Agility Training

What is Dog Agility Training?

agility Agility is a fun and fast-paced activity where a handler guides their dog through a complex obstacle course. The course includes a variety of challenges, such as different types of jumps, tunnels, ramps, weaving poles, and a see-saw.

Since dogs run off-leash, handlers use their voice, hand signals, and body language to direct their dog through the course. While it can be a competitive sport where teams race against the clock, many people simply enjoy the challenge and the bond it builds with their dog. Agility is a fantastic way to improve the working relationship between you and your dog, complementing traditional obedience training.

Is My Dog Ready for Agility Class?

To ensure your dog's safety and well-being, we have a few requirements for starting our classes.

Age:
- Small and medium-sized breeds must be at least 12 months old.
- Large and heavy-set breeds must be at least 15 months old.
- This is crucial to protect your dog from injury, as their joints need time to develop properly.
Health and Temperament: All dogs should be physically sound and have a suitable temperament for group classes.
Off-Leash Control: Handlers must be able to demonstrate a good level of off-leash control. You can show this by having graduated from our club's Obedience Class 2, or new members who have trained elsewhere can be assessed separately.

Our Agility Class Structure

Our training program is designed to build a strong partnership between you and your dog. We offer a progressive series of classes, starting with the fundamentals.

Important: Handlers are responsible for their dogs at all times while at the club and are expected to follow Club Ground & House Rules.

Foundation-1

Our training journey begins with our Foundation-1 class, a 10-lesson program focused on strengthening the connection between you and your dog. We start a new Foundation-1 class roughly every 14 weeks, so check our website's Events calendar for the next start date.

Foundation-2

Upon completing Foundation-1, diligent teams graduate to Foundation-2, which is another 10 lessons. By the end of these 20 lessons, your team should be familiar with all the equipment and capable of running sequences of 10 to 16 obstacles. You'll also be prepared to enter competitive trials if you choose to.

Intermediate

Once you've mastered the basics, you can move on to the Intermediate class, where the courses become more complex, with an increased number of obstacles and trickier paths.

Advanced

For those who are truly hooked and want to compete, our Advanced class is the next step. Here, you'll work on advanced handling techniques, such as directing your dog from a greater distance, increasing speed, and improving consistency with weave poles. In these higher-level classes, we can tailor the training to your specific goals, whether it's preparing for competition or just having a blast with your dog.

Training Times

Please Note: Everyone is expected to help with setting up and packing up equipment before and after classes, especially at the beginning and end of the day.

Sunday Schedule:

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Advanced Class (For competition teams)
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Intermediate Class
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM: Foundation-1 & Foundation-2

For information on how to join the Knox Obedience Dog Club (KODC), please visit our Membership Page.