Michiel Lazeroms from the netherlands
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you and how did you get involved in agility? And what led you to become a judge?
My name is Michiel Lazeroms, I am 48 years old and I live in Oud Gastel, the Netherlands, together with my wife Ingrid and our five Border Collies.
In daily life, I work as a Coordinator Crop Maintenance at Rijk Zwaan, a vegetable and fruit breeding company.
Our agility journey started in 2002 with our first dog, a Beagle.
We first completed the full obedience training programme and afterwards looked for a more active sport to enjoy with our dog. That is how we discovered Agility.
After many fun competitions with our three Beagles, we started to consider a breed more suitable for the sport. That was when our first Border Collie entered our home and our hearts—soon followed by more, leading to where we are today with a house full of border collies.
With both the Beagles and Border Collies, we have successfully reached Grade 3, which is the level I am still competing at today with my dog Rave.
Competing at this high level (Grade 3) and judging alongside it has created the perfect balance for me. I firmly believe that doing both helps you grow into a better judge, while also continuously improving yourself as one.
To remain a good judge, you must stay familiar with the obstacles, rules, course designs and of course the participants within our beloved sport Agility.
In 2012, I started the training to become an Agility judge, a role I have now proudly fulfilled for many years.
When judging it gives me great pleasure to see different handling styles and skills form the different combinations.
That is the reason why my style of courses are fluent and with a lot of speed. The goal/ idea that I have in mind during designing my course is try to get the best out of every team, the handler has to work and for the dog a fluent but save course.
For all the years that I have been a FCI judge now there was one big dream for me. And that is to be a part of a World championship as a judge, It is therefore an honor to be part of the AWC judging team in 2026.
The year 2024 and 2025, I have also been part of the coaching team for the Netherlands.
What has been your most memorable experience as an agility judge?
I couldn’t say exactly what the most beautiful moment was, as I had already experienced many amazing ones. What I especially looking forward to is the AWC in Finland, I hope it will be a beautiful highlight!
When designing courses what are the key things you pay special attention to?
When I design my courses, the safety of both dog and handler always comes first — that’s the most important thing to me. Nobody wants to see a dog or handler leave the ring with an injury.
I aim for smooth, natural lines for the dogs, while still giving the handlers something to work for. Agility is and will always be a true team sport, and my goal is to help every team bring out the very best of their partnership.
Different choices within a course are part of that teamwork, making every run unique and exciting for both dog and handler.
What are you most looking forward to at the 2026 Agility World Championship in Finland?
First of all, I’m looking forward to world-class agility at one of the most beautiful events of the year. I am truly honored to be a part of the judges team.
Agility at the highest level is always wonderful to watch, and I also enjoy seeing the different handling styles the participants bring with them.
I hope to see many people again whom we’ve met over the past years at the competitions I have judged
The teamwork between dog and handler is wonderful to see. In the end, everyone still takes their own world champion back home.
Have you visited Finland before? What kind of image or expectations do you have about Finland?
This will be my first time in Finland. My impression of Finland is that it’s a very beautiful country with welcoming people, lovely cities and beautiful nature to enjoy.
If you were a dog what breed would you be and why?
It’s difficult to describe myself as a breed, yet I think I have the most in common with a Border Collie. Always focused on building and judging the course; everything else around it is secondary. The participants and their dogs are the most important of it all.