You and your dog can both enjoy working—and playing—together by participating in AKC agility trials. In these events, you will run alongside your dog, urging her on, as she does things like run through a tunnel, jump through a tire, leap over jumps and weave through poles.
In order to participate, your dog needs to be at least 15 months old and registered with the AKC. Mixed breeds (who are enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners Program) are allowed to compete and earn titles as well. You begin with a basic, entry-level event: Novice Agility (NA). Each level offers classes for different sizes of dogs, from Maltese to Mastiffs.
When your dog passes the entry-level test three times under two different judges, she can move up to the next level, which is Open Agility (OA). The level after that is Agility Excellent (AX). The top level is called Master Agility Excellent (MX), and your dog must pass the test at the AX level ten times to become MX. At that point you and your dog can (unofficially) refer to yourselves as Masters of the Universe!