This book was chose to be on the prestigious 'DogRead' as a book selection of the month. We only do 12 books a year and this was May 2000. The author comes on line for the whole month to answer questions on the book. It was very well received by our 3000 member email group. The author was very knowledgeable and easy to understand even though also very in depth.

treshell owner DogRead
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This book is an ideal starting point for anyone wanting to learn about the wonderful sport of dog agility and how to train their dog to compete in the agility ring. In addition, it can help the experienced agility handler train their beginning dog the right way from the start, helping to ensure success.

This book is written as a companion to Simmons-Moake's award-winning set of videos on agility training (which are also excellent), but you do not need the videos to enjoy the book. There are pictures and diagrams, and the book is well-organized into easy to understand sections. The author breaks down the art of training agility into simple concepts, which she reemphasizes and builds on throughout the book. Simmons-Moake clearly understands how dogs learn, and encourages positive, motivational methods to teach dogs how to perform each agility obstacle correctly and to enhance the dog-handler relationship.

I highly recommend this book! Agility is an addicting sport, one of the most fun things you can enjoy with your dog, and this book is a great way to learn about it.

This book was a lot of fun to read. The writing style was different and the plot had a couple of nice twists. The story of a down and out character on the back side of paradise reminded me of a Humphrey Bogart movie. The dialogue was as snappy as Sam Spade's. I hope the author writes a sequel about this novice private eye.

In the years since Jane Simmons-Moake's three agility tapes hit the market, I have attended a bunch of seminars held by many different trainers. While I have learned from them all, I still feel that the information Jane presents in her tapes and their companion books is the most basic, easy to understand and to follow instruction around. What Jane promotes is common sense handling that is feasible for all handlers to achieve, no matter their age, ability, background or breed of dog.

The first two books and tapes in the "Excelling at Dog Agility" series cover obstacle training and sequence training. The third book, which was just published in 2002, is subtitled 'Advanced Skills Training.' As was the case with the other two books, a handy reference guide at the end of the book directs you to the place on the tape where the skills being discussed can be viewed. The advantage of having the book to refer to, in addition to the tapes, is that it beautifully diagrams the various practice maneuvers and presents some marvelous course designs for practicing each of the featured skills. As I scanned through the book I made mental note of the courses I wanted to try. They looked like so much fun!

The first topic addressed in this book is advanced weave pole skills. In watching Jane run her own dogs I have always marveled at her ability to send her dogs into the weaves regardless of where the weave entrance was in relation to her. This is a vital skill for anyone involved in USDAA or NADAC gambler classes in addition to often being the difference between a Q and an NQ on any course.

This chapter carefully details the steps that will lead to a dog who doesn't need babysitting on the weaves. It also includes a number of suggestions on how to proof your dog so he will remain in the weaves, regardless of your enthusiastic praise or the distractions at a show.

Advanced pause table skills might not seem necessary once your dog has learned to get on the table, but could your dog handle a wet slippery table at top speed? Jane writes, "If you have not taught your dog to grip the top of the pause table to keep from sliding off, you have yet to address an important part of his training." Also included in this chapter are ideas on how to maintain the sit or down.

Two vital skills for anyone needing to make up for a slow dog or catch up with a fast one are the ability to (1) send and run and (2) layer. The first occurs when you send your dog to a jump or tunnel but you, the handler, continue to run ahead to where you need to be next. Layering is similar in that you send the dog to an obstacle while you run a more direct line to where you are headed, even if there is an obstacle between you and the dog.

Other topics addressed are obstacle discrimination, the 'get out' command, pinwheels, zig-zag rear crosses, 'heel and side' commands and advanced distance skills. The latter chapter includes a number of pages devoted to how one should prepare for gamblers.

Each chapter in the book starts with a section on 'How to Begin,' continuing with 'How to Progress,' interspersed with what to do 'if you have problems,' generously diagrammed so you can practice each of the skills you are trying to teach.

Finally, if you are one of those who lacks equipment at home and thinks it's sufficient to practice only once a week at class, Jane dispells that theory with a number of exercises you can work on when you're alone. Some you can do with no equipment at all; others are designed for those who have space for only one or two pieces of apparatus.

If you already own the first two books and tapes in this series, I'm sure I don't need to recommend that you run out and purchase this third. If you don't already own any of the "Excelling at Dog Agility" series of books and/or tapes, I would most certainly suggest that you add this to your wish list. Guaranteed, the instruction contained will help you progress.

This was a great book. It shows how to pick a good agility dog, right from the start, all aspects of agility trainning as well as obedience training, and shows how to build your own agility obsticles, which came in very handy for me. -Elizabeth Alve-Hedegaar

This book is perfect for anyone starting out in Agility. It covers all the obstacles, easy ways to train them, and even has sections on picking out the right Agility puppy and obedience training. There are instructions for building your own equipment, how to hold your own trial, and much more. It is easy for beginners of almost any age to understand, and it graduates to more advanced levels of competition and different kinds of courses. There is virually no one competing or participating in the sport of Agility who would not benefit in some way from reading this. The pictures are clear and plentiful and another good point of the book. Jane Simmons-Moake knows Agility, and her book has helped me and my dogs get the most out of it. BUY THIS! It's a very complete book!

This was a great book. I bught for my dog to give him something to do. He was so smart and it seemed a waste brain power not to teach something challenging. This book is easy to understand and even tells how to build ALL of the equipment. You HAVE to buy this book if you want to train agility. It's great.