Peter Lewis - 1999 - Pioneer of Dog Agility

Peter Lewis is a British dog trainer known for cultivating and popularizing dog agility competitions. Lewis began his canine career in 1962, working on pet dog training before widening his scope to working dogs and obedience training.

While serving as chairman of the Kennel Club Working Trials Council, he sat on the working trials and obedience committees when “dog jumping” competitions and demonstrations were springing up, often using hurdles from working dog trials.  The activity first gained attention in 1978 when crowds at Britain’s Crufts Dog Show saw a demonstration intended to entertain the audience before the Best in Show competition. That demonstration was a hit, and “dog jumping” evolved into agility competition.

Peter was involved in developing rules for the new sport. In the 1980s he pioneered a number of methods in acclimating dogs to holding a course through the use of hoops and poles. 

He founded the Burridge Dog Training Club on his property in England and went on to author numerous books on dog agility that introduced it around the world. He is considered one of the founders of the sport, guiding Ken Tatsch in his development of dog agility in the United States.