I'd want either food or toy drive. They need to have work ethic and they need to WANT to work for you. You should be the one thing they want over all the other dogs or whatever that is there to distract them. They should be able to stay calm and keep a level head instead of working themselves up into frenzies. They should be willing and happy to check things out and work on strange equipment that moves around (bring a wobble board to test their confidence on it perhaps? If they realized quickly that they are the ones controlling the movement, that's a huge bonus.) I'd also want impulse control. The dog needs to focus and work with what I ask them to do, instead of running off course to do its own course or sniff for treats. I also want a dog that isn't going to get stressed and shut down easily. I'm lucky to have found all that (minus the toy drive, but he's got good food drive and a work ethic I'm truly lucky to have) in my rescue boy. The things I'd add is conformationally, I wish he had better angulation. He's straight all around and his front is super forward. He's learned over time, but in the beginning, he'd land his jumps in awkward hand stands. His improper structure also places unneeded stress on his body as well. His low tailset and croupy rear put his legs further underneath him, stressing his back.

 

I'd look for a curious dog with resilience. A dog who wants to check out things, climb things, and who isn't much bothered by loud noises and commotion. I would call Fiona pretty resilient but after 2 scares on the teeter in as many months we're dealing with that and trying to work through it. It's good to have a confident, curious, resilient dog that isn't shaken to the core when something goes wrong. Because something will go wrong sometime and you both need to be able to shake it off and forge ahead (even if that means reviewing some basics for a bit first)!

I'd also want a dog who is happy and UP. I've watched others in agility training whose dogs couldn't care less about being there, let alone running and jumping. It's sooooo much easier to work with Fiona who POPS out of her crate, ready to work and pulling me into the ring, than it is for the others who have to cheer their dogs along and then practically beg them to jump because they just stop in front of equipment and think about it at every. single. obstacle. (I would lose my mind with that kind of dog.) I can work to build specific drives but I want to start from the point of an eager, enthusiastic, energetic dog rather than trying to build drive in a slug-bug dog.

Obviously I think conformation is important. Agility is a physically demanding sport and it's no fun if you have a lame dog all the time. Plus you just can't make much progress if you're dealing with injury after injury and suffering lots of injuries likely will shake the dog's confidence and dampen their enthusiasm for the sport if they're constantly limping out of the ring or hurting in the middle of a run. No fun.

I'd avoid reactive dogs for obvious reasons but I personally don't really want a particularly dog-social dog either. I'd rather have a dog that's somewhere in the middle - not reactive, not obsessed, just sort-of indifferent. A dog that tolerates other dogs but really could live without them and be just fine, too. I think I lucked out with Fiona. She has been a challenge but she has also been a really good dog to learn agility with because she's such a natural. The challenges I've faced with her aren't monumental and she's a good, stable, enthusiastic girl so it allows me to learn how to work through set-backs with a level-headed, eager dog rather than dealing with fear issues due to temperament or what have you. She's the reason I love agility now, because her personality demanded it.

 

Athletic, fearless, trainability, work ethic, soundness of mind and body....for starters.

 

Great points above. Kyrah isnt toy driven as much as food driven. She isnt over the top and overall is very calm. Tho she isnt all bouncy and people are shocked at how calm she is. She isnt dog reactive and like brw1982 that is a great thing. She also could really care less about other dogs..doesnt really matter if she meets them or not which IMO is a BIG PLUS!! Nor people she doesnt really care if you are there or not another big plus! The one thing that matters the most is that she is with ME!

I have stated before to people that the next dog I get is going to be an agility dog. They say dont say that b/c your expectations will be too high for the next dog and when it doesnt pan out you'll quit. I just laugh and say if I havent quit with Kryah I really dont see me quitting. This was in a thread started by Jonesy's Mom posted by DoberKim and I have to say its probably the best paragraph I have read about agility when I doubt my girl. The other thing that you would really benefit from with training Jonesy is that you need to learn to motivate him - learn to figure out what makes him tick. It's not enough to say that he doesn't have drive, etc - learn to work that dog because even low drive dogs can work - its harder sometimes, but you don't learn to drive a ferrari, you start on your moms car and when you're older and more experienced you get the sports car. You still need to learn how to signal, change lanes, etc. Learn how to, essentially, train a dog. I'm on my third dog and i'm still learning so many things.

