choosing a dog for agility

beagle owner · 09-06-2007, 03:13 PM

After talking to people on the forum, I have decided to rescue an adult dog instead of getting a puppy. Now, how do I choose a dog that I know will be willing and able to do agility? The trainer in my basic obedience class has been talking about agility and I think I would like to try it but, as of now, I don't know much about it (except that my 7 year old beagle girl would not enjoy it). We are visiting with a jack russell terrier/border terrier mix this weekend. What should I look for in him? We want a smaller dog that we can also live comfortably with. Please tell me what I should look for in a rescue dog that will tell me they will probably be good at agility. I can talk to the trainer but I would like several opinions. Thanks for your help!

Dogstar · 09-06-2007, 04:49 PM

The things I look for in a performance dog are:

-easy to motivate (whether it's food or tug toys or a tossed tennis ball or plushie that the dog goes nuts for, I want something that they get REALLY excited about that's relatively easy to use as a reward.)
-people-focused- I want a dog that is interested in people- not necessarily as interested in people as he is in some kind of reward, but I want a dog that will pay attention to me even when I *don't* have a motivator in a familiar or somewhat distracting environment. You *can* build focus, but if you can get it up front, it's awfully nice.
-not sound sensitive or TOO dog reactive- again, you can work through it, but it's nice to not have to.
-physically sound- I know a fair bit about canine structure at this point and there are physical traits that don't hold up well, long term, in performance events. The dog may still compete and compete well, but he's running on heart, and it'll catch up with him eventually. I look for well-laid back shoulders, sound movement, and no extremes of angulation.

lovemygreys · 09-06-2007, 04:52 PM

I'd find a local agility school/instructor. Ask them if they know of any available potential adoptees.

beagle owner · 09-06-2007, 05:01 PM

I have emailed an agility instructor but haven't heard back yet. I didn't think of asking her if she knew of any adoptees. Good idea!

skelaki · 09-06-2007, 06:19 PM

That mix you mention in your first post could be a good choice if it's sound and has the right drive. It would be great if the agility instructor could go with you or if the people would allow you to take the pup to her for evaluation before making a final decission.

briteday · 09-06-2007, 08:53 PM

I would look for a dog with bouncing energy. For a small dog, we adopted a pomeranian last summer and she is just a pocket rocket in agility. Too bad she has to compete in the same height group as the shelties, known to be great at agility. A little larger and you could get into a border collie. Smaller might be a papillon. Our other dog, a pap, ran agility for a few years and had a great time. She is 12 inches at the shoulder. And although a mixed breed can't compete in AKC agility, they can compete in NADAC and other organizations around the country. We have found the NADAC trials to be more fun in our area since it isn't as competitive with people with AKC registered dogs trying to title their dog for pedigree purposes.

The pom pup was a shelter find, not particularly well bred and way too big to be very "pom" looking (12 pounds and 12 inches at the shoulder). Our pap was bought as a pet quality dog (a bit cheaper and we received a small refund on the price once she was spayed), doesn't meet breed standards, but was a great starter dog for our 10 year old daughter. She was 4 months old when we adopted her.

Shelters are also a good place to look for young dogs. I would be looking for something in the 1-3 year old category. Look for bouncy, playful, food oriented (take a few small treats and see if the particular dog "wants" them, you need treats to train), maybe see if the dog wants to play tug or with a ball. Most importantly, since agility is a team sport, does the dog tug at your heart, look into your eyes with a willingness to be your buddy, and fills a spot that nothing else can fill. This is YOUR dog! Be sure to ask the kennel attendants for dogs that meet your criteria. They spend all day with the dogs and know them best.

RonE · 09-06-2007, 09:02 PM

I'm just grateful you aren't going to be trying to agility train your beagle.

beagle owner · 09-06-2007, 10:12 PM

No kidding! Unless you could send a rabbit over the course first.