Canine Agility and the Meaning of Excellence

Book excerpt: This book is a philosophical inquiry about the meaning of excellence in canine agility. No matter how accomplished we are as trainers, students, or competitors, we are all either striving for excellence, realizing excellence, or falling short of it, sometimes by a lot. This study employs a unique methodology to explore the foundational issue of excellence in agility as well as in other canine sports. Using interviews with ordinary practitioners of agility, judges, and competitors, as well as memoirs, autobiographies, and fictional stories, the author formulates and argues for the ethical concept of excellence.