What is the best dog breed to use for agility?
What is the best dog breed to use for agility? General Dog Discussions
Border Collies excel and dominate the sport. BUT- people getting BCs who haven't had BCs before, and especially those who haven't done agility before, tend to do very poorly with BCs- more poorly than they would have done with a different breed. Many of them drop out, and the dogs either end up languishing in a non-agility home, or going to an instructor or more experienced handler- who may actually do well with the dog. For people getting a dog to do agility, I recommend going with a breed they already have, or going with a sporting dog- quite a few Cockers doing very well, and you don't have as many HD issues seen in GRs and Labs. Mini- poodles are another good bet- they tend to overjump, but not usually a problem for them. Shelties are great if you are used to them, but many are timid and some are just too much dog for a novice handler. JRTs are a great option if you are willing to deal with a terrier mentality.