This month's Spotlight Story is an absolute corker.
Whether you've already been to an Agility Nexus show, have been following it from afar, or perhaps have only heard the name mentioned around the ringside, there's no denying it has become one of the biggest talking points in agility over the last few years.
What fascinated me wasn't just Agility Nexus itself.
It was the story behind it.
What makes somebody look at the way things have always been done and decide to try something different?
What inspires someone to take on the challenge of building a completely new agility organisation from the ground up?
So get that kettle brewed, grab a biscuit and settle in.
This is the story of Dave Munnings, Agility Nexus, and a passion for agility that started a very long way from a dog agility ring.
"I was supposed to be a horse person"
For those who only know Dave through agility, you might be surprised to learn that dogs weren't actually his first passion.
Growing up in Newbury, horses dominated his early life.
From the age of four it was just Dave and his mum after losing his dad to cancer at a young age. His mum always hoped he would develop a love of horses, and he certainly did.
"I absolutely loved show jumping."
That passion eventually led him to work at both a show-jumping yard and a racehorse-breaking yard before heading off to university. Alongside this, he completed an Animal Science Diploma before earning a degree in Human Osteopathy and later studying both canine and equine osteopathy.
University also brought its own challenges. Dave openly admits he struggled with his sexuality during those years. “I was lucky to have some amazing friends around me who made coming out as gay feel easy.” Whilst he appreciates how supported he was, he is also honest that there were difficult moments too. "It certainly wasn't as accepted 20 years ago as it is today."
It's a part of his story that helped shape who he is today and perhaps goes some way to explaining the loyalty and appreciation he still has for the people around him.
Dave describes himself as "stubborn but pretty easy-going" and says he will always stand up for what he believes is right, even if it proves unpopular. He is also fiercely loyal and says one of the things he enjoys most is seeing the people around him succeed. As you'll discover later in this blog, those traits have probably played a significant part in the creation of Agility Nexus.
On paper, agility wasn't really part of the plan. But life has a funny habit of changing plans.
The dog that changed everything
Dave got his first dog, a Springer Spaniel called Megan, when he was 12 years old. It was Megan who first introduced him to agility. “I loved it from my very first lesson.” But it was a Border Collie called Billy that truly changed the direction of his life. Billy was never actually meant to be Dave's dog. He was simply being looked after for a while. Except Billy never left.
Together, they qualified for Crufts and Olympia multiple times and even won a Bronze Medal at Dave's first-ever World Championships. "I think after that, I knew all I wanted to do was agility."
Like many of us reading this, once the agility bug had bitten, there was no escape.
From osteopath to agility trainer
Despite qualifying as an osteopath, Dave never actually followed the career path he originally expected. Instead, agility quietly took over. “It was never really the plan, it just sort of happened.” Today, Dave teaches agility full-time.
Dave's life looks very different from the one he imagined when he was studying osteopathy. Agility didn't just become a hobby. It became a career.
Over the years, Dave has established himself as one of the UK's most recognised agility trainers, working with handlers of all levels from complete beginners through to international competitors.
Along the way, he has trained thousands of dogs and handlers, not just across the UK but around the world, helping people build confidence, develop skills and achieve goals they once thought were out of reach.
He is also the creator of Q-Me Agility, an online coaching platform that has helped make high-quality agility education available to dog handlers worldwide. What started as an idea has grown into a hugely successful training resource used by handlers across the globe and continues to evolve today. What started as an idea has grown into a hugely successful training resource used by handlers across the globe and continues to evolve today.
Alongside Q-Me, he co-owns Nova Entries with Neil Ellis and Maciek, the coding genius behind much of what competitors use today, and with Neil co-founded Agility Nexus. Not exactly a quiet life. In fact, when asked what takes up most of his time these days, Dave's answer was simple.
"Pretty much all of it."
When you look at the breadth of experience he has built through teaching, competing, analysing course design and working with thousands of dogs and handlers, it becomes easier to understand where many of the ideas behind Agility Nexus have come from.
The frustration that sparked Agility Nexus
The roots of Agility Nexus weren't built on wanting to create something different for the sake of it. For Dave, it started with frustration. Not with agility itself. With course design.
Through Team GB and international competition, Dave had experienced first-hand the flowing European style of course design that had become increasingly common overseas. Yet back home, he felt the UK was often lagging behind.
