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

[k9kreationz]

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...

Wow! Great information. And thank you for your perspective. Asking this question has been a big eye opener. Seriously.

Ok, so Aussies are more stubborn? Great. Just what I need. lol. No, not really. Koji can be stubborn already. But at least I'm learning why he does what he does.

Out of curiousity, I noticed your signature said performance and confirmation dogs. Does that mean that you, as a breeder, would be able to tell which puppies have drive, etc? When I start looking, should I look for breeders that have performance dogs? Or know more about performance versus only knowing confirmation? Does that make sense?

i.e. I don't think my breeder knows a lot about performance, but she said many of her dogs do agility/flyball/frisbee. Mostly the pet ones. Which makes sense. But she doesn't really breed for that. Her second goal is confirmation (first is temperament for a companion, because that's what they all are to her). Obviously, I can simply ask her, but how should I ask? I don't want to offend any breeders. lol.

 

[k9kreationz]

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.

You are so right. In my class, we have a new member.....Bubbles the Bulldog!!! Ohmigod. It is sooo cute and AWESOME to see Bubbles run. I was amazed. lol. Obviously, she is not suited for agility, but she's obviously doing it.

I figure, if I really wanted to go to the World Cup or something, I'd be buying a BC off of a well-known line of agility dogs. But yeah, I need something that is first and foremost a companion, then a working dog.

I'm thinking I will stick with Shelties....maybe a different color? Gotta start my rainbow, right? I really do love the breed.

 

[Calliesmom]

I'm thinking I will stick with Shelties....maybe a different color? Gotta start my rainbow, right? I really do love the breed.

yes, get the rainbow

 

[k9kreationz]

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.

Many have touched on a dog not being sound or touch sensitive. I think I ruined Koji. He was fine as a pup. I think I need more training on how to raise a dog. I'd say he had 1, 2 (but I may have ruined that), 4 (oh jeez how true here), 5, 6, and 7.

However, with that said. He wasn't overly outgoing but not timid/shy like he can be now. Weirdly, at class, he wasn't toy driven, even though at home he was. He loved to tug/fetch/run for the toy. At class though, nothing. After almost 2 years, I think I can almost work him with toys only, but food still does it best for him (thank gawd for the pouch toys). So he's learned 6.

So, how much have I ruined him? lol. And how much could I potentially ruin a good agility pup? Yikes. Something to sit on.

 

[k9kreationz]

Other that than I want a dog that is easy to live with...

So true, so true. Koji was a hyper pup who got himself into trouble A LOT! He's finally calming down, but even now, at almost 3, he's still crazy at times. Poor guy, still crated when we're not home.

And the quote I left above, is exactly what my breeder breeds for, along with confirmation, obviuosly. And of all the Shelties at an all Sheltie show, her's were the quietest, most well-mannered ones. Granted, that could be training, but yeah, my dogs aren't really barkers.

Good point. I would feel so guilty if I couldn't take the dog out to "work". I started agility for Koji because he needed a job, working with him 5-20 mins a day wasn't enough to keep his mind/body satisfied. I'm not sure I could handle a real "agility" dog.

 

[Calliesmom]

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.

Many have touched on a dog not being sound or touch sensitive. I think I ruined Koji. He was fine as a pup. I think I need more training on how to raise a dog. I'd say he had 1, 2 (but I may have ruined that), 4 (oh jeez how true here), 5, 6, and 7.

However, with that said. He wasn't overly outgoing but not timid/shy like he can be now. Weirdly, at class, he wasn't toy driven, even though at home he was. He loved to tug/fetch/run for the toy. At class though, nothing. After almost 2 years, I think I can almost work him with toys only, but food still does it best for him (thank gawd for the pouch toys). So he's learned 6.

So, how much have I ruined him? lol. And how much could I potentially ruin a good agility pup? Yikes. Something to sit on.

I think that Cranberry has the whole list. He loves toys, food, attention. He has yet to meet a stranger- dog or human - he loves everyone. One of his two puppy classes is taught by a trainer who does primarily agility but also obedience so we'll be getting help all along with how to teach him and keep him motivated. so, I like rally - he'll definitely get to do that and maybe regular obedience too. I think that I'm going to be busy down the road

 

[k9kreationz]

Thanks for the story/info Rachel. I think that's more what I'm looking for. I don't want a crazy dog, as in hyper all over the place, but I like how you said "deliberate". Granted, maybe a dog like that should go to a very experienced handler who's going to do agility as a job, not a hobby.

But, I guess when I'm looking, I can always use those things as markers of what to look for. Thank you!

 

[Ania]

I have also wondered about this a lot. Maia, my agility dog, is only 18 months right now, so I don't have to worry about getting another agility dog for a while.

I think I would definitely want to meet the puppies myself, especially after my experience with getting Chinook, sight unseen, relying on the breeders judgement. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE him to death, he is my baby, but he never had what it takes to be an agility dog - he was slow, laid back etc. and then ended up needing hip surgery at 9 months! and I asked his breeder for 'an agility' dog)
I got to meet Maia and her litter and pick myself.
Structure is important. I attended a Pat Hastings Structure workshop, and she said that especially for agility, due to the high physical demands, you need a structurally sound dog, usually that means the best 'conformation' dog. Drive is also very important. I think it is hard to find the 'perfect' agility dog, so I think balance, like mentioned, is what to aim for. One thing that I would definitely look for as well, was how the puppy 'attaches' to me. Maia picked me and to this day, there is no mistaking who's dog she is. She wants to please me above all and we have a very, very close bond.

Great question and answers. I enjoyed reading and learning.

 

[MoonshineDad]

I noticed you mentioned "smaller" aussie. If you do decide to go this route I just wanted to give you my experience with this.

I had two aussies, that I loved dearly. They were really great dogs, very very drivey dogs, and they were ASCA dogs. Their father won multiple agility titles, as well as being the MVA (most versatile aussie) for 4 years consecutively. They were working dogs as are all ASCA dogs.
The OTHER route is AKC Aussies, they do not focus soley on work, and the ones that I have found have not been truly competitive in agility, or disc. They have been much more laid back than I wanted.

Now "Mini" first of all, this may be slightly biased because I am against the breeding down of a dog and ending up with a dog that is pocket sized but unable to do the job they were originally bred to do. My other reason is just yesterday at work we had a 7 year old 8lb Sheltie that was a "mini" that was in liver failure...he never grew because of this method of breeding.

Now that being said, I have met some mini aussies that are really drivey, and those dogs have been very intelligent. These dogs have also simply been bred "down" by crossing the smaller aussies together rather than the 40-50lb. Both of my boys were 40's. Then there are other mini aussies that have been cross bred with other breeds to create the minature version those dogs can be iffy drive wise.

If you're looking to become really competitive I think you could do it with a sheltie, I'll be getting into agility (hopefully) with Whiskey, but if you're looking for a bigger dog to compete with those black and white crazies than an Aussie is always an option. I included a picture of my two boys to show you the EYE.

 

[ruckusluvr]

I would like an agility dog. bred for agility. Most people might not agree with me. but i DO support the breeding of mixed breeds dogs for sports and service work.

I think I want a border/jack (border collie jack russell mix)