Introduction to Dog Agility

Rating:
Summary: Agility Fan
Review: I got into Agility a year ago, this was one of my first books. It's easy to read and understandable. It has lots of great information and it's all easy to follow. Highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Start For You and Your Dog
Review: I purchased this book in anticipation of adopting a mixed breed from my local shelter. Cracker Jack is a australian shepard/sheltie mix who I thought would be the perfect dog for me to start with agility training. This book is so helpful in learning the skills myself and with the teaching of the skills to my dog. The color photos are wonderful, much better than having fuzzy black and white photos as in the other books offered, and the book is a very clear, concise, easy to read, step by step manual. The most suprising thing was that it showed not just the standard breed of dog that comes to my mind for agility (i.e. australian shepards, shelties, border collies, golden retrievers, etc.) but it also showed a wide range of other dogs who can benefit and succeed from agility training and competition like the terriers, corgis, even the bulldog and even the giant great danes! I highly recommend this well planned and designed book for anyone interested in agility training of your dog (no matter what the breed or size!) and for those who simply want to strengthen their bond with their pet.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Introduction to a Fun Sport
Review: I waited to buy a dog agility book until this was published, and I am glad I did. Everything about the book smacks of quality, from the gorgeous color photos to the full color layout to the little notes and tips. She carefully avoids the impersonal "it" by naming fictional dogs "Ace" and "Sierra". It is a clever invention that really does help in making the material more understandable. It is attention to details like this that make it better than some books I've browsed and declined to buy.

The book covers most aspects of the sport, from selecting a breed to giving the actual agility rules from the various governing bodies (including the UKC!). She gives instructions on how to build some backyard agility equipment; I've already built the tire jump from her plans, and it was effortless. I wish she had given plans for some of the harder equipment, like teeter boards or A-frames, but those are bigger projects requiring some thought anyways.

Her large section on handling and sequencing seems overly long... until you try it on your own. I'll swallow my pride and admit now that it is tougher than it looked. I am glad she spent a lot of space on this important information. I'll now go back and carefully read this section over again.

This is a book I won't quickly outgrow. I feel like it will be useful all the way through my first few trials, and then some. And all the while, it will look dang good on my coffee table!

I'm glad I waited for it!

Rating:
Summary: Wowee! What a great book!
Review: My newly-aquired shelter dog "Ticket" and I are new to agility. We are taking classes, but I wanted to learn as much as I could on my own. I did some research on books and decided to purchase Ms. Bonham's "Introduction to Agility" - and boy, did I make the right decision! This is an excellent book loaded with color photos, diagrams, and easy-to-follow instructions for training. She gives ideas on how to make agility equipment such as jumps, the tire, weave poles, etc. She also explains the rules of agility according to the various organizations that hold trials. I am very happy with my purchase! This book is so much more than what I thought it would be.

Rating:
Summary: Best Beginner Agility Book Out There For Those Who Compete
Review: Of course, I'm biased, I'm the author. I wrote this book because I was frustrated with the books that were available in dog agility at the time. None showed you how to get your dog over a dog walk or really showed you what a swing plank was. What's more, the books that were out there didn't tell you what the differences between AKC, USDAA, NADAC, or UKC were (at the time this was written, those were pretty much it in the US and the only agility outside of the US were UK and Canadian agility).

Check the book out in the search inside feature. I think you'll be very pleased at what you see. Also check out my latest book which deals with noncompetitive agility, called Having Fun With Agility.

Rating:
Summary: Excelent book but some faults
Review: This book is excellent for the dog/men beginners in agility, but very important faults are committed. No reference on FCI agility is made in this book and the small chapter on health and feeding seems to make marketing to formulated dog foods. Beside these faults, the book is excellent, explains clearly some exercises on obedience and how to teach the dog recognize and negotiate the obstacles. In the end there is a very useful list of bibliography and websites on agility.

Rating:
Summary: Dog Agility
Review: This is a great book for pros and beginners alike! It has got what most qualifacations and obstacles are for the major agility associations; not to mention how to build a lot of the more simple ones. There are also great pictures of training to see how to do certain obstacles and so you can be able to see if your dog is doing it right. It also has instructions for any obstacle imaginable! I recommend this book to any one having trouble trying to pull off a double jump or to anyone who just thinks their dog could do this (which is a lot; all healthy dogs are capable of doing this!)!

Rating:
Summary: Great beginners book
Review: This is a very good book for the novice agility competitor. I use the diagrams for training in the back of the book for my agility classes. If you are just looking into this extreemly fun sport or just want a good book to read or are involved in Agility, get this book! It explains all about NADAC, USDAA, UKC, AKC, in every category, and more!