# Best beginner sport?



## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

I am expecting my first Australian Shepherd on March 1st, very excited! I really want to go right into some type of sport, and aside from Agility, I'm not entirely familiar with what is out there, and what is recommended for Aussie newbies like myself. Also, what age is best to start training and getting involved with a sport? The puppy I will be getting will be 9 weeks when I pick her up. She is also going to be registered with AKC, if that matters at all. Thanks in advance!


----------



## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Congrats 

Agility is good, but rally-o is also good for beginners. It has the "fun" element, but it doesn't require any equipment at home. If you're serious about agility, at some point you need to start building/buying some of the equipment, which is fine if you have the space and money, but most people don't.

You can't start agility until the dog is fully grown, due to joint and bone development, but basic training should start straight away. I would get into clicker training, so if you haven't read up on that, you should. For sports it's important to have a dog who can think for itself and make good choices without you hovering over it, and clicker training helps with that. 

Another thing that is good for sports and also great for getting a dog who is easy to live with, is impulse control. I love teaching impulse control, because you can be really creative in setting up new challenges and every behaviour can be used. Search on youtube for "it's yer choice" for a really good video on how to get started. I did the exercises in the video, but these days I usually throw in some impulse control in every training session and sometimes in every day life. For instance, I always train with a bowl of treats on the floor, and the dogs don't touch it. When they're doing stationary positions I always "accidentally" drop treats around them to see if they will hold position. When I'm eating I will leave a plate of food on the coffee table, and when I'm feeding the cats I leave the container open. Every good choice made by the dogs is rewarded of course, so they're really good at this now.

Socialisation is extremely important. You can't do sports with a dog who is scared of strangers or unfamiliar dogs, and it's a good idea to introduce a trial like environment early, with lots of people, dogs, activity and noise (but of course don't overwhelm the puppy).

Establish good rewards. This means to be able to use both treats and toys in training. A lot of people just use treats because it's so easy, and as a result their puppy loses interest in playing when it grows up. And also I would work on being able to think through high levels of arousal. Too many dogs listen when they're calm, and then it all falls apart when the dog gets excited about something. I would do this by maintaining a high level of arousal in training sessions, by having regular play breaks, and also working on calling the dog off a favourite toy, changes of position around distractions etc.

Other than that, I would just work on basic skills that are easy to build on later on. Such as a reliable recall, heeling on both sides, reliable sit and down/stays, targeting etc. For agility, body awareness is really important, because a dog who knows how to control its body is more confident on the equipment, and thus faster. So I would work on tricks that help build balance and body awareness, such as back up, individual paw targeting, pivoting, balancing on balance discs, sit pretty, etc.


----------



## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

SydTheSpaniel said:


> I am expecting my first Australian Shepherd on March 1st, very excited! I really want to go right into some type of sport, and aside from Agility, I'm not entirely familiar with what is out there, and what is recommended for Aussie newbies like myself. Also, what age is best to start training and getting involved with a sport? The puppy I will be getting will be 9 weeks when I pick her up. She is also going to be registered with AKC, if that matters at all. Thanks in advance!


She's a cutie!!

Of course, you know that your dog is a herding breed. So while there's nothing wrong with Agility or Rally-O as already recommended, their 'natural talent' is in herding. It takes some maturity to begin training for herding, so you have time.

Aussies do quite well in_ Competition Obedience_, _Flyball_,and _Freestyle_, too. You also would want your dog to be older before beginning those as well.

But all that takes place down the road. You don't go "right into" any of them with your young puppy. First things first. Your emphasis with your new puppy is going to be on socialization and 'basic obedience'. You might also want to aim for a CGC test, too. Then with all that as a solid foundation, you can start up with one (or more) of those other activities.


----------



## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I would completely disagree that you'll want to wait to start training in anything with your pup. I have a 6 month old border collie and since day one he's gotten used to agility foundations, started flyball at 4 months, we've been doing foundation competition obedience work since day one, tricks, and we were able to start herding lessons as early as 3 months, but couldn't do to weather. Yesterday we started nosework and we're starting classes next week for k9 nosework. Frisbee and water practice for dock diving and frisbee catching started at about 12-15 weeks, when he showed an interest in each.

