Pembroke & Cardigan Welsh Corgi - View Single Post

Michael Romanos · 02-07-2006, 05:43 PM

Hi jh

I know that at least some of the Pem clubs in the USA also organise non-championship agility events just for Corgis.

To get a list of the clubs go to the American Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club website - www.pembrokecorgi.org and then click onto "regional clubs" and then onto "performance" and then onto "agility clubs and schools" and then onto "agility primer" - which is an excellent rundown with photos of Pems in agility.

Corgis are outstanding at agility. There are three major organisations in the USA - there should be just the one, but that's another story - and in at least one of them, Corgis dominate the minis.

Your Maximus sounds ideal for agility but you can't just put him in a fun event and hope he might jump a hurdle. You and him have to go through the training process. He must compete in events off-lead and under command, so training works towards that end as well as introducing Maximus to each different type of obstacle.

Taylor is simply wonderful at it and he loves it. Many people have commented how happy he looks whilst out on a course. He started from absolutely zero. But he is no where near the physically strongest or fastest Corgi I've had. I just wish I knew about agility in the 1980's and not as late as mid 2004. Taylor basically learnt enough of the agility features in just five training sessions at a local training school in order to compete at official events. But that kind of pick-up is rare. You can do certain exercises at home with just pieced together things that resemble equipment, but I was lucky. I have a neighbour with five hurdles, a 12 pole weave and a tire. So I go over to her place when I want and Taylor and I practice. It takes probably a couple of years to get really proficient for both handler and dog.

Taylor is at a stage where he goes fast and well enough to be up with the best mini dogs in NZ - but unfortunately we are the only country that lumps all the dogs in one competition - so Taylor has to compete against all the big dogs with their long legs and skinny frames.

You can't have an overweight Corgi in agility. I've got Taylor perhaps four or five pounds under his ideal conformation show weight.

You must have an all breeds agility training club fairly close by. In NZ some of the training clubs cater for multi sports.

Agility is a fun event for handler and dog. It further cements the bond between you and your dog and it gives dogs a much needed outlet for adding interest to their lives. Corgis need a challenge and to get physically stimulated and agility fits the bill.

02-07-2006, 05:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Michael Romanos Global Moderator Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Silverstream (near Wellington, the capital of NZ) Posts: 5,188	Hi jh I know that at least some of the Pem clubs in the USA also organise non-championship agility events just for Corgis. To get a list of the clubs go to the American Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club website - www.pembrokecorgi.org and then click onto "regional clubs" and then onto "performance" and then onto "agility clubs and schools" and then onto "agility primer" - which is an excellent rundown with photos of Pems in agility. Corgis are outstanding at agility. There are three major organisations in the USA - there should be just the one, but that's another story - and in at least one of them, Corgis dominate the minis. Your Maximus sounds ideal for agility but you can't just put him in a fun event and hope he might jump a hurdle. You and him have to go through the training process. He must compete in events off-lead and under command, so training works towards that end as well as introducing Maximus to each different type of obstacle. Taylor is simply wonderful at it and he loves it. Many people have commented how happy he looks whilst out on a course. He started from absolutely zero. But he is no where near the physically strongest or fastest Corgi I've had. I just wish I knew about agility in the 1980's and not as late as mid 2004. Taylor basically learnt enough of the agility features in just five training sessions at a local training school in order to compete at official events. But that kind of pick-up is rare. You can do certain exercises at home with just pieced together things that resemble equipment, but I was lucky. I have a neighbour with five hurdles, a 12 pole weave and a tire. So I go over to her place when I want and Taylor and I practice. It takes probably a couple of years to get really proficient for both handler and dog. Taylor is at a stage where he goes fast and well enough to be up with the best mini dogs in NZ - but unfortunately we are the only country that lumps all the dogs in one competition - so Taylor has to compete against all the big dogs with their long legs and skinny frames. You can't have an overweight Corgi in agility. I've got Taylor perhaps four or five pounds under his ideal conformation show weight. You must have an all breeds agility training club fairly close by. In NZ some of the training clubs cater for multi sports. Agility is a fun event for handler and dog. It further cements the bond between you and your dog and it gives dogs a much needed outlet for adding interest to their lives. Corgis need a challenge and to get physically stimulated and agility fits the bill.