If you're anything like the rest of us, you've stood ringside after a run thinking why did we make that mistake again or why does my dog always struggle with this judge's courses? But by the time you're home, unpacked and back to normal life, those insights have vanished into the ether along with any chance of actually doing something about them. Amy Gibbs, founder of AgilityHive, is a working mum who competes regularly. When she needed something that would do the heavy lifting for her, it wasn't until she started a personal project that she realised that she probably wasn't alone.

Here's the thing. We're brilliant at remembering our wins. That super quick steeplechase win will live in my memory forever! but absolutely rubbish at spotting the patterns in our performance that could actually help us improve. And that's where keeping a proper record of your agility journey can be genuinely transformative.

It's not just about silverware
Don't get me wrong.  – I love a trophy or rosette as much as the next handler. But tracking your performance isn't about obsessing over wins and losses. It's about understanding your dog, your handling, and your progress in a way that helps you train smarter, not harder.

Think about it: if you knew that 80% of your faults came from poles down, wouldn't you prioritise that in training? Or if you discovered your dog's speed drops significantly at higher grades, wouldn't that be worth investigating? These are the insights that make a real difference, but they're impossible to spot without proper records.

When I started competing with Blizzie, I was amazing at full sets of eliminations. Every result was an elimination for weeks at a time, and it's hard not to get discouraged.

So I started tracking what was happening – not only clears and eliminations, but why we got faults. This helped me work out what to focus on in training and find positive progress in our journey despite poor competition results. It gave us things to celebrate despite more Es and faults, which made all the difference to keeping motivated.

What's actually worth tracking?
You don't need to become a data scientist (thank goodness). But there are a few key things that can reveal a lot about your performance:

• Clear rounds and fault patterns
  How many clear rounds are you getting? More importantly, when you do fault, what's causing it? Knocked poles? Missed contacts? Refusals? Once you start tracking this, patterns emerge that can guide your training priorities.

• Speed and course time
  Your dog's speed tells you so much about confidence, fitness, and understanding. Are you getting faster over time? Do certain course types slow you down? Is your speed consistent across different venues and conditions?

• Venue experience
  Some dogs thrive everywhere; others need time to settle into new environments. Tracking which venues you've visited and how you've performed there can help you identify if your dog needs more exposure to different locations, surfaces, or atmospheres.

• Judge variety
  Every judge has their own style – some love technical challenges, others favour flowing courses. Tracking which judges you've run under helps ensure you're getting varied experience and can highlight if certain course styles consistently trip you up.
  
  And once you've found judges whose courses you particularly enjoy, wouldn't it be handy to know where they'll be judging next so you can plan your show entries accordingly? No more trawling through endless show schedules trying to work out who's judging where.

Progress over time
This is the big one. Are you improving? It's easy to feel like you're stuck in a rut, but when you look back over six months or a year of data, you might be surprised at how far you've actually come.

Setting smaller, achievable goals can help too. My husband and I now take a few minutes before each show to discuss our goals for the day – it's so easy to feel deflated after a terrible first run (and most of my first runs are terrible!). This weekend was our youngest dog's first Grade 3 show, so our goal was simply a clear round. She went clear on her first run with just 0.2 seconds of time faults – which on paper might have been disappointing, but we'd achieved our personal goal, which completely changed how we felt about the result and meant we celebrated anyway!

The problem with spreadsheets and shoe boxes
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: "I'll just keep a spreadsheet." And fair play if that works for you! But let's be honest – after a long day at a show, who's got the energy to sit down and wrestle with Excel formulas? I certainly haven't.

I've tried all kinds of things, and seen people try everything: notebooks that get lost in the car, spreadsheets that never get updated after February, even a shoebox full of running orders (we've all been there). The problem isn't lack of good intentions – it's that manual tracking is time-consuming and, frankly, a bit boring.

Making It Easy: The AgilityHive Approach

This is exactly why I created AgilityHive. As a working mum who competes regularly, I needed something that would do the heavy lifting for me. I started with a personal project but realised I probably wasn't alone.

Here's how it works: AgilityHive automatically pulls in show details from across the UK agility scene (Kennel Club, Agility 4 All, independent shows – the lot). Once you've added your dogs to your profile, you add your class results and the rest happens automatically.

But it's not just about collecting data – it's about making that data actually useful. Your personal dashboard shows you:

• Your clear round rate and how it's trending over time
• Fault patterns so you can spot what needs work
• Speed analysis to track fitness and confidence
• Which venues you've visited (and how you've done at each)
• Which judges you've run under
• Follow your favourite judges to see their upcoming shows
• Your progress through the grades
• Your Kennel Club Agility Warrant points
• Fun achievements like badges for milestones (because who doesn't love a virtual rosette?)

Everything's in one place, automatically calculated, and designed to give you insights that actually help your training – not just numbers for the sake of it.

Plus, you can see venue tips from other handlers and connect with the wider agility community – it's like having a nationwide network of agility friends all helping each other improve.

It's Not About Being Perfect

I want to be really clear about something: tracking your performance isn't about putting pressure on yourself or turning agility into a joyless numbers game. Quite the opposite, actually.

When you can see your progress clearly – even when it feels like you're having a rough patch – it's genuinely motivating. And when you can identify specific areas to work on, training becomes more focused and purposeful. You're not just "doing more weaves" – you're working on weave entries from awkward angles because that's what the data shows you need.

Plus, there's something lovely about being able to look back over your agility journey and see how far you and your dog have come together. Those early runs where everything felt disastrous? Look at you now.

Getting Started

If you're interested in giving proper performance tracking a go, AgilityHive offers a 30-day free trial so you can see if it works for you, and you can cancel anytime if it's not your cup of tea.

The platform covers all UK agility organisations and automatically includes hundreds of shows across the country. Just create your profile, add your dogs, and start tracking your runs. From there, you can explore your stats, set training goals, and start making data-driven decisions about your agility journey.

You can find out more at www.agilityhive.co.uk

The Bottom Line

Whether you use AgilityHive or find another method that works for you, I genuinely believe that tracking your agility performance is one of the most valuable things you can do for your training. It takes the guesswork out of improvement, helps you celebrate your progress, and ensures you're always working on the things that matter most.

And who knows? That elusive Grade 7 or championship win might be closer than you think – you just need the right insights to get there.

Happy tracking, and see you ringside!

Amy Gibbs is the founder of AgilityHive and a working mum who competes in agility across the UK. She created AgilityHive to solve the very problems she faced as a competitor: too much admin, not enough insights, and never enough time to make sense of it all.

[bottom.htm]

© Copyright Agilitynet