Newcomers to Dog Agility Excited About AKC Agility League’s Elementary Class

The AKC Agility League is offering a new spin on learning dog agility.

The Elementary class, introduced in the Fall 2024 Season, allows handlers with pre-competition dogs to learn to run courses without having to master the sport’s most challenging obstacles, weave poles and teeters.

“A major goal of the Agility League is to provide training and a confidence-building experience for beginners in the sport – both dogs and handlers,” says Penny Leigh, Director of the AKC Agility League.

“We developed the Elementary skill level in response to requests from team captains and instructors to provide another lower-level class that eliminated some of the hardest-to-train obstacles, so more people could get involved at an earlier stage.

“The Fall 2024 Season, which runs from Sept. 16 to Dec. 10, includes nearly 40 Elementary teams competing from across the country,” Leigh says.

Here, three Elementary team captains share their experiences leading teams in the inaugural season of this new League class.

‘Rock City Revved’ Sets Goals

“The Elementary class helps accelerate the team’s learning of agility,” says Mary Basu of Little Rock, Arkansas, captain of the “Rock City Revved” team. “When you are new to agility with a ‘green’ dog and have never had a chance to go to a trial, you can be overwhelmed. Elementary helps you prepare.

“Newcomers to agility may not have equipment to practice at home, which is especially helpful for training weave poles and teeters,” Basu says.

“I think weaves and teeters are easiest to train when you do just 5 minutes a day,” she says. “Teeters can be hard for some dogs because of the motion.”

Rock City Revved, which practices at Basu’s home on an outdoor course, started training together to learn agility, though the members knew one another from other dog sports. When Elementary was offered, they jumped at the chance to form a team. It includes three women and four dogs: a boisterous young Labrador Retriever, a veteran Border Collie, a rescued Border Collie and an energetic young Border Collie.

“They are all invested in their dogs and learning to adapt to what their dog is showing them,” Basu says. “Everybody cheers for everyone, and we take turns filming the runs, so the handlers can check their times and watch their performances.

“One of the reasons I love League is because it is halfway like going to a trial. The team is learning basic show skills that prepare them mentally to run from start to finish. They also are learning good course walking skills and how to set goals for each run.”

Basu, who has done agility for 21 years, has been involved with the League since Season 1 in Fall 2022. She is captain of a PhD Division team, the “Rock City Jumpers,” that started in the Senior Division and advanced to PhD after two seasons.

‘Silver Creek Canines’ Aim High

“I love everything about agility, particularly how it involves communicating with your dog,” says Lori Holdren of Silverton, Oregon, an agility competitor, instructor and AKC judge with 34 years in the sport.

She is team captain of the “Silver Creek Canines” Elementary team, as well as two PhD Division teams, “PDX Paws on the Run” and “PDX Paws on the Rise.”

The Elementary team is comprised of two 4-H youth, one with a Miniature American Shepherd and the other with a Golden Retriever, two of her friends with their young dogs and herself with a young Labrador Retriever.

Holdren began the Silver Creek Canines 4-H dog project club three years ago, and the Elementary team adopted the same name. Before this, she founded two 4-H dog clubs when she lived in Florida.

Rindi Gaudet, the 4-H Outreach Coordinator for AKC Sports Services, has seen the number of 4-H dog project clubs across the country increase to over 600 clubs from 150 clubs two-and-a-half years ago.

“We want to give kids a reason and a place to go and do something they enjoy with their dog,” she says. “Once you are bitten by the bug, you want to do more.

“I started in 4-H obedience, agility and conformation,” says Gaudet, who went on to work as a professional dog handler for 23 years. As a 4-H dog handler, she finished her family’s first homebred champion, an English Springer Spaniel, at 10 years old.

The Silver Creek Canines 4-H club is made up of six like-minded youth between 9 and 14 years old, whose goal is to do competition Novice A agility. Besides two classes a month devoted to the League, they train in obedience, rally and showmanship the other two classes a month. The members who are not on the Elementary team practice with their dogs on the side and learn by watching.

“I teach 4-H because that’s how I learned when I was a kid,” Holdren says. “I did 4-H since I was 8, and I have been a 4-H leader almost 30 years.”

The Elementary team gathers at Happy Dog Hall, an 80-by-120 foot arena with artificial turf, that was built specifically for an agility practice field at her house.

“This is their first exposure to agility,” Holdren says. “Before Elementary, they had never run a course and had only practiced two or three obstacles. In round one of Elementary, both of the 4-H youth were able to do the run.

“Elementary is a confidence builder for dogs and 4-H kids. Weaves and teeters can be harder for dogs to learn. Elementary is a really good introduction for them because it has just the A-frame, dog walk, jumps and tunnels.”

‘Canine Junior Handlers’ Set Big Goals

An Elementary class in Clayton, New York, has taken agility to heart by helping to fundraise for their club and by helping to build practice equipment.

The team is made up of four youth who are part of a 4-H dog club, called “Canine Junior Handlers,” that was started by Virginia Studdert. She discovered the Elementary class when researching activities for the club to build their team skills and camaraderie.

All the club members are working toward League competition. Those who are not yet in League come and watch, bringing their dogs to practice.

“The club members helped build the competition dog walk, A-frame and most of the jumps,” says Studdert, who is captain and leads the Elementary class with help from a local dog trainer. The youth, who are her three children and one of their friends, are 9 to 13 years old.

The club hosted an AKC temperament test to help fundraise for the club. “All the kids worked on it and helped set up the course,” Studdert says. “A local AKC judge conducted the tests. We raised $700 toward the cost of the equipment.”

For Studdert, doing agility with the 4-H dog club is a reprise of her youth when she did AKC agility with Border Collies. “I grew up on a dairy farm, and we had Border Collies for farm work and I trained in agility with them,” she says.

“The kids love it,” Studdert says. “They all have dogs they have trained themselves. They cheer each other on. If the bar gets dropped, they are out there resetting it. If a dog is not running the course right, they try to figure out why.

“They have big goals and are serious about competing at a high level of competition. These kids are hardworking, dedicated kids.”

Elementary Is a Stepping Stone

The team captains agree that it is likely some of their Elementary class competitors will advance to the Freshman Division in the next League season.

“Elementary is like a stepping stone that gets you closer to competition,” Basu says.

“It’s fun to watch them light up when they work with their dogs,” Holdren says.

“The kids really, really enjoy Elementary, and the courses are so flowing for them. This gives them confidence in their handling skills,” Studdert says. 

“We are very excited to see the support for this level and the desire to help newcomers get ready for competition,” Leigh says.