Agility People? I need tips!

iluvdogs111 · January 2011

I know there are some agility people on here, and I was wondering if any of them could give me tips and opinions. I have two black labs, and one of them is quite active and pretty smart. I started agility with homemade obstacles and it was really fun. It was a lot of work but her tennis ball really motivates her. I think we both had a good time and doing it was a good feeling for me. Anyways, she's too old to become an agility dog. (5 or 6.) But, when I was interested in getting a small dog I started thinking about getting something that might be good in agility. So, I'm still pretty young, but in a few years I'll be going to college. Is it fair to get a dog now? Or would it be best to wait? If you know a lot about agility, or have done it before, can you answer these questions? - What are some good agility breeds? (Besides border collies and aussies, I've never been a fan of them.) - Is it expensive to buy equiptment, and enter competitions? - Do you reccomend competing, or doing it just for fun, and if you do compete what kinds of competitions do you enter? Are there any good ones for teens/beginners? - What age would you start training? - Do you think it's worth the money, time, and effort? -Is there training programs that you can attend with your dog? - How much time generally goes into it? Thank you so much!

SC`s Stars II · January 2011

I did agility for a while with my Boxer, Max. it was a blast! - What are some good agility breeds? (Besides border collies and aussies, I've never been a fan of them.) Really, most breeds can do well in agility. I have a boxer who LOVES it. For the most part, if the dog likes to run and is high energy and smart, they can be trained to do agility ^.^ Though your can question can spark some controversy, that's just my opinion ^.^ - Is it expensive to buy equiptment, and enter competitions? Not always. It's always best to get some equipment second hand, I got some from a friend at a barn where I rode. If you can't afford actual equipment, nice home made obstacles will work for training. - Do you reccomend competing, or doing it just for fun, and if you do compete what kinds of competitions do you enter? Are there any good ones for teens/beginners? It really depends. If you like competing then go for it! I personally just did it for fun. I also entered fun agility trials for pet expos and whatnot. It's a great way to gain experience and hace some bonding time with you and your dog! - What age would you start training? As early as possible. The sooner they are exposed to the equipment, the more comfortable they will be trying new things. - Do you think it's worth the money, time, and effort? I think so ^.^ My dog and I bonded a lot and it was a blast! -Is there training programs that you can attend with your dog? I was in 4-H and did some dog programs with them. There may also be some clubs in your area that could be helpful. - How much time generally goes into it? A lot. A lot more than you think. For a while I had to practice with Max every day so he didn't forget or get lazy. It's just like regualr training. Training is for life, so agility training should be practiced often.

NickelbackLuver · January 2011

- What are some good agility breeds? (Besides border collies and aussies, I've never been a fan of them.) Any breed -can- run agility, but I'd recommend a sporting breed or terrier breed. Sporting breeds love to please, and they are fun to run most times, that I've noticed. I've seen a lot of people go out there with dogs that just don't have any interest and pretty much run just because their owner is making them... I personally wouldn't run a dog if they weren't having fun too. I say terrier breeds, because agility is nice to stimulate them. They need something to keep them motivated, and keep their behavior going in a good direction. They have a lot of energy to burn, as well, so they make nice dogs for running a lot. - Is it expensive to buy equiptment, and enter competitions? Not really. I'd suggest making everything yourself, for the most part. Teeter can be made easy with purchasing a base (will cost around 120$ when complete, for a nice teeter with a steel base). Dog walk, as well, only costs around 100$. Jumps are cheap, and so is making a pause table. My weave poles were a little on the expensive side, but we wanted to make something that would last for a long time, so ours have a steel base that keeps them in place without having to stick them to the ground. I would NOT suggest PVC for dog walks/teeters. Some people make them, and they're ok for small breeds, but they still aren't very sturdy and I wouldn't reccomend them. You don't want to be cheap about equipment. if your dog gets scared because of a faulty piece of equipment, you may have to start over with a lot of training. Training a dog out of being frightened can take a lot of work, so it's best to avoid ever getting in that situation. All in all, I've saved a lot of money by getting my own equipment. However, I know how to train agility dogs. If you don't know how, I wouldn't suggest cutting a trainer out of the picture xD - Do you reccomend competing, or doing it just for fun, and if you do compete what kinds of competitions do you enter? Are there any good ones for teens/beginners? I recommend competing in CPE. I've been trialing in CPE for several years, and it's a really nice community. I've trialed in two different states, so it wasn't just the one location. It's hard to find nice people where i live now, and I still always enjoy myself when I go trialing. CPE is very laid back and fun. You don't race other people, it's more so a club that promotes you doing well. You succeed by qualifying runs, not by beating peoples' times. However, it's still fun to beat times as well. My springer beat a border collie once and I was overly thrilled xD I would NOT recommend AKC. I've heard a lot about it from other handlers, as well as trainers, and it's supposedly not fun at all. They also make your dog jump on height HIGHER than CPE suggests, which I don't like at all. Over jumping dogs can cause joint problems. CPE allows you to even go one height UNDER if your dog is having problems with it's measured height. I've never ran AKC, but I simply wouldn't suggest it, especially not for a beginner or someone who isn't wanting to be competitive. USDAA and NADAC are other trialing groups you could join. They are more competitive than CPE, though I believe USDAA has some cool games that are pretty unique (I could be getting them confused, I've never ran in either, I just know one of them has some strange games). CPE has games as well, but they are more agility focused, and stick to Standard type styles, while adding a few twists. If you choose to compete, and would like to run CPE, you can always ask me about it. I know the rules and whatnot very well, and could certainly help you out with game rules and such too. Some of them are a little confusing at first (like Snooker >.> even some old runners are still far behind in Snooker) - What age would you start training? CPE doesn't allow your dog to compete until they are 1 1/2, and AKC until they are 2. USDAA and NADAC might be 2 as well, though I'm not 100% certain on them. Your dogs aren't fully developed until around these ages (and it really depends on breeds, as well, as far as development goes) running a dog too early can do a lot of damage, especially with jumps. You want to do obedience classes first, as you shouldn't really do any sports until your dog has basic obedience down. My dog started out with very low bars (nearly on the ground) for jumping during his first months of practice, and this was after his puppy classes. Jumping at their full height while they are young is bad for their joints, as they are still developing. You can have them around equipment early, but don't overdue it. I'd start with the tunnel. It's safe, easy, and is fun for a lot of dogs. It would be recommended you go to a dog trainer for starting out agility, as there is a lot that goes into making sure the dogs get adjusted to equipment right. Tucker was so scared of the teeter, and my trainer started him out too high on it, so it took a while to break him of that. I broke him of the fear myself once I bought my own teeter. Start with it on the ground, and work up very gradually. And, try -try- to make sure your dog knows how to sit/stay properly at the start. I'd practice this more than anything when you're first starting out. You don't want to be like how I was a couple years ago. I had to enter the ring, and start running, because Tucker didn't know how to sit/stay. While this can be worked around... it's a pain, and it made me mess up a lot because I had to go immediately and had no time to get myself ready to run. He knows it now, after I practiced it in the yard -a lot- and actually he's the best dog with sit/stay that I've ever had xD I can walk all through my house and he'll sit/stay in the same spot now. - Do you think it's worth the money, time, and effort? Yes. I would -never- have gone any other way about working with my dog. It made me put a lot of hard work and effort into him, and I have such a close bond with him. It also helped me become a more outgoing person. When I first started competing I was scared to death to go out in front of a crowed. I got so many congratulations, and so many Tucker admirers, that now I love going in front of people to perform. -Is there training programs that you can attend with your dog? There are more likely than not, some kind of training clubs in your area. I'd try googling xD - How much time generally goes into it? However much you want. I go throughout winter with no practice at all, and Tucker picks it up right away when we start in the spring again. Dogs don't forget tricks very easily, so once they know how to do an obstacle, they will remember. The time is mostly put into perfecting things, and how perfect you want to be, depends on you. A lot of people put tons of time into teaching their dogs how to stop on contacts... I trained my dog how to run through contacts instead. It cuts our time down, and it took way less time to train it. It's kind of a gamble, though, because there is still a chance Tucker might get too rambunctious and jump over a contact, but he's been doing very well with it. I work with him on it whenever I take him outside to work agility, though. I train more casually. Some people overdue it and take their dogs out every day, and enter every possible trial they can. That makes it boring for the dog, and it often turns good trainers bad. They get too focused on winning ribbons and titles, they forget why they really were out there in the first place. If you're interested in agility, you could read some of my articles I wrote for a sporting dog group I run on dA