"I could see how much safer it was for the dogs and, honestly, how much more enjoyable it was to run."
Bigger distances. Better flow. More natural lines. And ultimately, safer courses. As somebody with a background in osteopathy, Dave was already highly aware of the physical demands agility places on dogs. He became increasingly passionate about understanding the finer details of movement. Lead leg changes. Unnatural lines. Approaches to contacts. Turns that create unnecessary strain.
Alongside Dave sits Neil Ellis, widely regarded by many as one of the world's leading course designers, whose influence has helped shape the philosophy and direction of Agility Nexus from day one. Together, they believed there was an opportunity to create something that prioritised both dog safety and enjoyable course design.
"Dog safety has always been our number one priority."
The phone call that changed everything
Before Agility Nexus officially existed, Dave and Neil were already trying to improve course design through a project called Love The Lines. The goal was simple. Educate judges. Help improve standards. Encourage safer course design. But eventually Dave realised they weren't making enough of an impact. After attending several shows in quick succession and becoming increasingly frustrated, he picked up the phone. “I just rang Neil and said let's just do it.” And that was that.
Agility Nexus was born.
Building something from scratch
Of course, creating a new agility organisation isn't quite as simple as buying some jumps and putting on a show. There were endless meetings. Endless discussions. Rules to write. Systems to build. Problems to solve. And apparently, quite a few friendly arguments between Dave and Neil along the way.
“Some days, when the amount of work is huge, I do wonder what we let ourselves in for!” One of the biggest challenges has been convincing people to try something new. Dave admits one surprise has been that some of the people he expected to embrace Nexus most quickly still haven't attended a show.
His response? “We can't force people to come. We have to make it so good that they want to come.” Dave believes many UK competitors become understandably focused on qualifications, grades and major events. But he also feels agility should never lose sight of why people started in the first place. Because it should be fun. For both dogs and handlers.
So what is Agility Nexus?
When Dave was asked how he'd describe Agility Nexus, he actually preferred to answer with the feedback he's heard from competitors.
"Fun."
"Relaxing."
"Great atmosphere."
"Amazing courses."
Those are the words he hears most often. Of course, there is a huge amount of planning behind that experience. Dog safety remains central to every decision.
From course design and reviews through to ground conditions and even ring management. The goal isn't simply to run agility shows. It's to create an environment where competitors genuinely enjoy themselves.
Looking towards the future
When asked where he sees Agility Nexus in five years, Dave's answer was ambitious but realistic. Shows across the country. Trusted organisers. And potentially international growth. Interest has already come from several countries. But he knows these things take time. A lot of time. Importantly, though, he doesn't see Nexus as replacing anyone.
"We don't want to take over."
"We want to give people another option."
Quick Fire Round
Favourite agility dog?
Dobby.
Tea or coffee?
Tea.
Indoor or outdoor shows?
Outdoor... provided the weather behaves.
Favourite agility memory?
Winning individual medals at the Agility World Championships.
One thing people would be surprised to know?
"I'm actually really shy out of agility."
Most memorable Agility Nexus moment?
The very first show.
Favourite Pawstrading product?
Purple Holee Rollers. Apparently, every one we stock eventually ends up in Dave's basket.
A few final thoughts from me
A huge thank you to Dave for taking the time to answer our questions and give us such an honest insight into both his own journey and the story behind Agility Nexus. Whether you agree with every aspect of Agility Nexus or not, it is hard not to admire the amount of passion, work and belief that goes into building something new.
From the outside looking in, you can clearly see just how much effort has gone into both Agility Nexus and Q-Me. These things do not happen overnight, and there is a huge amount of work that most people never get to see. I also loved Dave's final piece of advice.
"Don't take it too seriously, set realistic goals, never blame your dog and have fun with it."
I can certainly confirm there is a lot of work that goes into Q-Me. Even from the outside looking in, you can see the amount of thought and effort that has been poured into it. From the outside looking in, you only see the finished product. You don't see the endless filming, editing, planning and development that sits behind it.
And that final comment about missing a running dog walk really hit home. In that moment, it feels like everything. We've all been there. The frustration. The disappointment. Replaying it over and over again on the drive home. But it isn't everything.
Your dog doesn't care about the rosette, the qualification or the result sheet. They're just happy they got to spend the day with you doing something they love. Perhaps that's something we could all do with remembering every now and again.
Until next time,
Jack