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Agility basics for your dog, safely

Foundations first, ground-level body-awareness work, no repetitive impact until growth plates close, and no weaves or A-frame before about 14-16 months.

At a glance

Base difficulty
3/5 (before adjusting for breed, age and size)
Source agreement
4/5 · good (how well the sources agree, not a clinical trial)
Sources cited
9
Session length
No numeric minutes; low frequency of jumps.5
Research updated

Step by step

  1. Foundations first (Garrett): relationship, reliable recall, joyful retrieve, reinforcement-zone handling; verbal discrimination from ~12 weeks (tug/sit/spin). 3,5
  2. Low-intensity fitness and body awareness (balance, perch work) rather than impact; non-slip surfaces; keep exercises slow (Kikopup). 2,3,4
  3. Jump bumps/bars on the ground; Garrett may introduce a single low jump with verbal cues around 5-6 months with low frequency; no full-height jumps.5 3,5
  4. Weave poles, full-height dog walk and A-frame: not before about 14-16 months. Add the weave cue only after flawless entries.1,5 1,5
  5. Veterinary guidance: no repetitive impact or endurance work until growth plates close (about 7 months small, 10-14 months large, up to 22 months if early-neutered). 6,7,8

When to move to the next step

  • Garrett: soft-tissue strength/balance/confidence matter more than the closure date; use the stricter of the two rules

Difficulty by age

Difficulty is on a 1-5 scale, estimated for 50 breed and mixed-breed size profiles. Breed adjustments are generalisations capped at ±1 level, because breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation; your individual dog matters more.9

Age groupTypical difficultyRangeSuitable for
Puppy
8-16 weeks		4/53-50 of 50 profiles
Adolescent
4-18 months		3/52-538 of 50 profiles (38 with cautions)
Adult
~18 months-7 years		3/52-538 of 50 profiles (2 with cautions)
Senior
7+ years (giants often from ~6)		4/53-538 of 50 profiles (38 with cautions)

What changes at this age

  • Puppy: Ground-level foundation games only.
  • Adolescent: Flat work/low bars; weaves/contacts later.5
  • Adult: Normal after vet check.
  • Senior: Low-impact balance only.

Breed and body-type cautions

Rows where our matrix says “not recommended”, or where a sourced physical or welfare limit applies. For these dogs the free plan proposes a safer alternative.

Puppy (8-16 weeks): 3
  • Not recommended No jumping/impact before growth plates close (~7 mo small, 10-14 mo large, later giants/neutered); ground-level foundation games only (sourced limit)
    Applies to: all breeds and sizes
  • Not recommended Keep sessions very short, end on success (sourced limit)
    Applies to: all breeds and sizes
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (sourced limit)
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
Adolescent (4-18 months): 5
  • Not recommended Flat work, tunnels, low pause-table only; bars on the floor; weave poles, full-height dog walk and A-frame not before ~14-16 months; no repetitive impact/endurance until growth plates close5,7,8 (sourced limit)
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (sourced limit)
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Brachycephalic: train in cool, indoors/shaded; stop at noisy breathing/heavy panting (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
  • OK with caution Flat work, tunnels, low pause-table only; bars on the floor; weave poles, full-height dog walk and A-frame not before ~14-16 months; no repetitive impact/endurance until growth plates close5,7,8 (sourced limit)
    Applies to: Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Catalan Sheepdog (Gos d'Atura), Boxer, Rottweiler, Dobermann, Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Chihuahua, Maltese, Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu, Pomeranian, Poodle (Standard/Mini/Toy), Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, Pointer / Braque, Burgos Pointer (Perdiguero de Burgos), Beagle, Spanish Greyhound (Galgo), Andalusian Hound (Podenco Andaluz), Ibizan Hound (Podenco Ibicenco), Siberian Husky, Shiba Inu, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Mixed breed - toy (<4 kg), Mixed breed - small (4-10 kg), Mixed breed - medium (10-25 kg), Mixed breed - large (25-45 kg)
  • OK with caution Brachycephalic: train in cool, indoors/shaded; stop at noisy breathing/heavy panting (sourced limit)
    Applies to: Boxer, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Shih Tzu
Adult (~18 months-7 years): 3
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (generalisation (not directly sourced))
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
  • Not recommended Brachycephalic: train in cool, indoors/shaded; stop at noisy breathing/heavy panting (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
Senior (7+ years (giants often from ~6)): 7
  • Not recommended Low-impact only (balance/cavaletti at ground height); vet clearance for arthritis/heart (generalisation (not directly sourced))
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (generalisation (not directly sourced))
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Check pain/arthritis/hearing/vision/cognition with vet before new physical skills; shorter sessions, non-slip floor (generalisation (not directly sourced))
    Applies to: Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Dachshund, Mixed breed - giant (>45 kg)
  • Not recommended Low-impact only (balance/cavaletti at ground height); vet clearance for arthritis/heart (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
  • Not recommended Substitute with ground-level balance and nose games (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
  • Not recommended Check pain/arthritis/hearing/vision/cognition with vet before new physical skills; shorter sessions, non-slip floor (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug
  • Not recommended Brachycephalic: train in cool, indoors/shaded; stop at noisy breathing/heavy panting (sourced limit)
    Applies to: French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug

Common mistakes

  • Starting weaves/contacts at 9 months5
  • Jumping/skidding/twisting in young puppies6

Troubleshooting

  • Dog 'unfocused': look for confidence/criteria problem (Garrett tweet 2026-10-05, x.com)

Where the sources disagree

Support is the share of the weighted sources that took a stance on the question.

Age to start impact agility

  • after growth plates (7-14 mo; 22 mo if early-neutered): 57% support · Used in our plans 6,7,8
  • not before 14-16 months for weaves/contacts regardless: 21% support 5
  • growth plates not the deciding factor: 43% support 3,5

Sources agree on avoiding impact early; Garrett is stricter. Matrix uses the stricter of both.

Known gaps in the evidence

  • AKC/USDAA/FCI statements on minimum age not read; no breed-specific evidence

Sources (9)

Source weight (1-5) averages the source's renown and the evidence quality of the specific page; see How plans are made. How plans are made

  1. Susan Garrett blog – 2x2 Q&A · weight 4.5
  2. YouTube: Kikopup – Agility for Enrichment and Fun - Dog Training · weight 4.5
  3. Susan Garrett blog – Agility with a puppy: when to start · weight 4.5
  4. YouTube: Dogs That – Susan Garrett’s Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins) · weight 4.5
  5. Susan Garrett – Ep.277 When to start agility with your puppy (transcript) · weight 4.5
  6. PDSA – Exercising your puppy · weight 4
  7. Veterinary Ireland Journal – Guidelines for exercising pups · weight 4
  8. Marcellin-Little – Fitness and conditioning sporting dogs (CVC proceedings PDF) · weight 4
  9. Morrill et al. 2022 Science – Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics (PMC)