Agility classes in Blanchard, Oklahoma

What agility is

Agility is a course of obstacles — tunnels, tyre jumps, hurdles and contact equipment such as the A-frame and dog walk — that the dog learns to take on the handler's direction. Done properly it is obedience at speed: the dog has to listen at the very moment it is most excited.

Why it is worth doing

• For shy dogs — a confidence builder. Each obstacle is a small, achievable success, and the dog learns that new things are worth approaching.
• For active dogs — an energy burner. Twenty minutes of agility does more for a restless dog than an hour of walking.
• For the handler — it teaches timing, body language and clear handling under pressure, which improves everything else you do with your dog.
• For the relationship — it is the class where owners and dogs most obviously have fun together.

The field

Agility runs on the fenced field at the Blanchard facility: 2432 Country St. 2980, Blanchard, OK 73010 — exactly two miles west of Highway 76 and a quarter mile south of Highway 39, east of Chickasha and north of Lindsay. See location and directions.

When it runs

Fridays at 7:00 pm, in the evening when the field is coolest. Dogs should have basic manners and a reliable recall before joining the agility class — most owners come to agility after the manners or Canine Good Citizen class.

See photographs from the agility field.