Episode 019 - Shave 2 Seconds Off Your Agility Course Time with This Simple Change

Season #1 October 07, 2025

Show Notes

Shave 2 Seconds Off Your Agility Course Time with This Simple Change

In this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast, Lorrie Reynolds shares a simple adjustment that can significantly improve your agility course times.

Many handlers unknowingly set their dogs up too close to the first obstacle at the start line. While it may seem helpful for control or positioning, this small setup mistake can actually slow your dog down and increase the chances of knocking the first bar.

By giving your dog more space before the first obstacle, you can improve speed, safety, and consistency on course.

Topics Covered

dog agility start line setup, improving agility course time, agility start line training, preventing knocked bars in agility, agility handling tips

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Why starting too close to the first obstacle can slow your dog down
• How proper start line spacing can improve course time
• Why dogs need room to build speed before the first jump
• How this simple adjustment can reduce first-bar knockdowns
• A training experiment you can try to measure the difference

Episode Overview

Start line positioning is something many agility handlers overlook, but it can have a surprising impact on course performance.

In this episode, Lorrie explains why setting your dog too close to the first obstacle can create problems. Dogs that start only a stride away from the first jump often don't have enough space to build speed or properly judge their takeoff point. This can lead to knocked bars or slower overall course times.

A simple experiment conducted with multiple agility dogs showed that starting dogs further back from the first obstacle allowed them to reach full speed before taking the jump. The result was faster runs and cleaner first obstacles across every dog tested.

For some teams, this small change alone improved their qualifying rate by shaving crucial seconds off their course time.

By adjusting your start line setup and giving your dog room to accelerate, you may see immediate improvements in both speed and performance.

Key Training Concepts Mentioned

• start line setup in dog agility
• building speed before the first obstacle
• preventing first jump bar knockdowns
• improving course efficiency
• using small adjustments to improve performance

Key Takeaway

A small adjustment to your start line setup can make a big difference in agility performance. Giving your dog enough space to accelerate before the first obstacle helps improve speed, safety, and consistency on course.

Resources Mentioned

Maximum Fun Dog Sports
https://www.maximumfundogs.com

The Agility Playground membership

Start your free 7-day trial here:
https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Improve Your Agility Handling Skills

If you want to improve communication, independence, and speed on the agility course, explore The Agility Playground.

The membership includes structured lessons designed to help agility teams build confidence, clarity of cues, and stronger teamwork on course.

Start your free 7-day trial here:
https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Related Episodes

Episode 003 – Why Teach Distance for Dog Agility
Episode 009 – Dog Agility Distance Handling: What is CLAWS?
Episode 015 – Why Reward Placement Matters to Your Agility Dog

Additional Resources:

Website: https://www.maximumfundogs.com
Shop: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/shop
Email: [email protected]
Articles: https://www.maximumfundogs.com/articles
The Agility Playground: https://courses.maximumfundogs.com/2025-bb-tap1-7D

Episode Transcript

Lorrie [00:00:08]:
Welcome to the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. I'm Lorrie Reynolds, owner of Maximum Fun Dog Sports. We help both halves of your agility team build your relationship, communication, confidence, and fun in training so that you can joyfully succeed on any course. In this episode, I'll tell you one simple trick that can shave 2 seconds off of your course time. At almost every seminar, I have one student who sets their dog up 3 feet away from the first jump in an exercise. I understand why they do it. People who don't have independent obstacle performance are afraid that their dog will go around the jump. Occasionally, it is because they only have a 10 foot stay, and they want to get as far ahead of the jump as possible.

Lorrie [00:00:56]:
At some point, I stop them and ask if their dog frequently knocks the first bar. The answer is usually yes. We talk about whether it's fair to the dog to set them up so close, and I end up telling this story. A long time ago, a friend of mine set up an experiment. He had 8 agility dogs of various sizes and abilities, and he wanted to see if the distance he set them up from the first jump made a difference in course time. He had access to electronic timing equipment and room to set up a full course. Each dog ran the sequence two times. In one round, he set them up one stride from the first jump.

Lorrie [00:01:36]:
On the other round, he set them up further back, at least 2 strides away. He varied whether the dog was set up close on round 1 or round 2, so that he eliminated the chance that they just ran the 2nd round faster. What he discovered was pretty amazing. By setting the dog up further back and having them at full speed before they took the first jump and tripped the timer, their course time was at least 2 seconds faster. Every single one of the 8 dogs kept the 1st jump up and had a better time when they had room before the start. At that time, NADAC standards for speed were tighter, and 2 seconds on a jumper's course was an eternity. Students who were over time by just a second or 2 and followed the advice to set their dogs back further were able to start qualifying with just this one small change. People who had dogs that knocked the first bar were able to eliminate that fault by giving them room to adequately judge and take off for the jump.

Lorrie [00:02:41]:
It's a great example of how changing one small thing can make a world of difference. Whether training an agility sequence or running at a trial, set the dog up at least 2 strides back from the first obstacle. That distance gives them time to get up to speed and perform the obstacle safely, and will shave a couple of seconds off of your course time. If you normally set your dog up close to the first obstacle, this week, video a training session where you set your dog up where you normally do for one repetition, and further from the start line than usual for the next? What impact does it have on your dog's speed when he goes over or through the first obstacle? Thanks for listening to this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. If you wanna build a successful agility team where runs with your partner feel flowing and in sync, join us in The Agility Playground. The Agility Playground is a low cost membership that meets you where you are on your dog agility journey and helps you propel your team to new heights. You can check out The Agility Playground and join our community at www.maximumfundogs.com. See you next time.