Corgi Agility

[Ritazza]

This past May we found a tiny little female Corgi (Pembroke) wandering around in the middle of the highway about to get killed. We scooped her up and brought her home, and I fell in love with her - after trying to unsuccessfully locate an owner, I decided to keep her. Before this dog, I HATED Corgis… annoying, yappy, digging, chewing, barking, mean little ankle-biters! Not this dog… she’s the best! We think she’s somewhere between 4-6… maybe? No one can say for sure as we know nothing about her. She was bald in spots (possible mange), had been nursing puppies, and wasn’t in a great way. 4 months later and she is a hairy little genius who has stolen my heart!

I have a Dobe/Rott who is not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I’ve been trying to see if she has any sort of aptitude at agility for about 6 months now. (She doesn’t.) Our local dogpark has a set of agility equipment - A-frame, tunnels, jumps, and tire. On a whim yesterday, I tried to see if the Corgi has any interest in it… and much to my surprise, in 10 minutes she was already jumping on command (up to 8") and going through the tunnels. 5 minutes into today’s little training session and she was doing a connected course of tunnels and jumps at speed like a pro! I guess they’ll do anything for a little bit of food won’t they :lol:

I’d really like to give agility a real try with her! She is a tiny little dog, small and petite for a Corgi - I’ve heard about Teacup Agility, maybe that is an option? I doubt she could run with the AKC seeing as she isn’t registered and we don’t know her history obviously. I’m completely new to agility but not to training dogs - where should I begin? Any ideas would be great :yes: Edited to add: I am in Fort Worth TX if anyone knows of any trainers around here!

[BostonBanker]

AKC actually allows both mixed breeds and ILP (unpapered purebreds) to compete now. The Teacup Agility association is limited to dogs under 17" I believe. There are a variety of other options as well. I prefer US Dog Agility Association (USDAA) events myself; Canine Performance Events (CPE), North American Dog Agility Club (NADAC) and UKC also offer agility for all breeds/mixes. It would probably be a good idea to get an idea of what is offered in your area for competitions so you can train for that; there are variations in the equipment that you need to take into account for several of the venues.

I’d suggest looking for an agility trainer in your area to start with. There is so much more to agility than the obstacles - just like training a horse, you don’t start with the dressage moves or jumps, but the basic foundations skills you will need forever. It is easy to forget about safety issues in agility, since it is the dog who is likely to get hurt, not us like in riding. The basics matter, both for competition and health purposes. If you can find a trial in your area (most of the association websites list their events), go to that and ask around. See if there is an agility club in your area that can recommend trainers. And good luck!

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=BostonBanker;5858238]
AKC actually allows both mixed breeds and ILP (unpapered purebreds) to compete now. The Teacup Agility association is limited to dogs under 17" I believe. There are a variety of other options as well. I prefer US Dog Agility Association (USDAA) events myself; Canine Performance Events (CPE), North American Dog Agility Club (NADAC) and UKC also offer agility for all breeds/mixes. It would probably be a good idea to get an idea of what is offered in your area for competitions so you can train for that; there are variations in the equipment that you need to take into account for several of the venues.

I’d suggest looking for an agility trainer in your area to start with. There is so much more to agility than the obstacles - just like training a horse, you don’t start with the dressage moves or jumps, but the basic foundations skills you will need forever. It is easy to forget about safety issues in agility, since it is the dog who is likely to get hurt, not us like in riding. The basics matter, both for competition and health purposes. If you can find a trial in your area (most of the association websites list their events), go to that and ask around. See if there is an agility club in your area that can recommend trainers. And good luck![/QUOTE]

What she said.
CT is agility central, several national groups are very active.
Go watch some shows and decide which group appeals to you best.
At the shows you will find you are the more active and better clubs for you in your area.

In our area, our group is about the only one and it is an AKC licensed one, so you are limited to those shows.
You can register your dog with the AKC for performance, even if you don’t have registration papers.
Since she looks like a corgi, you probably can get ILP papers, or whatever they call them today.

Since you don’t know her background, you may find she was trained some.

With corgis, it is very important that you do everything right and condition well first.
Their too short legs and long backs during physical exertion can cause problems quicker than with better proportioned dogs.

Our dog club has several corgis that have done very well in agility, several with MACHs.
They are a neat breed to train and compete with and really lovely to live with, I can see why you like her so much.

[Eventer55]

On a whim, a friend of mine bought a corgi a few years ago and then another and then a rescue. She (my friend) started doing agility and nursing home visitations with both of the first ones and this past weekend after only 6 months of agility, one of the dogs went to the nationals and came home second in the nation.

It seems Corgis are addictive. My friend had never owned a Corgi or done agility before. She loves them. Hope this inspires you!

