a breed rescue.

[adojrts]

Hi welcome to Chaz;
Most dogs can do agility. Are you asking what you should be looking for in the rescues as possible agility/dog sport prospect?
If that is the case, I would look for a dog with the size and temperament that suits your personality and lifestye first. Then try not to get a dog that is too heavy boned, the more athletic a dog looks the better. You need to look at soundness ,if the dog has an old injury or condition it can limit its agility career etc. Angulation is also important, a straight shoulder and straight in the rear can have effects on management to keep them sound over a long career of dog sports. It's best to find a dog that is also equal in the angulation at both ends.........not great if the dog has a laid back shoulder and is straight behind or they have a straight shoulder and are over angulated behind. Fox Terriers have that type of conformation, S in front, over behind. They tend to not have a great jumping style, nor fast and its hard on the body. Those are the are the big ones for structure, you want a dog that is very free moving and with a light step and bounce to their stride. Now having said that, there are all types of body styles and dogs with less than ideal conformation that do awesome in dog sports and agility. It is just something to keep in mind. My one dog has less than idea angulation (he's a bit straight in front and behind), it has not stopped him from being stinking fast or having an ideal jumping style (my avater pic is him), he is a force on the agility field and in other events as well. But I have spent a lot of money over the years taking him to a Vet/Chiropractor to ensure that he remains sound (not lame), which can mean once a month or more. He is hard on himself, very fast etc. I don't wait for him to get sore, I take him as a preventive and he often needs the adjustment. (he loves them too)
Look for a dog (although this could be hard to see at a shelter), for the dog that WANTS to play and interact with you. The easier it is to motivate a dog to play and interact with you the better. Take the dog out to a very large fenced in area, I would like to see a dog that didn't completely ignore me, one that watched me and wanted to interact with me. But that can be hard to access with a dog that you don't have a relationship with yet. The more confident a dog is the better, but having said that, there have been countless dogs with confidence issues that have gone onto awesome careers in agility. Agility is great at helping a non confident and shy dog into a lion.
Obviously the younger the better, but older dogs can and do excell at agility, just keep in mind that it takes at least a year to train a dog for agility and to start competing. And the more speed and drive a dog has it usually takes longer to train, because the dog and the handler need higher skills over a lower drive and slower dog.
You need to consider what the mixes maybe, hounds or hound crosses 'can' be a little more difficult to train, but it's not impossible. I know many hounds or hound crosses that have done very well in agility. Terriers or terrier crosses........well for the most part can be more challenging to train as well and often require the owner to wear a helmet to protect themselves when they bang their heads against a wall :D And I hate to say this, but you need to consider your location and the laws that pretain to Pitties or Pittie crosses, if you want to compete. Here in Ontario, it's bad, a friend of mine has a lovely rescued Staffie cross, that she does flyball with, she also does some agility and sadly she can't enter any trials that are held in a public place. And some trials have denied her entry because her dog looks the part and is considered to be within the 'ban'. I would avoid a dog that is obsessive or one that is hyper........they usually don't make good agility dogs either or can be limited by it. Not to mention hard to live with.

Hope I hope this is the kind of info you are looking for. And good luck.

Lynn

[Brandyb]

Wow - what a fantastic post Lynn!!!!! Great information.
I'd like to add a couple things. Try to stay away from dog with any sort of separation issues. These dogs tend to be extremely anxious, and can make training very difficult (I've been through two dogs like that, and training them was not the best experience - though they can learn, the process is different and harder).
Look for a confident dog, who isn't afraid of new surfaces, sounds, areas, people etc etc. This really helps in trial situations, and although you can introduce and socialize a dog to these things, a confident personality is much easier to deal with - they take things as they come, with little or no worry.
Look for a dog who has some sort of drive - be it food, toy, play, etc. A dog with a drive enables you to give a valuable reward...something the dog will work for. Dogs with low drives are much more difficult to motivate. I like a dog with a high ball (toy) and food drive. They work hard for those rewards, and if used and phased out properly, can get phenominal results on course.
Do, as Lynn said, watch for old injuries, or any sort of congential defect that would reduce performance or cause injury to the dog during trialing and training.
I didn't start agility training with my little one until she was 3 years old. And I've seen people start even older. I find, that as long as you are teaching behaviours properly, and using a good reward, older dogs can learn new tricks just as fast as younger dogs - you just need to watch the older dogs health more, and make sure that joints, heart, hips etc etc. are healthy.
Hope this helps a bit - good luck in your search for a new companion and keep us updated. :)

[BostonBanker]

What great information! Two years ago, I was in the same position as you, looking for a rescue dog who would be a good agility partner without driving me crazy in the rest of my life. Somehow I did it all wrong - I got a timid dog who was scared of her own shadow, had an old injury, bad conformation...but was just plain the right dog for me in every other way. I figured my next dog would do agility instead. I took one class to try and boost her confidence, and we just kept going! Now she is brave, driven, and insanely focused on me. She's never going to go to Nationals, but I probably won't either. She's able to be competitive on the level I want to be, and fits into the rest of my life perfectly.

