What dogs can compete in agility?

Question

I am looking at getting a Bichon Frise/ whippet mix dog. I have always wanted a purebred Bichon, but I don't have the money to buy any, so I decided to adopt from a wonderful Sheltie breeder who is a family friend.
Anyway, could I enter it in agility competitions in America, even though it isn't a purebred?

Thanks in advanced!

Answer 1

You can train any kind of dog for agility. Various breeds, such as the Border Collie, tend to be leaders in the sport, but any breed or mix can be trained for it.

AKC limits their participation to purebreds, or those without papers (such as rescue) but determined to likely be purebred (they must be altered tho in order to participate). But there are a lot of other organiztions that sponsor agility events that allow mixed breed dogs to participate. I know CPE does, I think UKC does and there are a few others.

Even if your dog doesn't excel at this sport, it's still fun to train for it, go to the competitions and simply participate! I've even seen Dauchshunds doing it!

It's a really good idea to have a good solid obedience training for your dog before starting in agility, too.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

No, you can not enter a mixed breed dog in any American Kennel Club competitions.
You could try the Bichon Frise Club of America and look for breeders. Sometimes a good breeder will have nice quality puppies available that, for some small reason, didn't make it as a confirmation show dog but would still be a good quality pure bred dog.

Answer 3

yes but I'm not sure bichon frise would be the best agility dog. border collies and shelties are usually the kind of dogs that like agility. i guess it all depends on the dog though so if you would like to enter it in agility and it is willing to do so have fun. it takes a lot of practise. one other sport that you may want to check out is fly ball. the dogs have to jump over four hurdles pick up a ball and come back over the hurdles. if he gets good at fly ball a team would definitely love him because how high the the hurdles are set is based on how tall the smallest dog is. well good luck in all the sports you try!!!!

Answer 4

You can compete with other mixed breeds in agility here: http://www.amborusa.com/agility_club_info.html

If you get a purebred dog secondhand without registration papers, you can get an ILP number (limited registration allowing you to compete in performance sports) from the AKC - check into this at www.akc.org. You can also look into getting a Bichon Frise through your closest local Bichon Rescue group, found at the AKC website.

Good luck!

Answer 5

You can compete at USDAA trials with a mixed breed dog.

http://www.usdaa.com/

It is highly unlikely that the dog is actually a Whippet cross though. REAL Whippets crosses are extremely rare, but shelters like to call any dog with a tuck-up a Whippet cross, and almost ALL of them aren't.