Briards and owners bond, as they work through the challenges of each obstacle. Agility is a strenuous activity for both dog and owner, thus, proper conditioning is critical. It is also important to not start the young Briard too soon, as the bone and joints are not fully developed in the young animal. Strenuous activity, particularly jumping, before a Briard reaches one year of age can contribute to severe skeletal diseases, like hip dysplasia. So start slow and wait until your Briard has matured prior to starting serious training.
Agility requires that the dog be off leash, and yet still be under control.
Thus, the Briard needs to understand the basic obedience commands to successfully compete in this event. Agility is a great confidence builder for Briards. With each exercise they master, their confidence level grows, as they learn to climb, jump, or crawl through the exercises. The training program is based strictly on positive methods. A dog is never forced to perform an exercise before ready.