[corgipower]

There are rescue groups that specialize in placing dogs for sport. Typically they evaluate the dog's abilities and interests and may even begin some of the initial foundation training.

[adojrts]

AGREED, the info coming forward is excellent, I think we are all doing a bang up job!!!!!
I would just like to add, I have known many many people that have rescued dogs that had been 'labelled', dog's that had been returned time after time to the shelter and deemed 'untrainable'. I seen those same dogs gone to wonderful careers in agility (other sports as well). Those dogs can and do compete on a National level with great success!! They just needed to get into the 'right' hands for that chance.
I absolutely agreed that the dog you choose, has to be the dog that you can live with. They are our friends, companions and family members first, then we go out and play with them in dog sports..............thats the bonus.

[houndlove]

What wonderful information everyone!

I just want to stress the importance of getting a dog who's personality is the right fit for your and your lifestyle, first and foremost. As someone who has begun doing agility with a "non-traditional" agility breed (my rescue coonhound) I personally love it when I see dogs that aren't border collies, shelties and JRT/PRTs doing agility. :lol-sign:

Just from my totally amateur observations from my classes, it seems the dogs that have the most trouble aren't the ones that are "less biddable" but the ones that are timid and super-duper soft. Marlowe is turning out to be a great agility dog not because he's an obedience champ (cuz he ain't) but because he's just really bold and confident. Dangle a piece of food roll and he's all over any obstacle you stick in front of him faster than you can say "contact". And if he falls off, he just gets right back up again as if nothing happened (not like he falls off a lot, but I watched our trainer's young BC fall off a teeter a couple months ago and just from that one incident that dog now has MAJOR teeter issues which have also become dog walk issues). The dogs that seem to have the most trouble so far in my classes are the ones who are hesitant to try new things, even if they are much more handler-focused dogs than my hound.

Though one thing I wish Marlowe had that he doesn't, is a toy drive. He's got zilch drive to tug or fetch or play with a toy (any toy, believe me I have tried it all), and that's gong to make things difficult for us eventually.

So I'd look for confidence, both food and toy drives, and physical soundness. Superduper handler focus can cut both ways I think. Independence is a really under-rated trait in dogs, but I've found that if you're willing to work with an independent-minded dog in the right way, they really can have a lot of advantages over a more handler-focused dog, in a lot of situations. Energy level? Well, if your dog enjoys agility, he'll put the energy in to it. Marlowe's nearly in a coma when he's around the house and I thought he'd be kind of pokey-slow running a course, but actually as it turns out he's pretty speedy because he's motivated and enjoys the game.

[adojrts]

What wonderful information everyone!

I just want to stress the importance of getting a dog who's personality is the right fit for your and your lifestyle, first and foremost. As someone who has begun doing agility with a "non-traditional" agility breed (my rescue coonhound) I personally love it when I see dogs that aren't border collies, shelties and JRT/PRTs doing agility. :lol-sign:

Just from my totally amateur observations from my classes, it seems the dogs that have the most trouble aren't the ones that are "less biddable" but the ones that are timid and super-duper soft. Marlowe is turning out to be a great agility dog not because he's an obedience champ (cuz he ain't) but because he's just really bold and confident. Dangle a piece of food roll and he's all over any obstacle you stick in front of him faster than you can say "contact". And if he falls off, he just gets right back up again as if nothing happened (not like he falls off a lot, but I watched our trainer's young BC fall off a teeter a couple months ago and just from that one incident that dog now has MAJOR teeter issues which have also become dog walk issues). The dogs that seem to have the most trouble so far in my classes are the ones who are hesitant to try new things, even if they are much more handler-focused dogs than my hound.

Though one thing I wish Marlowe had that he doesn't, is a toy drive. He's got zilch drive to tug or fetch or play with a toy (any toy, believe me I have tried it all), and that's gong to make things difficult for us eventually.

So I'd look for confidence, both food and toy drives, and physical soundness. Superduper handler focus can cut both ways I think. Independence is a really under-rated trait in dogs, but I've found that if you're willing to work with an independent-minded dog in the right way, they really can have a lot of advantages over a more handler-focused dog, in a lot of situations. Energy level? Well, if your dog enjoys agility, he'll put the energy in to it. Marlowe's nearly in a coma when he's around the house and I thought he'd be kind of pokey-slow running a course, but actually as it turns out he's pretty speedy because he's motivated and enjoys the game.

