Courteous Canine, Inc - Agility Obstacle Examples

Introduction to Agility

Agility is a fun dog sport in which the dog navigates an obstacle course as directed by the handler. The sport is a timed event and the dog which is most accurate and the fastest wins! Agility is a great way for a dog to build confidence and for dog and owner to increase their bond and stay fit!

Click Here for a Printable Group Class Sign-up Sheet

Below is a description of each of the agility obstacles used in AKC (www.akc.org) and USDAA (www.usdaa.com) agility.

The following are Contact obstacles:

1. Dog walk
2. A-frame
3. Teeter

Contact obstacles are made of wooden planks and have yellow areas called contact zones that the dog must touch. These areas are where the dog ascends and descends. The reason the dog must touch these areas is safety.

Dog Walk

The dog walk consists of three parts. An up ramp, a ramp that is straight across, and a down ramp.

Once the dog understand how to perform this obstacle you can cue the dog to "walk" or "walk it". Remember to chose one word as your command and then always be consistent and use the same word. The obstacle is performed correctly when the dog runs up the plank touching the yellow section and quickly crosses the board to descend on the down plank, again touching the yellow section.

A-Frame

The a-frame consists of 8 or 9 foot planks that are leaned against each other creating an apex.

You can give the cue "up" or "Charge" when directing your dog to do the A-frame. Remember to choose one word as your cue and be consistent using the same word.

The dog performs the A-Frame correctly by running up the up plank and touching the yellow section and then descending touching the yellow again.

Teeter

The teeter is similar to a children 's seesaw, it requires the dog run to the end of the teeter plank and balance as the board drops. Again, both the ascending and descending yellow sections painted on the planks must be touched.

The cue for the teeter is usually "teeter" or "seesaw". Your dog will be learning this obstacle last, this obstacles includes elements of movement, noise and plank negiotion.

The remaining obstacles are tunnels, jumps, the table, the tire and weave poles.

Tunnels

There are two types of tunnels.

1. Open
2. Closed

Open tunnel

The cue for the open tunnel is generally "tunnel". Junior smiling as he performs the open tunnel which is simply a big long tube (15 to 20 feet). A dog performs this obstacle correctly by entering the correct opening and running through the tunnel as fast as he can, exiting at the second opening.

Closed tunnel

It is also called the chute. The cue for this tunnel is "chute".

This obstacle is deliberately given a different name since there may be a time when your dog is faced with both the tunnel and the chute. Having only one cue for all tunnels could cause your dog to choose the wrong obstacle. A dog properly performs the chute by running into the opening and pushing through the center of the fabric. Ideally the dog does this with a lot of speed and enthusiasm. The dog's path through the fabric should be straight.

Jumps

Jumps are made out of metal, PVC and Wood. Some have wings or standards (see below) and others are wingless (see below). The dog successfully completes the obstacle when he leaps over it and does displace the bar.

You can choose to say "over" or "hup" to direct your dog to do a jump. Again, choose one and be consistent. You will be adding the cue for this obstacle, as with all training, after the dog consistently performs the behavior.

Doubles and Triples

A triple and a double is simply a jump with two parallel bars or three staggered bars that are increasing in height. It is useful to teach your dog a separate cue for these jumps because they require more effort from the dog to pass over. Most competitors cue these obstacles with the word "big".

Double and triples are sometimes referred to as oxers or as spread hurdles.

Here is a triple bar jump. You can see that the jump has three bars that are staggered and increasing in height.

To properly perform the obstacle the dog jumps the triple from the low bar first then passing the middle and finally clearing the last and highest bar.

Both the double and triple can be winged or unwinged. A properly trained agility dog will be capable of jumping both the double and the triple at an angle. The triple pictured above is a winged triple.

This is a wingless jump. The wings create a handling challenge to trainers, since they create a space restriction. A handler can not run directly next to his dog if the jump has a wing on it. This jump is also called a single jump, because they are only one bar wide.

Broad jump

The broad jump uses the same cue as the triple and double. "Big" is a common choice for a cue word.

To perform the obstacle correctly the dog jumps over the entire obstacle, avoiding the ticking or displacing of any of the planks.

Panel (or Wall) jump

This obstacle is more difficult to perform for the dog because it looks solid and it blocks the dog's view of what follows this obstacle.

Table

The table is a platform that the dog is required to jump on to and sit or down. The cue for the table is usually "bench" or "table". It is best if you establish one cue, "table", for the entire behavior chain that you will be asking the dog to perform, jump on platform, assume a down, hold that position until released, leap off platform. If a sit is required it takes no time to pull the dog out of the down into a sit position by adding the stacking the cues "table-sit". Teaching the dog to automatically down on the table also helps him hit the table in a softer way. This makes performing the table more fun and safe for the dog.

Tire

The tire is a hoop tied to a metal or PVC frame. The idea is that the dog jumps through the hoop. The cue is either "tire" or "hoop". Choose one and be consistent.

Weave Poles

The weave poles consist of 6 to 12 poles that the dog weaves his body through alternately passing on the left and right of each pole.

The dog enters the weave poles to the right of the first pole. It does not matter where the weave poles are placed the dog enters to the right of the first pole.

The weave poles can be the most challenging obstacle to train. If you are serious about competing with your dog in agility we recommend that if you decide to purchase only one obstacle, it be the weave poles.

The cue for this obstacle is "weave" or "poles".

OTHER INFORMATION

Agility Publications

Consider purchasing books about agility to give yourself a good overview of the sport. We recommend most books available at www.cleanrun.com.

Agility Success Training and Competing With Your Dog in the Winning Zone" is written Angelica Steinker, owner of Courteous Canine, Inc. This book discusses the mental training aspects of agility and has received great reviews from Clean Runand AgilityNet!

There is also a magazine dedicated to agility called Clean Run and we highly recommend it. If you are serious about agility, you want to subscribe to this magazine.

To subscribe you can contact:
Clean Run Productions
info@cleanrun.com www.cleanrun.com

Agility Internet Sites

Agility Ability: www.agilityability.com

Clean Run Productions: www.cleanrun.com

Dog Events Online

Agility Net: AgilityNet.com

Mary Jo's Dogpatch: www.dogpatch.org (search for agility)

Courteous Canine's list of Florida dog Clubs: Agility, Obedience and Tracking

Agility Email List

To subscribe to the Agile Dog email list send an email to: listserv@mail.eworld.com

Leave the subject blank or place an X
In the body of the text put SUBSCRIBE AGILEDOG-L (Your email address)
Do NOT type the parenthesis only type your own name.

Jump heights

If you are planning to compete it is important to know what height your dog will be required to jump. I do not recommend that you practice at the competition height all the time but you will need to do it periodically.