Dog Agility Glossary: Terms and Lingo Used in Dog Agility

The world of dog agility is filled with unique terms and phrases that can seem overwhelming to newcomers. This agility glossary will break down all the common agility words and phrases that you will likely come across in your training. If you are interested learning more about words or phrases at your first agility trial, check out my previous agility glossary that focuses exclusively on lingo you should know for agility trials.

Agility Glossary: Agility Obstacles

• A-Frame – A contact obstacle shaped like an A. A dog must run up one side and down the other. Unlike the dog walk, the sides of this obstacle are slanted. The height of the A-Frame varies by organization and dog height.
• Contact Obstacles – Teeter, Dog Walk, A-Frame, and Pause Table. These obstacles require a dog to make contact with the obstacle at both ends. The ends are almost always marked in yellow.
• Dog Walk – An elevated plank that a dog must walk across. This is a contact obstacle.
• Jump – An obstacle that a dog must jump over. It typically has two wings and a bar.
• Pause Table/Platform – A small platform that a dog must jump on stay on for a designated amount of time.
• Teeter – A seesaw dogs are required to walk across. This is a contact obstacle, so dogs must make contact with the obstacle at both ends. The ends are almost always marked in yellow.
• Tire – A tire elevated off the ground that a dog must jump through. The tire height matches the dog’s regular jump height.
• Tunnel – A tunnel shaped obstacle that a dog must run through.
• Wing – The sides of a jump.
• Weave – 6 or 12 poles in a straight line that a dog must pass through, alternating sides.

Agility Terms and Phrases: Training

• Back Side – When a dog takes an obstacle from the side away from them, or the back.
• Blind Cross – When a dog crosses from one side of a handler to the other. A blind cross implies the handler is in front of the dog when the cross is performed and temporarily loses sight of the dog while performing the cross. Hence, the handler is “blind” to their dog.
• Cross – Any time a dog moves from one side of the handler to the other.
• Front Cross – When a dog crosses from one side of a handler to the other. A front cross implies the handler is in front of the dog when they perform the cross.
• Front Side – When a dog takes an obstacle from the side facing them, or the front.
• Lead Out – The distance from the handler to the dog at the start line. A large lead out implies the handler is far from the dog at the start line, while a small lead out demonstrates the handler is very close to the dog at the start line.
• Pull – A dog is called towards the handler, i.e. the dog is pulled towards the handler.
• Push – A dog is guided away from the handler, i.e. the dog is pushed away from the handler.
• Rear Cross – When a dog crosses from one side of a handler to the other, with the dog in front of the handler.
• Ring – Where an agility course is located. It is often closed off, so dogs cannot run out, and shaped like an oval or rectangle.
• Running A-Frame/Dog Walk – A training method used to teach contact obstacles that focuses on a dog’s stride pattern. The dog is taught to hit the contact zones by adjusting their stride rather than stopping at the bottom of the obstacle.
• Trial – An agility competition.
• Two On Two Off – When a dog has two feet on an obstacle and two feet off the obstacle.

Did I miss anything? Comment below and I’ll add it! Looking for a trial day agility glossary or agility terms used in a trial? Check out my previous post on words you should know before your first agility trial! This post, by Bud Houston, is also an excellent source for more advanced agility terms.