Minnesota Agility Club

Training dogs to perform in dog shows, handling obstacles including jumps, tunnels & weave poles

Dog agility is a sport that has been practiced in Minnesota for many years. Minnesota Agility Club (MAC), founded in 1989, is one of the many clubs that have been promoting the sport.

The sport involves handlers guiding their dogs along a course lined with various obstacles that often include jumps, tunnels and weave poles. The prowess of the dog and its handler at the sport is evaluated on speed and how accurately they get through the obstacles.

Minnesota Agility Club has actively provided forums over the years for dog owners to learn about this sport, after which they can explore the acquired skills in the various competitions organized by the club. However, the club does not offer training for the sport and aspiring members are therefore advised to look for training schools and clubs to train their dogs before enrolling in MAC competitions and events. The club’s website www.macagility.org offers agility links to such clubs and training schools.

MAC holds six trials every year and has about 150 active members who participate in these competitions and other events. Most of the competitions and events are however open to non-members who are also able to volunteer for various positions during events. The basic requirement for participation in the trials is for a handler to have a healthy, trained dog.

Membership forms are available online and aspiring members can download, fill and mail to the club with a minimal fee for the specific membership applied for. This also applies for those renewing their membership as well. There are currently three membership categories, they include junior membership for $10, individual membership for $15 and household membership for $20.

Minnesota Agility Club is run by a 7 member Board of Directors on a voluntary basis, and are chosen by the club members themselves. This board comprises of a president, vice president and secretary, treasurer and delegate. The last two members are in charge of equipment and membership fees. The board ensures the running of the club and it comes up with an events calendar for the entire year, detailing the dates and venues of trials and other events. The calendar is available on the club’s website.

Besides the Board of Directors, MAC relies heavily on its members and volunteers in the daily running of the club’s activities plus during trials and other events. Members are given priority for voluntary jobs after which non-members are then considered.

There are a number of positions for which interested participants can volunteer and they include course builders, gate stewards and timers as well as positions for sheet and leash runners and ring stewards. Other available slots are at the score table and at the registration check-in. Besides the trials, MAC holds agility seminars where they invite speakers that are well-informed on dog agility as a sport.

The year-end awards banquet is another event that MAC members and other lovers of the sport look forward to. The banquet is held to celebrate the success of the club’s yearly trials and events as well as to award handlers and their dogs that emerge as winners under the different trial categories. All of these events are included in the club’s events calendar in detail.

There is no doubt that dog agility is an exciting sport that will guarantee you and your dog a lot of fun. MAC encourages fans interested in learning about the sport to attend the trials and observe. Here, they can join training schools and clubs to be able to participate in future agility trials.