Should I "shop" for an "agility" dog?

corbinam said:
For me, first and foremost, I want a companion. When we spoke to our breeder we let her know that we were interested in pursuing agility with our new puppy, but didn't really want a super excitable, extremely drivey dog. We ended up with Lexi and it will definitely be interesting to see how it goes as she has a ton more energy than Bentley and is definitely more drivey.
Click to expand...

I'd say I fall into this category and knowing that now, after reading what REAL agility dogs are like, I'm definitely in the "pet that loves to do agility for fun" category. LOL.

How old is Lexi? I'll have to follow your story and see how it goes, what she's like, how she likes/excels in agility. Let's hope I don't need to look for any sort of new puppy anytime soon. Cuz that means, well, we all know what that means. Sigh.
 
k9kreationz said:
I'd say I fall into this category and knowing that now, after reading what REAL agility dogs are like, I'm definitely in the "pet that loves to do agility for fun" category. LOL.

How old is Lexi? I'll have to follow your story and see how it goes, what she's like, how she likes/excels in agility. Let's hope I don't need to look for any sort of new puppy anytime soon. Cuz that means, well, we all know what that means. Sigh.
Click to expand...

"Pet that loves to do agility" I like that! I think that the good thing about shelties is that they typically love to do what we ask of them. If we can make them successful (and there are many ways to define success!), and they know it, they are happy.

Margaret had a good point about conformation. You don't want a dog that has poor conformation because they can get easily injured or break down from agility type work.

Lexi is now about 18 weeks old. I'm sure I will be posting a lot on here about our training together. I think the key too is to talk to a breeder about your expectations (when the time comes). They know a lot about their pups and can tell the best fit for certain situations.
 
Structural soundness is a big one. You don't want a dog that is going to break down, or be riddled with countless issues throughout its' lifetime. Outside of that, I want a dog with heart- a dog who would do anything to please their owner, wants to be with their person and interact with their person. It should be a smart, thinking puppy. I also want a driven puppy... one that wants to DO something, and has good toy/food drive. Also important for me is a dog who is not spooky or sound sensitive. Lastly, and not everyone will agree, but I want the wilder pup, as opposed to the quiet, laid back one.
If I were you, given what you said you want, I would look for a puppy who has the want to please/want to be with people type of attitude who has heart. It also needs to have good structure, and not being sound sensitive would be beneficial. A nice, mid-drive pup with those qualities should be just fine.
I'd also suggest asking a lot of questions. Visit the puppies, and be objective in evaluating them.. don't just fall for one because it's cute, or you want one right that moment.
Not every breeder out there knows what exactly is needed in an agility dog. There are many who think anything that is a conformation ring reject must be suitable for performance (selling dogs who are overly spooky, don't have the temperament/drive, don't have the structure as agility prospects). I personally know some who honestly feel their dogs can make just as wonderful of agility dogs as what mine and other nice agility dogs are, yet it's been proven given their dogs temperament type that this isn't the case. Spending over a year in novice, not because they aren't being run by a good handler (this handler is paid to run these dogs, and has several MACHs), but because they mentally can not handle what is being asked of them, and really don't care to please the person working them.
Also, I wouldn't be looking at an Aussie... not that plenty of people don't have them for agility, but there's a tendency toward being stubborn more so than a Sheltie, and there are not many that are very competitive. They wind up in the 20" division, and other than the rare exception, that can't compete with the border collies. That's just me though...
 
Last edited:
Any dog can be an agility star if you put the time into the training, that's the beauty of agility. Sure, some are better suited for it than others but any dog can do agility.

I picked a Sheltie specifically because I wanted to do agility BUT the Sheltie also fit best with my lifestyle. When talking to breeders I mentioned I was looking for a dog who would have an aptitude for agility, knowing that there was always the chance the dog wouldn't be interested.

In addition to that, BEFORE even deciding I wanted a Sheltie, I researched all the breeds I was interested in, and there were about 5 of them. I looked at information such as average size, temperament, possible health issues, energy/activity level, and, most importantly, how all that FIT with my life.
 
Having had 3 dogs that I have been doing obedience and agility with, I have made my list.
When I look for a performance dog.
1.good structure
2.not sound or touch sensitive.
3. An outgoing pup that is fazed by nothing. Confident.
4. Busy pup. I want a dog who is likes to investigate, climb over things and get into everything as a pup, the busy one.
5. Responsive. I what a dog who is responsive to people, likes them and wants to follow and interact.
6.Good toy and prey drive. Will follow and chase a toy, bonus points if they retrieve and tug.
7. determine- watch the pup figure out a problem, they should work at it and not quit easily.

My ideal dog would be Ember's intellgence, with Justice's heart and work ethic, in Diva's body with her drive. :biggrin2:
 
From what I've been reading, Bailey sounds like she has potential to be a great agility dog. She has many of the qualities that you all listed in a potential agility pup. Although, I'm not sure about good structure. I don't know how to check for that.
 
Last edited:
How much time are you planning to spend on agility? 1-2 hrs a week? How much time is left in the week to live with your pup? That is my reasoning...
sound puppy structurally means to me that his gait is easy and beautiful, there is obvious good angulation when he stands or walks, it is easier to see when they pups and do not have much fur yet. No scared or shy, easy on sounds.
Other that than I want a dog that is easy to live with...
all those " go-go" pups might be excellent prospects but I want to have clear consience if there is day when I am not feeling well and want to lay low my dog will not jump over 6 feet fence or trash a living room because he needs to vent his energy...
but then again, I am not competitive person, having fun with my dog is enough reason for me...
 
Agility Dog

For me looking for my next agility dog would be reputable breeder and structure and confirmation, attitude and drive.
 
Experience

I have bred one litter, and sold exactly one puppy. That puppy went to a multi-MACh agility person, one who didn't even want a puppy :smile2:

I knew when this puppy was young that she needed a job. She was not hyper, she was not all over the place wild. But there were some signs. First, she LOVES toys, will carry anything in her mouth, regardless of size (sticks, giant tennis balls; she will find a way). She did not seem to have any mental boundaries about what she should and should not do. She was the first puppy to wander around my house looking at everything, first on the sofa, first on the contact trainer, etc. Third, she always wants to play, with anything. None of my dogs are sound sensitive, so I didn't expect my puppies to be either. My house is not a quiet one, and I live close to a major freeway.

So when Barbara came to look at the puppy, she ran her through a couple of exercises. First, just basic toy drive. We pulled out a fleece braided toy, and the puppy played with that for half an hour with Barbara. Then we broke out the wobble board, and she very quickly had her standing with all four feet on the board, balanced in the middle for a few seconds. That puppy was totally into her, could not have cared less that I was there. (Interestingly enough, her sister was shown by a handler at the National last year, and also could not have cared less that I was there, he was her whole world)

So I think that I would look for a dog who looks like they are thinking. They don't have to be wild and crazy, just deliberate. The one that has no problems leaping from the couch to the coffee table and surveying their domain. I want them to carefully watch the agility dogs, not bark and lunge at the dogs in the ring.

People talk about structure, but I think balance is important. My parents have a rescue dog who is HORRIBLY structured, completely straight front and rear, and short backed. But because his front are rear are balanced, the dog still moves decently at 13, and finished his HT last summer. His topline is still pretty level, there is no twisting or bouncing, and he is still the first to the tennis ball.

Lots to think about.

Rachael
--
The Munchkins: Marque, Katie (the big Collie Munchkin), Liesl, River, Evie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top