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Welcome to the world of agility!
Welcome! This page is still under construction, but once it is done, it will display pictures of each agility obstacle used and will explain its use along with a picture. Please be patient!
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The Jump
This is a no-brainer. It is a simple PVC jump(in the picture) that the dog is required to jump over without knocking down the bar. There are several different jump heights, all in 4' sections. The most common height for cardigans are 8' and 12'. The jumps can get pretty fancy in trials such as making them with more than one bar and some contain wings, extensions at the side of the jumps, to reflect on the stadium jumping done by horses that inspired the event. The dog cannot jump the wing or else it is a fault. All together, the jump is a very simple obstacle and is a good warm-up. |
The Tunnel
This is the tunnel. The dog is supposed to dash into the tunnel and come out and keep moving as fast as possible. Some dogs are shy of the tunnel at first and may need to be coaxed through, but I've never seen a dog absolutly dislike the tunnel. It is a common favorite for dogs who are into agility, I know my dogs like it! There are usually one or two tunnels on a course. There are also different types. Shown is the "open tunnel" in which it is open at the end and the dog can see where he is going and can just go through it. The other type is called the "collapsed tunnel." There is a barrel that the dog enters then it enters a tube of fabric that he needs to push through and get out to continue on the course. It takes time and encouragement to get your dog to run through the collapsed tunnel and have enough bravery to get through it. It is also a favorite among agility dogs. |
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The Weave Poles
These weave poles are definetly the hardest obsacle to teach a dog to do. It is the only obstacle that is extrememly unnatural to dogs. You can see dogs jump over things and climb over things or crawl through things. But dogs don't normally vere left to right constantly through a line of poles! The dog needs to enter the line on the left and weave in and out of the poles, always focused forward. It is a very hard, but exciting obstacle! |
The A-Frame
Here is another fairly simple obstacle. The dog must climb up and over the frame, hitting the yellow contact zone at the bottom of either side. It is easy for an agile dog who is well behaved. For small dogs though, it takes more effort to climb up that high! It's almost 6 feet high in competition! You can see my corgi struggling to get over it, but she is very good. :)
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The Dog Walk
Very similar to the A-frame, except it isn't as wide and has a horizontal plank that the dog must run across. They climb up a ramp, run across the plank, and run down the decending ramp. Easier than the A-frame, but still requires some effort to get up the ramp. Plus the dog still must touch the yellow contacts on either end of the ramps. |
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