It's time for a Hot Takes episode!

Jessica Ajoux joins us to react to your opinions, unpopular takes, and thought-provoking questions about the world of dog agility.

From standardising equipment, jump heights, and tunnel bags to course design, judging, and safety, we dive into some of the sport's most debated topics. We discuss whether greater standardisation would improve fairness, how obstacle design affects dogs of different sizes and breeds, and whether lower jumps could make the sport safer without sacrificing the challenge.

Along the way, we explore training strategies, progression through the levels, reward placement, fix-and-go training, and what makes a dog truly suited to agility. We also tackle bigger issues including judging transparency, performance-enhancing drugs, dog welfare, and the balance between competitive success and keeping the sport fun for our canine partners.

Whether you agreed with the hot takes or found yourself shouting at your speakers, this episode is packed with lively discussion, practical insights, and plenty of food for thought for handlers, competitors, judges, and agility enthusiasts alike.

In this episode, Kert sits down with Jessica Ajoux to explore one of the most important and often overlooked parts of dog training: what our dogs reveal about us.

Rather than focusing on techniques or training systems, the conversation dives into the relationship beneath the behaviour. Dogs don’t just respond to cues, they respond to us. Our emotions, timing, clarity, tension, and presence all shape how they learn and how they show up in training.

Together, they unpack how dogs become powerful mirrors of our internal state. Moments of frustration, inconsistency, or pressure often show up immediately in the dog’s behaviour, while calmness, clarity, and presence tend to create better learning environments. Through this lens, training becomes less about control and more about awareness.

The episode also explores the importance of slowing down. In a world where handlers often chase progress, titles, and performance, dogs continually bring us back to repetition, patience, and honesty. Each dog, with their unique personality, challenges us to adapt rather than compare.

At its core, this conversation is about growth on both sides of the lead. Not just building better agility dogs, but becoming more thoughtful, present, and self-aware handlers in the process.

If you’ve ever felt like your dog was “reflecting something back at you,” this episode will help you understand exactly what that might be—and why it matters far more than perfection in training.

In this episode, Kert and Aimee dive into the realities of balancing a passion for dog agility with the demands of family life and parenthood. From training schedules and competition weekends to sleepless nights and shifting priorities, they share their personal experiences of navigating agility while raising children.

The conversation explores how routines benefit both dogs and children, why consistency matters, and the ways agility can teach valuable life skills such as resilience, patience, teamwork, and handling disappointment. Kert and Aimee also discuss the challenges of returning to competition after having children, managing expectations, and redefining success beyond rosettes and results.

Whether you're a parent, an agility competitor, or simply someone trying to balance sport with everyday life, this episode offers honest reflections, practical insights, and a reminder that the memories we make along the way often matter more than the trophies we bring home.

Join us for a heartfelt conversation about family, dogs, community, and finding joy in the journey.

In this episode, Kert and Jessica Ajoux explore common training pitfalls in dog agility, emphasizing the importance of timing, clarity, and understanding over punishment. They share practical insights to help handlers improve their training and build more confident, motivated dogs.

If you enjoy the episode, please leave us a review :)

This episode explores key aspects of dog agility training, handling, course walking, and mental preparation. Hosted by Kert and Dave, it offers practical tips to improve your training sessions, handling consistency, and mental resilience for competitions.

In this episode, Jess discusses her innovative international-style agility competition called 'What the Cup,' designed to fill the gap between routine local shows and high-stakes tryouts. She shares insights on event design, the importance of fostering a fun yet competitive environment, and the value of diverse agility events for the sport's growth.

summary

In this episode, Kert and Dave delve into the nuances of dog agility training, the impact of recent qualification changes, the importance of foundations, and the role of handler fitness. They also discuss managing heat during competitions and the significance of trainer loyalty and consistent training methods.

Join Kert and Jess as they share insights from the WAOs, covering the challenges of international competition, course design, mental resilience, and the realities of travel with dogs. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at high-level dog agility events and practical tips for competitors.

"Its not fair"

In this episode, we chat about something that’s on most agility handlers’ minds — injuries, and how to hopefully avoid them and keep our dogs safe.

We talk through some of the common ways dogs pick up injuries in sport, along with a few ideas around training, setup, and general conditioning that might help reduce the risk.

A conversation about the small things that can add up to keeping our dogs feeling good and enjoying the sport for longer.I hope you enjoy.