I am just starting agility with Dexter, my daughter's rat terrier who is a high drive dog. Its going to be a whole new ball game and I am excited to see the difference.

I am still torn between another dobe or a border collie and browse both types rescues and breeder sites. Just in case you want to look at this beauty! I begged and begged for him. But hubby said no.

Sunny

 

I am very new to agility, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Ivan loves to play with toys, but they get him so wound up he can't focus. Ivan is also very treat motivated, which seems to be the preferred method, in my experience, of training agility. Ivan LOVES other dogs and while some dogs can really distract him, for the most part once he's in the ring he's focused on the task at hand. The reason I tried agility at all with Ivan was because I knew he loved the tunnel, from trying it in obedience, and to build confidence for SAR work. Was he a huge fan of the wobble board at first? No. Was he ready to go flying over the A-frame. Nope. But after a couple rounds of agility training I have to fight to keep him off equipment now. The training is what built his confidence.

 

In addition to what others have posted, resilience - the abiilty to cope with new situations, bounce back, not shut down.

 

Thank you all for the great input! These are all things I will definitely keep in mind when the time comes to add to my brood. Like I said, this is not going to be anytime soon. It could be a year from now, or I could decide that it may be better not to rock the boat while Zeus is still with us. Only time will tell.

Kyrah - Sunny is adorable! I hope he finds his active forever home soon. However, if I were to try to bring in another dog while Zeus was still with us, it would have to be a female and I think herding dogs in general are out. Their tendency to stare would set Zeus off in a heartbeat. It is pretty guaranteed that he would make a BC sandwich out of it. Ideally, I would find a suitable Doberman female. I was, however, looking into Greyhounds as well. My only concern with them is that if Zeus were to play with her, it would probably be pretty rough, and he may end up hurting her. Like I said, there is plenty of time for me to figure it out. Still, it is a great to have a general idea of what qualities a good agility dog should have.

 

I think you have had some very good advice on here.
I think there are a couple of other things to think about

What are your real goals with your dog?
Are you a Dog for the Sport person or a Sport for the Dog person?

Are you going to be happy just running and qualifying at the excellent level?

IF so you might be a Sport for the dog person.

Lots of average dogs have done well and been able to MACH in agility. As long as they can make time, sometimes slower dogs even MACH quicker. The faster dogs can be less precise and knock bars, miss contacts etc.

Do you want a super FAST dog with a higher chance at competing at the top levels, (Invitational, Top 20 winner etc, high YPS Etc-? )

Then you might be a Dog for the Sport Person, and you might be better off finding a dog from a breeder with lines that have been there and done that. The Top trainers usually have pretty high prey drive and work for toys. You might even be able to find a dog from those lines that needs to be rehomed - Trust me - Those types of dogs are not always the easiest to live with if you are not working them all the time.

What type of a trainer are you working with? Do they compete? Do they have a fast dog, or an accurate dog - what is their experience?


My best advise is get a dog that is neither sound nor motion sensitive and then pick a dog that you like. That is really the key. Your relationship with the dog will go the longest way to determine your long term success.

 

stardstdob - These are some great points, thank you!

Being that I am not very competitive by nature, I would probably characterize myself as a "Sport for the Dog" type of person. I would love to see how far a dog could go, but would not NEED to get to the tippity top. Showing would be more of a training exercise (what we have perfected, what needs more work, etc) than anything else.

I am currently interning under an agility trainer who competes and is also an AKC Agility Judge. Since I am only two sessions in, I am unsure whether she specializes in accuracy or speed. However, given how she trains contacts in her classes, my inclination would be the former.