Dog Agility is the sport in which a dog, led by handler, overcomes various obstacles mainly on speed and accuracy.
The results of these competitions are scored after the dog passes two tracks. On the first track obstacles with touch zones are located, for example dogwalk, A-frame, see-saw, and pause table. The second track is a jumping one without touching zones and stop. Agility is a sport for heated people and cheerful dogs.

Agility General Information
The main task in Agility looks simple and clear – to run the track faster than all the others, overcoming various obstacles. The difficulty is that a handler can only guide his dog using voice and gestures.

Touching dogs and obstacles is prohibited, dogs should wear no collars. An arrangement of obstacles on the track is unknown until the competition starts. Judge allows handlers to get acquainted with the track for a few minutes before the beginning of the competition – to make a “walk-through”. Besides, handlers are provided with “course maps”. The dog is not familiar with the tracks, and proceeds around the course right away.

Obstacles in Agility
The dog should properly overcome about 20 different obstacles (jumps, tire jump, tunnels, weave poles, etc.). For knocking down a bar and other possible course faults a dog gets penalty points, which can render the speed advantage null.

In Agility the dog owner learns to understand the dog, to communicate with it, as in any other dog sport. The dog learns to be confident and to overcome what it does not see, for example, curved tunnel. Second, it learns to trust the handler, it knows he will never set a goal the dog can not reach. Weaving poles is probably the most difficult obstacle in agility. But at the same time the most effective, if the dog learns to run it well.
The See-saw is one of the most difficult obstacles as well. The dog should not only touch the contact zone, but also move. This is the most complicated for the dog does not know when it should start to move. It should understand what kind of obstacle it is, how it works and what it should do to overcome it.

The dog learns not only to keep rhythm and balance but also synchronize its movements.
It is not necessary to teach a dog advanced obedience to take part in agility. It is enough to know the basics: sit, heel, wait. Even if you do not take part in international championship, you can participate in agility.

Dog Groups
Dogs participating in agility are divided by height at the withers in categories:
S (Small) - dog whose height is less than 35 cm;
M (Medium) - dog whose height is 35 cm (inclusive), but less than 43 cm;
L (Large) - dog whose height is 43 cm or more.
For small dogs the height of some obstacles is decreased.

Scoring, Clean Run and Q
There are different rules in different organizations as to faults and qualifying score. A qualifying run is the one completed with the minimum defined standards for time, faults, points passed. It is sometimes referred to as a leg or Q. A run with no faults is a clean run.
Dogs pass the same tracks three times. First level (A1) is available for all, second one is for those who showed themselves the most successful and fast, the third one (A3) is for the best.

The most common faults are:
- going over the time limit;
- taking a wrong obstacle;
- refusal;
- failing to step on the contact zone of the contact obstacle;
- knocking down jump bars

Agility is the most universal sport with a dog, sport for everyone. Everyone competes on equal terms in Agility - women and men, children and seniors, athletes and people who had never previously been engaged in any sport. Any dog breed is allowed to participate, including mongrel dogs. The main thing is that the dog and the handler understand each other well and have fun working together as a team.