Dog agility is a sport that was modeled after equestrian jumping competitions. A handler is given a set amount of time in which to direct a dog off-leash through an obstacle course. A dog demonstrates his versatility by overcoming different obstacles.

The rules are simple - handlers may give an unlimited number of commands to their dogs, but may not touch either the equipment or the dog. Dogs are "faulted" for taking down a jump bar, failing to put one or more feet in the contact zone and taking obstacles out of sequence.

You can start introducing your puppy to agility training when he reaches 4 to 5 months of age. Granted, it doesn't look like agility training at first. To prevent stressing little puppy bones, don't encourage your puppy to do real jumping. At first, it's enough to teach him to step over small obstacles that are only a couple of inches off the ground.

Dog agility training offers a lot of benefits, and some of the best are an improvement is confidence that a dog will experience as well as the increased bond with with his handler.