We started doing agility with Misty (Tiganlea Telling Tales) in 2000 when she was 18 months old. We fell into it really, having become somewhat hooked on obedience training with Madaleine Hand. When we went to a field with Madaleine to "give it a go" we had no idea of what was about to happen to our lives. As the T-shirts we wear to competitions say, "Agility is not a sport, it's a way of life". On that first occasion we marveled at the way in which we were able to persuade Misty to go over a nice low jump, go through a tunnel ("she'll never go in there" - she did!) and, incredibly, go over that "huge wall thing" called the A-Frame. We can never be sure how much Misty enjoyed that first time, but there is no question as to how much she enjoys it now. Naturally, we went back for more…and more…and more.

By the end of that year our family had increased to include Raffles (Alanita Murphys Original), but at 5 months he was too young to start agility. It is recommended that you shouldn't start agility training until the bones are fully developed and so full training doesn't start until the dogs are at least 12 months old. Kennel Club rules actually forbid dogs from competing until they are 18 months old. This doesn't stop you getting your dog used to going over things like logs on the lawn or learning to stop at the end of a plank as you try to teach them about stopping on the contact part of the equipment.

We spent the following summer continuing to train Misty, taking part in displays around Nottinghamshire with Madaleine. At the end of 2001 we joined the Nottingham Agility Dog Training Club and continued to train over the winter. By the following May, we were ready for our first competition.

The week leading up to the competition was very nerve wracking. Apart from not knowing what to expect at the competition, Raffles had yet to jump the full height obstacles (30") that Roughs are expected to do and who knew what he would do with the weave poles! So the first competition, organized by the Nottingham club, arrived. Penny was running Misty and I was running Raffles. Misty's first round gained her her first clear round rosette and what a thrill it was! Raffles' first round saw him jump 5 full height jumps in a row before he ran out of the ring to see Misty! What a thrill it was!! We quickly learnt that plenty of dogs and handlers make mistakes - you simply don't get embarrassed, you just live with it and get on! By the end of the day, Misty had 4 clear round rosettes and Raffles had run away 4 times! However, on day 2 we discovered something significant - we swapped dogs and Penny took Raffles around 2 whole courses without him running away (even if he did go under half the jumps!) and so, since then I have been running Misty and Penny has been running Raffles.

That first competition really did change our lives. I had been saying we might try one or two local competitions but that was all. Well, we have competed in places as far apart as Portland Bill, Dorset and Easington on Wearside! I think you could say we are hooked, if not addicted.

So why aren't there many Rough collies competing out there? People say that Rough collies aren't suited to agility and that they just won't do it because they won't be bothered to do it (the dogs, that is!). Well, if you want to compete in agility at the top level then I agree, the Rough collie is not the dog for you, but if you want a lively, reliable dog with whom you can form a quite incredible bond, nothing can give you much more pleasure than running your dog around an agility course. Since we have been competing, we have seen 4 other Roughs in all the competitions (about 50 days worth) we have been to and we'd all love to see more. Last year (2004) we launched the RSCTA Agility League open to all competing Rough and Smooth collies, more details of which can be found elsewhere on the RSCTA Website.

By the end of the 2003 season, Misty and I had won 68 rosettes in various competitions. She rarely puts a foot wrong, her main enemy being the time limit imposed on the courses. I can only remember her knocking 2 poles off jumps and she famously missed a contact for the first time in August (even then she won a "Judge's Special" award as the judge really enjoyed our round!). After initial teething troubles and a lot of running away, Raffles has become something of a star with Penny. In May 2003 he suddenly found a burst of speed in one round that he has learnt to harness. He now barks as he weaves, watches your slightest movement and goes absolutely bonkers at the end of every course! He now has 71 rosettes, including 26 placings, with a best result of 5th place in Elementary Jumping at Easington. We also get to compete in team events and this has brought us our highest placing so far - 3rd!

A brief explanation of agility competitions, then. There are several categories depending on the standard of the dog or the handler. When you first start agility you can enter Elementary (lowest), Starters and Novice classes. The higher classes are Intermediate, Senior and Advanced, but as a Rough collie handler, you don't need to worry yourself too much about them!! You can enter Agility classes or Jumping classes, the difference being the inclusion of contact equipment (A-Frame, Dogwalk and Seesaw) in agility. You can also enter Open classes where you will be up against dogs of all abilities and numerous special classes including the ABC class (Anything But Collies, or more to the point, anything that doesn't have any border collie in them!). Raffles has been placed twice in ABC so far. To win out of Elementary, you need to finish in the top 3 in any of these levels and Raffles has come pretty close now, so it is not impossible! Placings are generally awarded to the top 10% in each class although this can vary with some shows placing to 20%. Still, it is just reward for doing so well in classes that range from 70 - 350 dogs! Most competitions also award rosettes for gaining clear rounds.

Whilst Roughs will never match the speeds of border collies or a host of other agility breeds they are very dependable and this is where we do so well. Personally, I really enjoy running the Novice courses. These are the most complicated ones we do, but because we can control our dogs so well we usually go clear. The time limit might defeat us, but if we go clear we often get in the top 30 dogs or so, which is no mean feat as we often do better than the senior handlers and dogs.

We now have a third Rough, Quincy (Coarhabeg Quincy Jones), and he is destined to be an agility boy. People may think we're mad running Rough collies, but we enjoy it and they love it. We wouldn't have it any other way.

Paul & Penny Sensky (updated 2005)