Westies
are relatively short legged, square backed, heavy bodied dogs designed
to work efficiently underground and therefore when we engage them in
sports such as agility, we need to be aware of their limitations and
injury possibilities.
In agility, the distance between
the obstacles is a minimum of fifteen feet and many courses have much
greater distances, designed for larger faster breeds. Therefore running
your Westie in agility demands great care on your part to ensure the
shortest distance and most efficient route.
The contact equipment is high and
very steep when your dog is only 10" or so inches at the shoulder.
For example, even with the new 5 foot height rule for a mini on the A-Frame,
while it is a vast improvement over the old 6 footers, it is still a
tremendous strain on the shoulders when climbing up and has considerable
propensity for back injury on the down run. The teeter requires the Westie
to move well out past the fulcrum in order to push the teeter to the
ground, necessitating both fearlessness and a splendid sense of balance
to move forward on a board that is tipping downward. The dog walk, towering
four feet above the ground and stretching thirty six feet, provides two
problems, the height and the danger from a miss step leading to a fall,
and also the time issue in crossing.
Jumps
too can be a problem if the handler is tempted to run her Westie at one
of the higher heights allowed. For example, under the rules specified
by the Agility Association of Canada, a dog under 12 inches at the shoulder
and running as a regular may jump 10 or 16 inches. While there is no
doubt many Westies can jump 16 inches, consideration must be given to
the weight of the dog, the angles created by the short square back and
the force of the impact on the shoulders.
Another consideration is poor weather.
If there happens to be a crosswind, the dog walk can be very dangerous
as a gust can blow your Westie off. The collapsible tunnel in both rain
and wind offers problems - the wind may blow the fabric into a twist
while heavy rain can soak the fabric and make passage through the tunnel
difficult and frightening.
The contact equipment is high and
very steep when your dog is only 10" or so inches at the shoulder.
For example, even with the new 5 foot height rule for a mini on the A-Frame,
while it is a vast improvement over the old 6 footers, it is still a
tremendous strain on the shoulders when climbing up and has considerable
propensity for back injury on the down run. The teeter requires the Westie
to move well out past the fulcrum in order to push the teeter to the
ground, necessitating both fearlessness and a splendid sense of balance
to move forward on a board that is tipping downward. The dog walk, towering
four feet above the ground and stretching thirty six feet, provides two
problems, the height and the danger from a miss step leading to a fall,
and also the time issue in crossing. 
Jumps
too can be a problem if the handler is tempted to run her Westie at one
of the higher heights allowed. For example, under the rules specified
by the Agility Association of Canada, a dog under 12 inches at the shoulder
and running as a regular may jump 10 or 16 inches. While there is no
doubt many Westies can jump 16 inches, consideration must be given to
the weight of the dog, the angles created by the short square back and
the force of the impact on the shoulders.