Guest post by Max Sprinz

As a kid, I was so afraid of dogs that I would cross the street rather than walk past one. That was my reality for the first ten years of my life.

Fast forward to today: I’m 26, a four-time (Team) dog agility World Champion and seven-time European Open agility Champion (including Team) and a coach who gets to share the sport of dog agility with people all around the world.

This story is not just about medals. It’s about resilience, sacrifice, and the incredible lessons dogs can teach us when we dare to dream big.

World Champion Max Sprinz at an international dog agility competition.


A Rocky Start

My first dog, a terrier named Emma, was not the easiest choice for a boy new to dog training. She was sensitive to noises, sometimes aggressive with other dogs, and often unmotivated in training. At our very first competition, Emma ran off course and even caused trouble on the way out. I stood there, only 13 years old, humbled and embarrassed.

But that moment lit a fire. I knew dog agility was what I wanted, and I refused to give up.

Instead of walking away, I started listening. Emma needed more than dry kibble as reinforcement. She needed confidence, understanding, and clarity. I took her to football games and busy streets to build resilience. I experimented with better rewards like sausage, cheese, and tugging, anything that would help her enjoy working with me.

Those early years were not about ribbons. They were about learning how to train the dog in front of me and discovering that the process of becoming a better trainer mattered even more than the outcome.

A young Max Sprinz with his first dog Emma, the terrier who started his dog agility journey.

Sacrifices and Struggles

My teenage years looked different than most of my friends. While others spent money on clothes or nights out, I saved every euro for training, competitions, or homemade agility equipment. I built my first dog walk from planks. I convinced a neighbor to let me use an overgrown field for practice. I budgeted competition runs in envelopes filled with coins.

Sometimes I even slept in the garage of a camper trailer at events because it was the only way to compete.

And yes, I occasionally skipped school to train.

Agility training was not just a hobby. It was my purpose. Every struggle reinforced the lesson that dreams do not happen by chance. They happen when you are willing to work through setbacks, to adjust when plans fall apart, and to keep showing up anyway.

From his first competitions with Emma to world stages with multiple dogs, Max Sprinz’s dog agility journey has been built on resilience and joy.

Breakthroughs

By 19, I had my breakthrough with my Border Collie Bäxx, winning the overall German World Team tryouts in the most competitive category. That moment told me I was on the right path in dog agility.

But success brought new challenges. I did not want to be a “one dog wonder.” I knew consistency across multiple dogs would prove I was building lasting skill, not just luck.

With Remix, Style, and Make, I did just that, earning multiple podiums at the European Open, including an unprecedented three medals in one year with three different dogs.

Rebel, Remix, Style, Bäxx and Make are the dogs who shaped Max Sprinz’s journey and filled it with lessons and joy.

Lessons From Dog Agility and Dogs

Looking back, I credit Emma, the little terrier who once ran away in the ring, with shaping me more than any title ever could.

She taught me patience.
She taught me to see feedback instead of failure.
She taught me that motivation comes from clarity and joy, not pressure.

Every dog since has added to that foundation, showing me that the real prize is not the medal, it is the relationship.

Paying It Forward Through Agility Training

Today, I spend as much time teaching as I do competing. Together with Enya Habel and Susan Garrett, I co-created the groundbreaking online agility program, Handling360 Synergy, designed to give handlers worldwide the system and support I once had to piece together on my own.

It has not always been easy. Balancing long teaching days, travel, and my own competition schedule has tested me in new ways. But just as in my early years, I keep returning to the core belief that hard work, reflection, and joy will carry you through.

Agility success is built on joy and connection. Max Sprinz trains through both high-level jumps and simple games with his dogs.

Dream Bigger Than Your Fears

My story is proof that no dream is too big and no struggle is too small to shape who we become. I went from a boy terrified of dogs to a world champion who inspires thousands.

And I will be the first to tell you, it is not about being perfect. It is about daring to dream, learning from setbacks, and choosing to believe in what is possible.

Because once you start to believe, change happens.


I am grateful for Emma, the little terrier who taught me patience. I am grateful for every sacrifice my younger self made with envelopes of coins and homemade obstacles. I am grateful for my dogs today, Remix, Style, and Make, each of whom has shaped me in unique ways.

And above all, I am grateful for the chance to share this journey with the global agility community. Thank you for reading my story.

—Max

P.S. If my story has inspired you, do not miss the chance to learn directly from me alongside Susan Garrett and Enya Habel in our free Online Agility Masterclass. You will discover the same strategies and games that shaped my dog agility journey, from building confidence to handling challenges in the ring.