You have given some good advice, but I just have to ask lol. Why are the dogs falling off the contact equipment? Even the most confident dogs can have a scare and has to be retrained on the equipment. But they shouldn't be falling off in the first place.
Also I would rather have a handler focused dog than one that is too independant. Of course there is a huge difference with being focused on the handler and being a 'velcro dog', which doesn't like to be too far from its handler (that can also be greatly improved upon with proper training btw). Do you have food in your hand, luring it to do the equipment or do you produce the reward after the they have completed the obstacle, sequence or contact?
I have also found that with the non confident dogs, that if you never push, pull or shove them to do the equipment and you train them within their comfort zone that after the initial obstacle training which with such dogs can take a bit longer, they then do just fine and excell. And they also progress at the same rate. The most difficult dogs to train are the ones that are difficult to motivate, that is the killer imo.
Just curious
Lynn

[Lissa]

Wow - excellent posts all around! There isn't anything that I can add except to emphasize that first and foremost you must match yourself with a dog that fits your lifestyle. IMO, any dog will be suited for agility if you are committed:D

Having only worked with "difficult" dogs (hound and husky), breed is the last thing I would consider when looking at rescuing. Personality is far more concrete than any potential breed traits that a dog may or may not exhibit. To set myself up for an easier time I would definately look for a dog that is motivated by things you can easily use (toy/tug drive in particular). That was something that Dodger was lacking and it took years for it to become as rewarding as food.
I also think that conformation is huge. Dodger was injured this past year and it seems like it was down to inadequate conditioning... I can't imagine how bad it would have been if he didn't have decent conformation.

Like Houndlove, I can't say enough positives about using an independent dog in training. First and foremost it makes you a better handler because you have to work so much harder to motivate and you must be creative in your approach. But I also find that they pick up distance skills quickly (send outs as well as start line stays), are forgiving of handler errors (perhaps because they aren't watching as closely LOL) and aren't as distracted by dogs/people (or the regular hustle and bustle of trials).

Good luck and I hope you let us know when you find the right dog!:D

[adojrts]

Wow - excellent posts all around! There isn't anything that I can add except to emphasize that first and foremost you must match yourself with a dog that fits your lifestyle. IMO, any dog will be suited for agility if you are committed:D

Having only worked with "difficult" dogs (hound and husky), breed is the last thing I would consider when looking at rescuing. Personality is far more concrete than any potential breed traits that a dog may or may not exhibit. To set myself up for an easier time I would definately look for a dog that is motivated by things you can easily use (toy/tug drive in particular). That was something that Dodger was lacking and it took years for it to become as rewarding as food.
I also think that conformation is huge. Dodger was injured this past year and it seems like it was down to inadequate conditioning... I can't imagine how bad it would have been if he didn't have decent conformation.

Like Houndlove, I can't say enough positives about using an independent dog in training. First and foremost it makes you a better handler because you have to work so much harder to motivate and you must be creative in your approach. But I also find that they pick up distance skills quickly (send outs as well as start line stays), are forgiving of handler errors (perhaps because they aren't watching as closely LOL) and aren't as distracted by dogs/people (or the regular hustle and bustle of trials).

Good luck and I hope you let us know when you find the right dog!:D

Agreed, building tug drive is very important, even if it does take years.
Correct conformation and top conditioning is also paramount and to think so many people run with over weight dogs.

This is what I love about agility, so many dogs and so many different handling styles and opinions, its great. Each team is different, each team has it their own training/handling issues, running styles etc and we certainly can't put them all into the same basket.
I have a very independent dog, he is also very high high drive. He also had control issues which took a lot of training to overcome. He would break a startline in a heartbeat and it is something that I always have to train. He also has obscene distance skills and lateral skills combined with layering, Petie would never be accused of being a velcro dog :D But having said that he is not very forgiving, if I am late (keep in mind I have to tell him at least one or more obstacles away that he has a change of direction or where he is going) he has already figured where he is going. He is often past the point of no return if I am late in giving my directionals and if I make a mistake I usually don't have enough time to fix it because he is already doing it. It is not that he isn't focused on me and he responds the second that I give it but if I am late................now the course is a little bit more open with longer distances between obstacles, no 'traps', or obstacle discriminations...I have time to fix it :D
Ya gotta love it, all those challenges, all those different ways to run courses and all those different teams that are so cool to watch!!! Love it.

Lynn

[hotdog2007]

Hello,

Thank you all so much for your advice! It is extremely helpful. You are all so kind to give such thorough responses. I am printing it out for when I look for a dog - probably right before or after New Years. I agree that compatibility should be the first priority. I am a newby concerning dog sports, so I'm more looking for a dog that enjoys and is capable of agility and that will not be prone to injury, and I think your advice will help me find one. I am really excited to be getting a dog - I used to foster for awhile, and just miss having them so much. I'm hoping to find a dog that gets along well with other dogs and isn't territorial so I can start fostering again too once we get settled in. I'll let you all know when I find the right one!

