There are many components that go into successfully performing agility: a dog must be focused, nimble, and, most importantly, fast — all while looking towards their owner for cues as they race through an obstacle course. It offers a unique bonding experience for both pet and owner, which is precisely what Jessica Manna has found with her 4-year-old Miniature Pinscher, “Frankie,” and 7-year-old Old English Sheepdog, “Zoe.”
The two dogs couldn’t be more different in terms of size and personality. But both bring a unique set of skills to the agility ring that have taught Manna important lessons she puts into practice on and off the competition trail.
You can see Frankie and Zoe in action when they compete at the 2025 AKC Agility League Championship in Pendleton, SC. The event will showcase dog and handler teams from across the country as they race to complete a pre-set obstacle course. Top teams are then recognized and awarded with prizes at the end of the competition.
Finding Her Small Yet Mighty Match
Manna grew up around large, fluffy Sheepdogs that her mom had brought home since the ’70s. Sticking with what she knew and loved, Manna got her fifth sheepdog, Zoe, who brought a mellow vibe to her life. Then, she found herself dreaming of owning a smaller, more animated breed, which led her to Frankie.
“I really wanted a little dog,” she says. “I had this vague idea of the type of personality that I wanted in my head, and the size, and I was researching breeds, and meeting different dogs, and I came across Min Pins, and I was like, ‘Yes, that’s it, that’s what I want.'”
Where Zoe is larger in size, Frankie’s big personality has proven that his tiny stature only masks the unrelenting energy that lies within him. Having watched dog sports on TV and known friends who’ve competed, she took Frankie’s unrelenting speed as a sign that he may enjoy it too. Since then, he’s also been ranked No. 1 for his breed in AKC Fast CAT three years in a row.
Dipping Into Diving
Between Fast CAT competitions, Manna explored other sports with him, and based on his interests, Diving Dogs seemed like a natural option for her fast-footed pet to try. The competition presents a new set of challenges that test a dog’s physical capabilities, the main being distance. Large dog breeds tend to make up the majority of competitors in the space, but that hasn’t deterred Frankie.
“I’d taken him to the bay when he was little, and I knew that he liked to go in the water,” she says. “He liked to splash in the baby pools and stuff after he ran in Fast CAT, so I was like, ‘OK, we got to figure out how to teach you to swim, and catch, and jump.'”
With some lessons, Frankie eventually got the hang of things, and the two entered their first event together at a county fair, where he successfully jumped off the dock — even though it was just a foot.
“But he jumped, and he did it, and we were both so excited. They gave him a little medal. It was really cool,” Manna says. His distance has only gone up since then, with a personal best of 7.9 feet. Even though he’s a “little guy in a big world,” Frankie’s confidence has only grown since starting the sport, according to Manna — and it helps that he’s lived with large dogs for practically his entire life.
“I brought him home, and he was 3 and a half pounds, and I had three big dogs at the time in my house. I don’t even think he realizes that he’s small, he just thinks he’s another big dog, too,” she says.
Honing Frankie’s Skills
Frankie has shown immense promise as a competitor, but success didn’t come without its challenges. His boundless energy made it easy for him to become distracted during agility and Dock Diving competitions.
“I could barely get him in and out of the building under control. Like, imagine me with this little dog going crazy at the end of his leash, and I’m feeling so silly because I can’t control this dog,” Manna says. Even starting an obstacle course was a challenge in itself, she added, explaining how they would “get halfway around the course, and then he’d put his nose down for a second and be like, ‘Oh, wait a minute,’ and turn around running the opposite direction to go sniff something or look at something.”
It didn’t take much convincing for Manna to put Frankie in obedience training to help steady his concentration and enhance his natural skills. Most of his training focuses on attention work over speed to make sure he is at the top of his game on competition day.
“We practice going in and out in the ring, I think more than we actually practice running and doing obstacle sequences at this point, just because that is really the thing that holds us back,” she explains. “I know that he has all of the skills, but we do have a little bit of trouble where if something happens as I’m walking him in or setting up for the run, and he gets distracted, I have to figure out what I can do to kind of quickly get him back so that it’s not just a waste of a run.”
His confidence and concentration have been on an upward trajectory since incorporating obedience into his training schedule — and Dock Diving has been the easiest sport to put his training to the test.
“He has to do his little sit, stay on the dock, and he has to kind of lock in and focus for that. But other than that, it’s run and jump. That’s his favorite, his best thing. It’s not mentally exhausting for him to do his obedience there and be a good boy up there,” Manna says.
Remembering the Purpose of Competing
Frankie’s good-natured personality, combined with the pure joy that he displays, has led to a consistent upward mobility within the realm of dog sports. Manna has found herself getting swept up in the excitement, but it’s Zoe who keeps her grounded.
“I get sometimes caught up in my own thing, like being competitive, and, you know, I want to get a certain score and I want to do a certain thing, and I put these expectations on Frank, that can be a little bit unfair sometimes,” she says. “It’s Zoe [who] brings me back down to Earth because she’s just like ‘Lady, what are you worried about these ribbons for?’ I’m just like ‘Oh, yeah. Right, this is for fun.'”
As they gear up for this year’s competition, Manna appreciates all that she and her dogs have been able to accomplish together. She says she looks forward to continuing to compete for as long as her pets are happy.
“It’s been a really fun journey getting into all this stuff and meeting all these people, learning everything, and building on these bonds with my dogs. I’m excited to keep going, and see how far we can go, and just enjoy it,” she says.