"Chasing Tails" Dog Agility Gifts from Cardtoons Publications

"Chasing Tails"

Humorous dog agility illustration available in a range of gifts

This illustration from our Country Comicals range features dogs training for dog agility. It's called Chasing Tails and is one of our most popular watercolours!

The sport of Dog Agility was introduced to Crufts in 1978 as an event to keep the audience entertained between judging. It has gone on to be one of the most popular events at Crufts as well as many other dog shows all around the world. It is a hugely popular fast and furious international competitive sport.

Chasing Tails from Country Comicals by Linda Birkinshaw

The inspiration for Dog Agility is equestrian show jumping, and the very first competition of its kind was actually held in 1979 at the Olympia Christmas Horse Show.

The sport combines a number of obstacles, including tunnels, jumps, see-saws, weave poles and tables. Dogs are timed around the course, receiving penalties for any obstacles not cleared correctly. The fastest dog wins! It's a high paced sport; action-filled, extremely competitive and great fun for dogs, owners and audiences alike.

Surprisingly Dog Agility isn't dominated by one single breed. Lots of breeds perform well, particularly Jack Russells, Border Collies, Cocker Spaniels, as well as a number of smaller breeds such as Papillions and Terriors.

A number of traits are required for good Dog Agility, not just speed, but intelligence, trainability and physique. The human element is obviously very important in providing commands, but ultimately it comes down to the individual dogs' personality and training.

Our dog agility illustration is called Chasing Tails, and features several different dog breeds attempting to master an outdoor course. Some more successfully than others, we might add! Not to mention a couple of intrigued sheep.

The Country Comicals range is by Yorkshire artist Linda Birkinshaw and her love of dog training and the countryside has really inspired her with this watercolour illustration. You buy this image as a tea towel, tableware, greetings card or digital art print. The perfect gift for a dog lover or Crufts fan!