Agility is considered to be the fastest growing dog sport in the United States. There's a good reason for this — agility is fast-paced, unpredictable, and fun. Many dog owners start out by taking an agility class for fun. A year later, these same people find that they've become absolutely hooked and their dogs are having a blast.

In very basic terms, agility is a sport in which the handler directs the dog through an obstacle course, using only voice commands and hand signals. The goal is to complete the course without any faults (such as knocking down a pole on a jump or avoiding an obstacle) in the fastest time. Agility offers a lot of variety in that no two courses are ever the same. The elements that can be used include such obstacles as tunnels, jumps, weave poles, a canine variation of a balance beam, teeter-totters, and suspended tire jumps.

Dachshunds are able to compete in a variety of agility courses, including jumps.

Currently four major organizations sanction agility events: the American Kennel Club (AKC), the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), and the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA). Rules, events, and titles vary between organizations, so it is wise to be prepared and understand how the events are run prior to entering.

The best way to get started in this exciting sport is to locate an agility club in your area and join it. The club will have all the equipment that is used in competitions, as well as beginner through advanced training classes. Some agility trainers like dogs to be solid on the basic obedience skills down, come, and stay. Others just want to see that you have control of your dog and may even begin by working on some basic commands while introducing your dog to all the agility elements.