BTW, I just love the picture in your avatar Lynn. Your dog looks like he's flying.

[adojrts]

Hello,

BTW, I just love the picture in your avatar Lynn. Your dog looks like he's flying.

Thank you, that's my little buddy Petie, he is fun to watch and folks call him the rocket. He is so much fun to run, I don't know if I'll ever have a dog as brillant and as fast as he is again (or more challenging/headbanging to train) but I know one thing, he has made (forced more like it lol) me be a better trainer and handler.

[houndlove]

I didn't want to make it sound like there's dogs falling off equipment all over our place in class. It happened with Marlowe once--he got the zoomies one time and one time only (he never does that so I was totally not even prepared for it) and ran across the dog walk too fast (it was on the low setting) and fell off. The only other dog I've ever seen fall is my trainer's young BC, off the teeter.

[adojrts]

I didn't want to make it sound like there's dogs falling off equipment all over our place in class. It happened with Marlowe once--he got the zoomies one time and one time only (he never does that so I was totally not even prepared for it) and ran across the dog walk too fast (it was on the low setting) and fell off. The only other dog I've ever seen fall is my trainer's young BC, off the teeter.
Ah, lol those zoomies catch us all at one time or another :lol-sign: No worries, I was just curious (didn't that kill the cat???)
Lynn

[Beanie]

Also I would rather have a handler focused dog than one that is too independant. Of course there is a huge difference with being focused on the handler and being a 'velcro dog', which doesn't like to be too far from its handler (that can also be greatly improved upon with proper training btw).

TOTALLY agree with this. I am thinking of a dog in my class who is very independant, and it just makes me groan. (Of course, part of it is the handler also, who is not at ALL firm enough with this dog. It makes it painful to watch.)
So while sometimes it bugs me that Auggie is being a little too velco (particularly that he doesn't like rear crosses into the tunnel) I have to remind myself that I prefer that to the other side of the spectrum! Worst case scenario, he will stop... not take off and do five off-courses before I even know what's happening and my brain can compute what I just did, LOL!
It definitely is something that you have to train and handle each dog differently. I honestly feel that a lot of agility is training the handler more than training the dog - or perhaps that training the handler is far more difficult than training the dog, anyway, LOL.

[houndlove]

It's not the independence that's the problem, it's how the handler deals with the independence. And that's really just about your personality and what kind of dog temperament fits best with yours. A mis-match in temperament--an independent dog with a handler who doesn't know what to do with that kind of dog, or vice versa (me trying to handle a herding breed would be interesting :lol-sign:)--is going to give the impression that one kind of temperament or another is somehow bad. It's the relationship that's got the issue, not the dog's temperament.

[adojrts]

perhaps that training the handler is far more difficult than training the dog, anyway, LOL.

lol in some cases that can be so very true!!!! I have one student, that has a beagle and he is a wonderful little dog. Yes Beagles can be sniffy and independant BUT when he doesn't listen to his handler, they think what he is doing is funny. Now having said that, they have no intentions of competing, but they have the skills and can lay down a very nice run over an Advanced course. But when he gets disconnected with his handler, they really don't care. I have let the owner know that I can give them more focus work and games, that would fix the problem. Doesn't want it, wouldn't work on it at home etc.
The key to a more independant dog, regardless of breed, is that they can disconnect from their handler so easily. And the handler has to educate themselves and then work towards more focus training and achiving a solid connection, some handlers want it while others don't care. Or they don't care enough to invest in the work. Sometimes they have the attitude of 'its good enough', so I point out that if they are training to the level of 'good enough', that they will have to live with 'good enough' and be happy with it and to not blame their dog. Some change their attitude, some don't.

[Brandyb]

To be completely honest, I like to work with a dog that has some independence. Brandy can be very independent, but is also very handler aware (she doesn't constantly want me in her sights, but she is aware of all body language and position on course). She's saved me a couple times by not obeying an incorrect command that I gave and doing her own thing, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how to keep an independent dogs attention. My cling-ons were and are actually much tougher to train because they seem to be just too sensitive and too handler focused as opposed to being focused on the job at hand or the equipment. Overall, i don't think its the independence that's the problem, but rather how the independent dog is and was trained. :)

[hotdog2007]

Hi everyone,

A brief update - I found a dog online on Petfinder and went to visit her today. She was sweet and cute, and she seems great for agility - she was hurdling over puppies at the shelter - but she seems super high-energy, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle her living in an apartment. I think it's an individual decision, but does anyone have any insight? Unfortunately, she's scheduled to be put down this Saturday, which breaks my heart. If I adopt her they said I can pick her up after the holiday. I'll let you all know what I decide!