Welcome to Argyll Agility

Introduction

Argyll Agility has been set up to provide  agility training for dogs living in Argyll. It is based on Kintyre but the trainning venue is in Kilmelford in Mid Argyll. Agility is not a sport easily accessed in this corner of Scotland; this site and the training classes have been set up to make it easier for those who would like to find out more about the sport and who may wish to attend training classes to have access to some facilities locally.

Agility first started in the UK in the late 1970s and has grown to become an extremely popular sport across the world. There are competitions at all levels; from novice classes to world championships. Many people, like me, enjoy the activity as a way to spend time and have fun with their dog; and to help to keep him or her mentally and physically stimulated and fit. There is certainly anecdotal evidence that an agility dog, trained using positive reinforcement, is a happy dog and tends to have longer and more active lives .

Jack, Pip and Tove

Let me introduce myself and my dogs, Jack and Pip. I am Tove Knight and I am the instructor for Argyll Agility. Jack is a 3 1/2 year old Border Collie and Pip, the puppy of the family, is  an 8 month old Border Collie. We live on the beautiful peninsular of Kintyre in Argyll. In 2008 I sold a business I had been running for a while and thinking I would have lots of spare time on my hands I got a Border Collie to keep me out of trouble! My husband and I already had an English Mastiff and a Labrador, both were getting on in years. I wanted an active dog that would ask more of me. I knew that a Border Collie would need stimulation and from the outset I had planned to take up agility - just for fun. Jack had a bit of a difficult start as he was found to have problems with both his hips. He had to have two big operations when he was around 8 months old. After consultation with his vet I started agility training when Jack was nearly just over a  year old; at this stage he had more or less recovered from the immediate effects from his operations. Last autumn Pip joined the family - and all peace was shattered! Great fun but also a lot of work.

I tried very hard to find a local club or organisation that could help me with my training, but with no luck. After extensive internet searching I came across Carol Roger who runs 'Clear Run Agility' in Ayrshire. Jack and I started travelling regularly for lessons - and we loved it. It has had many benefits for both of us; - we spend a lot of time together, Jack is more responsive and (as a teenager) was less destructive than I believe he otherwise could have been. We do some agility work or general training most days  - but perhaps only for 10 minutes at a time. We have no real intention of competing but we want to improve our agility skills because it is so much fun.

About Argyll Agility

Friends and other dog owners often asked me where they could go to learn more about agility and agility training. As there were still no facilities for that in Argyll I did eventually, with some encouragement, start thinking about setting up some training sessions and to bring in an external trainer at regular intervals. Please read Important Information on the Venue  page before you book a place on a course.

A friend put me in touch with Shian and Shauna at Tullich, Kilmelford. They have kindly offered me the use of their indoor school, which is normally used for training and exercising horses, for holding introductory agility classes. The aim of Argyll Agility is to give dogs and their owners or handlers an opportunity to try out the sport. The aim is to have fun with our dogs in a friendly and safe environment. More information on the venue and planned classes please click on  Courses and Venues for more informtion. To contact Tove please see details under How to Contact.

About this website

The information on this website is based on my understanding of Agility training and how, based on  my experience, it should be approached. Clearly there are other ways to approach this and anyone wanting to take up the sport should think first and foremost of their dog, and his or her fitness and suitability for the sport, and also consider your own fitness level. Please take advise, (e.g. from your vet)  if you are in any way uncertain about whether this is a good activity for you and your dog. For more details please go to Agility Training . If you want to contact Tove you can do so on by telephone, mobile (see How to Contact) or email tove.knight@btconnect.com 

Acknowledgement

Jack and I have worked with Carol Roger of 'Clear Run Agility' since July 2008. She has been a great teacher and a good friend; patient and helpful - and challenging. We have learned so much and had so much fun -  I am very grateful for all of Carol's help. I am also in her debt for the help she has given me when I was setting up Argyll Agility. Much of the training material I have included on this website is used, some of it in an adapted form, with Carol's kind permission. Clearly any mistakes are entirely down to me. You will find Carol's website by following this link: www.clearrunagility.co.uk

For those of you who wish to learn more about Agility I hope that you will be able to attend some of Carol's lessons when she comes to Kilmelford.