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So Sydney is still pretty young..only about 6 months and is currently enrolled in obedience classes, but I would like to eventually enroll him in agility classes. As I've said in the past, I've had dogs my whole life but he's my first dog I've had with my boyfriend living on our own..but anyway, with my other dogs, we've never done any classes beyond basic obedience classes, but Sydney is part Australian Shepherd and since me and my bf both work, I'd like to keep him as physically and mentally stimulated as possible when we get home from work..we go to the dog park, go to his obedience classes, go for long walks, runs, etc etc. but I think he would really enjoy agility classes...the thing is I know nothing about them. At what age is it appropriate to enroll them in these classes? What is done during them? How long do they normally go for? How do you know if they are good classes? And are there any fun things we can do on our own with him? Any advice would be much appreciated..thanks!
Agility is FUN!! Call your local dog club & ENJOY! I know people that keep their dogs in agility for yrs! Great way to burn energy. BUT IT CAN be Dangerous! So NO Dont do it on your own!!
Agility would be a great fun for both you and Sydney. I would suggest that # 1 you have a good foundation in obedience training and a very good recall before starting as too often people get into agility without these and when they try the dog off leash the dog takes off and runs around trying to get them to play chase me. Wastes alot of everyones time. ( our classes are outdoors in a park). Alot of the aussies that have come to class seem to love to jump on the owners as they are running so if he does that try to get him to where he can run along side you without jumping at you. You might also try to get him comfortable at walking on both your left and right ( heel is on the left and some dogs that learn heel have a hard time walking on the right but it is necessary )
When I started agility 13 yrs ago dogs were not allowed in class until they were at least a year as you do not want then to damage growth plates in their legs with the jumping involved. Some classes do take them under a year but restrict them to low jumps.
I am sure different classes have different structures. Ours the first class is an intro class where the dogs and handlers learn the equipment it is an hour class that runs for 6 weeks. For most dogs it is done on leash a few well trained dogs can do it off leash by the end. Then is the beginning class that is 6 weeks and is about handling and running the courses, To move on to the next level the dogs have to be reliable off leash and be able to do all of the equipment to the instructors satisfaction and she requires a good touch on contacts. Alot of dogs Dazzle included take this class quite a few times before they are allowed to move on.Then comes the next level which is all off leash and is more about handling and finally the last that is more of a competition level class. Ours are all in 6 week sessions. While Jazz and Dash sailed through the classes ( different instructor back then too) Dazzle is stuck in the beginners for the zillionth time as he does not have the focus being a sight hound and on long courses or if there is alot going on in the park I keep him on a longer light line as he tends to want to go check other stuff out.But he does have a good recall and will stop and come back when I call. He learned things faster then most of the aussies but he just does not have that drive and focus that they do and that my other two had .
With Jazz I knew we would be doing agility and being she was a puppy I introduced her to tunnels by getting a nylon tunnel for kids that IKea had, I would make her walk on top of low walls or even trees that had fallen over when we were out walking so she would not fear the dog walk. We had a long line of poles to seperate a bike path from a parking lot by the beach so I introduced the weave using them and also had her weaving in and out of my legs as I walked.By the time she got to class she was not afraid of the euipment and knew some of the commands. As for Dash he was a year old when I got him and while he was in obedience classes he would come to agility practice with Jazz and he did watch it. When he finally got to class he had the "I can do this attitude" and was fearless and yes he was right he could do the stuff as he had learned by watching the other dogs at practice ( the border collie in him!) With Dazzle I am working with a sighthound and it is a whole new game for me. I do at times miss the focus and drive of the herding dogs but then again I do not think I have ever laughed quite as hard as Dazzle can be such a goofball and gives everyone that huge sighthound grin after he screws up that all you can do is laugh.
My biggest piece of advice is remember it is supposed to be about fun. Alot of people forget that and get angry and frustrated when the dog does not do what they want it too.....trust me the world does not end when there is a screw up and most of the time it is the handler that screws up not the dog. If you can remember that it is about fun and laugh at mistakes it is a great way to build teamwork and give a dog confidence. If you never do an agility competition who cares as you and your dog at least had fun bonding and learning and if you have a club like we do you can enjoy the weekely practices as a fun outing for both dog and owner.
Wow, thanks for all the info Dashdog..my main concern was not starting him too early, as I know he is still growing. I'll look into the local classes in my area and see what type of info I find. We are not planning on competing..I just thought it would be a fun thing to do with him (and get me to exercise too! haha). Since he is still young, his recall isn't the best, although I must say he is really well behaved as a puppy, but I think we still have a little way to go before we're ready to go off leash. Thanks for the tips with the jumping...he's definitely the playful type and can ON occasion try to jump when we go for a run. I'll try out the weaving and walking on fallen trees, etc. to see how he does although I'm sure he'll be great. I swear he creates his own little obstacle courses in our condo and will repeat them while we play...under the side table, weave through the legs of the coffee table, weave through the kitchen chairs, crawl army style under the dining room table, and finally jump on the bed!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Originally Posted by jordan5
I swear he creates his own little obstacle courses in our condo and will repeat them while we play...under the side table, weave through the legs of the coffee table, weave through the kitchen chairs, crawl army style under the dining room table, and finally jump on the bed!
Haha, that's a great idea..I will definitely try for a video but he is quick!
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