[Ritazza]

I’m actually in Fort Worth now, forgot to change my profile

She did come with some training - she rolls over, sits, shakes, and speaks (sometimes) on command… no down or stay so we’re working on those. I don’t think she has basic agility training given the first few play tries we did with obstacles, I think her little evil Corgi genius brain is just THAT motivated for cookies

I guess I get why horse people love them so much! I always thought they were so annoying until I got her!

The other thing she would be super good at is herding. At the dogpark every time the big dogs all take off she chases them and barks and bundles them together into a group!

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/300834_517543528043_158200011_30429807_1671637806_n.jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/297964_517543513073_158200011_30429806_793892687_n.jpg
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/250264_516590313293_158200011_30416143_811801_n.jpg

[Bacardi1]

That is one absolutely ADORABLE little dog. Although I’ve never owned one, Pembroke Corgis are definitely on my VERY short list of small dog breeds I like. Probably because they’re one of the “big dog in small body” types.

[Bluey]

Adorable is right, she sure is cute.
I don’t see why she could not get an AKC performance number easily.
In the Dallas/Fort Worth area there are several good agility dog clubs.
Our club members that show go there regularly and on up to OKC and some in KS too.
Most shows I know about are AKC, but there are now more and more other associations also holding shows in your area.

Find you the closest group and go training and have fun.

[SarahandSam]

Definitely go find a class! I have two mini dachshunds and have been doing agility classes with both of them. My older dog, Sylvia, started class when she was 9. We just do it for the fun and bonding–she jumps just a pole on the ground, and we rarely do any of the contact obstacles. She absolutely loves it though. My younger dog, Seamus, is 7 and we’ve been in classes for the summer. He’s got a shorter attention span, but he’s super brave and much more athletic. We still are careful with his jumping and contacts, but a good trainer will take short legs and long backs into account. I think he’s going to be a dog I could actually maybe compete at some point.

Corgis, being short-legged and long-backed, get to jump shorter heights in most competitions, I believe…

[Peggy]

I have a friend who started agility with Corgis and is very competitive. Gone to Nationals. Multiple awards. I think hers were just the right (wrong?) size that they ended up in the size group with the Border Collies.

[DarkenStormy]

My agility buddy has a very small corgi girl… her legs are so short, but she is an agility dynamo! She does teacup as well as USDAA, ASCA and NADAC. She jumps 12" in USDAA( believe it or not), and 8 in ASCA and NADAC.

She is FAST!

In fact we did a USDAA show yesterday( the LONGEST SHOW in the history of showing - one judge and one ring - ugh) and she cleaned up!

[paintsrgreat]

Corgis can be a blast to run! Quick, smart, and competitive!

I compete my dogs in agility in addition to the horses.

There are several good trainers in the Fort Worth Area. I would be happy to point you in a direction if you like. Feel free to PM me!

Welcome to your new addiction!

[BetterOffRed]

I met these people at the Dallas Strut Your Mutt. You may want to contact them for classes/training in Ft. Worth.
http://www.dawgagility.org/index.shtml

Good Luck!

(from a fellow corgiaddict!)

[bdj]

[QUOTE=SarahandSam;5858754]
Corgis, being short-legged and long-backed, get to jump shorter heights in most competitions, I believe…[/QUOTE]

Sadly, they don’t get any breed based concession in AKC agility - though you can elect to enter the “Preferred” classes, which allow you to jump the next lower jump height (and also give you extra time to complete the course). (If you get into AKC obedience or Rally, there is a height break). I lucked out with my current agility dog - she’s 10.88" at the shoulder, so she only has to jump 8" - if she’d gone over 11", she’d have to jump 12" - which is pretty tough on a dwarf dog… My first Cardi measured well over the 11" mark, and I only ran her Preferred - I didn’t want to risk her soundness by asking her to do 12".

Ritazza - your girl is adorable! Definitely a Pemmi, so you should be able to get a PAL# from the AKC - info is here: http://www.akc.org/reg/ilpex.cfm

I’ve got three Cardi girls - one is doing agility (and would kick butt if I were a better handler), one is just starting her agility training, and third will probably make a great agility dog if I can get to be more reliable off lead…

Sounds like you’re in a good place as far as agility resources, so I’ll let those who know your area give you the scoop on where to train, although I’ll warn you - it’s TOTALLY addictive!

[Marshfield]

Corgis are a blast in agility. Mozt are *eight inch dogs in akc. We sometimes practice at twelve,which all my girls do with ease. Fingers crossed my next agility partner is in utero now.

[gloriginger]

cleanrun.com has a listing of agility clubs by state. I am sure there are plenty in TX, that is where USDAA was born! CPE will also allow dogs to compete at 4 inches, which is good for the dwarf breeds with long backs like corgis and dacshunds.

Just get involved in a class, the rest will fall into place. Very cute pup!