<a href="http://sporting-dogs.deviantart.com/blog/"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://sporting-dogs.deviantart.com/blog/</a> I try to pass my experience around as much as possible, because I'm in it for the fun, and only the fun, and I really wish all trainers would be focused on the bond more than the prizes at the end of the road.

iluvdogs111 · January 2011

Thank you both so much! This really helps. One thing I have to decide is whether or not I want to wait. I know that could be like 8 years of waiting, and I might not even be interested in it anymore after that. But at the same time I don't want to start training and suddenly stop because I have to go to college.

NickelbackLuver · January 2011

*is in college and still training* But I got lucky and found a college close to home, so I commute. I wish you the best for whatever happens

iluvdogs111 · January 2011

I'm planning on going to college near my house. So, it's definatly a possibility, if I can save enough money.

danae11 · January 2011

- What are some good agility breeds? (Besides border collies and aussies, I've never been a fan of them.) Any breed can do it. If you want a small dog I would choose papillons, shelties, working bred cockers, jack russells or a mini poodle. But I've seen everything from a 2.5lb chi to a great dane run and just about everything in between. For a bigger dog maybe a field bred lab, doberman, vizsla, a lurcher (do you have those in the US) or even a pitbull depending on legality in your state of course. My wolfhound has tried it a few times doesn't fit in the tunnels all that well but does the jumps no problem. My cocker runs it and have a lot of fun doing it. - Is it expensive to buy equiptment, and enter competitions? Not really. I would recommend you take a few classes first before you buy the equipment just so your dog can be introduced to them safely. - Do you reccomend competing, or doing it just for fun, and if you do compete what kinds of competitions do you enter? Are there any good ones for teens/beginners? I would recommend competing it's a lot of fun unless you get the people obssesed with winning. Here they're the ones with border collies or kelpies generally sneering at everyone who doesn't have these dogs because they're somehow inferior. Do the AKC have a junior programme like the young kennel club here? They might run competitions for teens that wouldn't be so competitive - What age would you start training? You can start from the day you get your dog. No jumps, weave poles or a-frames until at least a year longer with a bigger breed. But you can train a good wait command, basic obedience, go left/right etc. Most classes take them at a year and start competing here at 18 months - Do you think it's worth the money, time, and effort? I do. It's great for the humans and the dogs. They get fit, mental stimulation which is wonderful in a working breed. -Is there training programs that you can attend with your dog? Yes there should be training classes near you somewhere. - How much time generally goes into it? Depends with me- training once a week 1.5 hours, run the back yard course a few times a week and the competitions are run nearly every Saturday but we don't go every saturday

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Agility People? I need tips!

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