I’m hoping to get some advice from experienced agility people. I’m looking for a second agility dog and I was wondering if anyone can share what they have found to be good or bad things to look for structurally in an agility dog. For example, today I looked at a dog that was really leggy. This doesn’t seem like a bad thing, but the rear was higher than the front and it seems to me that when the dog really stretches out, it could be a tad unstable. Breed, or lack of, is irrelevant to me. Please let me know what you think.

You want a dog that is compact in body length and NOT straight in the shoulder. You do want soundness both in front and rear, although I'm not sure how much of that you can tell in a pup.

You don't want a long bodied dog as that is a lot to get over that many jumps, they tend to knock bars more. It seems that the bigger the dogs are the slower they are on the course, even though their stride is longer the turns slow them down considerably.

Accuracy and speed is the name of the game, so you want something that can turn swiftly and efficiently, and has the ability to accelerate and jump well.

Couldn't tell if you are looking for a GSD or any breed? Small, Medium or Large breed?

Naturally Border Collies totally dominate the sport, and tend to have great ability. JRT are awesome small dogs as are Papillons.

My preference are the GSD's, and went to the Schutzhund, working lines for my pup. The top GSD's last year all came from these type of working lines.

When I was looking for a GSD agility prospect, I was more concerned with attitude as long as the structure was sound.

There doesn't seem to be a difference in GSD's with bitches or dogs. 1/2 of top 10 last year were dogs (including #2 spot), although it would seem the slighter body of a bitch would be better, the statistics don't reflect that.

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My preference are the GSD's, and went to the Schutzhund, working lines for my pup.

Linda is right on with her recommendations. I also researched and got my 'new' agility pup from the same type lines. You want the drive and work ethics from these lines. Size DOES matter, so females will tend to be smaller (course I ended up with the largest female in the litter, and 24 3/4 " at the shoulder, so going with a puppy makes the 'size' thing hard).

And if you want to really do well in agility, best to go for a border collie. If you are looking for a GSD, than try to stay with breeders NOT going for the larger, heavier, dogs. And that are titling and working them.

Additionally, lines breeding for socially aggressive dogs I would stay away from. Agility trials can be somewhat nuts, with dogs in extremely close proximity, different levels of obedience training and social 'politeness' from many dogs, and people so focused/nervous on their runs that their dogs are almost guaranteed to end up in other dog's 'space'. So a dog that is more socialized and doesn't mind these situations is a definite plus. I have enough to worry about at a trial with the course and handling challenges. To add anything additional like my dog is nervous or aggressive around so many other dogs/people/sites/sounds/running/clicking/tents flapping/etc is too much for me.

This Breeder (click here) is one who is breeding dogs the type I like for agility.

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You want a dog that is...NOT straight in the shoulder.

Why is this bad?

Because dogs that are very straight in the front do not possess a good reach, good power transfer, and are more likely to sustain injury to their elbows or shoulders during high intensity events/workouts especially where jumping is involved.

Dogs with a too straight shoulder angulation don't extend the front legs far enough(not enough reach). Also the front end is the "shock absorber" end - important for impact and jumping.

I was wondering if a medium lurcher type dog might be a good choice. Has anyone seen one worked in agility?

I've never seen a lurcher in agility but have seen many of them in hunting situations over the years. I have no doubt they would do quite well. A Border collie x whippet lurcher would probably be great at it. Even some of the larger lurchers would, I think, have a great advantage. From my little bit of knowledge about agility, it's classed according to height. Lurchers are very quick and light on their feet, so a "traditional" Collie x sighthound would be awesome in their class.
Flyball and agility people are crossing JRTs with Border Collies. Talk about the ultimate ADHD/OCD dog. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I have several leads on the more traditional dogs, but I’m intrigued by the idea of a lurcher. I suppose the trick, in this country, would be finding one. Does anyone know of any lurcher breeders?

Most of the lurchers I've seen were at hunts that were organized after working terrier shows. Many of them were imported from a breeder in the UK by the Name of David Hancock, if I remember correctly. Most of his dogs were Bearded collie x sighthound. Other than the Hancock dogs, two crosses that really impressed me were a Bedlinton x Whippet that was a fantastic little rabbit dog. Nothing could get away from this little running machine. The other was a 3/4 greyhound, 1/4 APBT cross that was the most impressive dog I've evern see to run down coyotes. I mention these dogs because any dog crossed with a sighthound could correctly be called a Lurcher. Not all would be correct for "biddability", as the Brits call it. That refers to the trainability of the, usually, working collie in the cross. If, by luck or hard work, you find a Lurcher breeder, be sure of the cross if your looking to do agility.