Getting started in something sooner rather than later and having the dog grow with it is your best bet, IMO, just don't push the dog to do anything it physically or mentally isn't ready for. We still put a huge emphasis on socialization and basics + bonding and engagement, we just do it while he's running through weaves and tunnels.  He has a ton of fun with everything we throw at him, it's just like more socialization for him; but a puppy on a teeter or wobble board at 5 months is going to have an advantage over an adult that's never seen a teeter before. 

That said, a brand new aussie pup would be great at anything, you just need to decide what you want to do! We're trying everything out, personally. I compete in agility, dock diving, and hopefully in the future nosework with my GSD, so we are doing all of that plus more with the border collie.


----------



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

lil_fuzzy said:


> If you're serious about agility, at some point you need to start building/buying some of the equipment,


Patently untrue. Last year I competed in a national agility championship with my dog. I have never owned one piece of equipment. I take weekly classes at an agility barn and I go there occasionally on weekends for practice. 

Everything else you said is great, though. Syd, do NOT jump the gun on agility training - it won't serve you in the long run. You need to establish a bond first, which means extensive socialization, impulse control, recall, distraction, etc. Take a puppy-K class. Then take basic obedience. Practice, practice, practice. The foundations are really important, and if you start agility too early, you risk missing them. 

I think most agility organizations allow dogs to be entered into trials at around 18 months. IMO, this is too early. The foundation training should take quite a while. I think 18mo is a great age to start agility classes, and trialing will probably be a year or so after that.


----------



## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Just wanted to throw in there that a beginner Agility class was the first class I ever took with my dog, when he was around a year and a half. I did all the obedience work myself and the instructor decided we were good enough to take course. Soro and I learned faster than the rest of the class so we were bumped up to Intermediate in the middle of the course. Then I stopped doing it because I had to go to college.

There is no 'right' way. Just train your dog and have fun with it


----------



## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Patently untrue. Last year I competed in a national agility championship with my dog. *I have never owned one piece of equipment. I take weekly classes at an agility barn and I go there occasionally on weekends for practice. *
> 
> Everything else you said is great, though. Syd, do NOT jump the gun on agility training - it won't serve you in the long run. You need to establish a bond first, which means extensive socialization, impulse control, recall, distraction, etc. Take a puppy-K class. Then take basic obedience. Practice, practice, practice. The foundations are really important, and if you start agility too early, you risk missing them.
> 
> I think most agility organizations allow dogs to be entered into trials at around 18 months. IMO, this is too early. The foundation training should take quite a while. I think 18mo is a great age to start agility classes, and trialing will probably be a year or so after that.


Ok, let me rephrase: Your own equipment or access to someone else's  So you probably COULD do it without your own equipment. I've personally found that it's much easier with your own equipment, but I guess it depends on the quality of your class too. The classes around here don't really let you do your own thing, they're all in a hurry to throw you onto the equipment, so by having some of the equipment at home so I can do my own thing has helped a lot. But having access to equipment outside of classes would have worked too.


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

If I were you, I would work on just basic puppy things and some foundation work (like what was outlined above) with the puppy. I know some people do a lot more work with their young dogs but I am not sure I am so comfortable with it. I'd then get Sydney into an agility class and work with her. I think it's always best to start with the dog you have if you can. I bet she would love it as well. It's a steep learning curve sometimes.

You will want to find a good instructor. I wasted 2 years with Summer and poor instruction.  It is a pain having to re-teach everything. The downside to foundations central classes is that it may take you longer to get to the point of trialing. I know around here the most competitive trainer says it's usually 2 years to get to trialing.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I think at this point it's not super important to think about a specific sport. With a puppy, you're going to focus on teaching foundation skills that will serve you well in any sport. I wouldn't rush into the sport specific classes too early. 

An Aussie can succeed in just about any sport. Really, any dog who is well socialized and has the foundation obedience can do well at he lower levels of any sport. As you train and work with her you'll get an idea of what you're both interested in. Does she love to run? Maybe flyball or agility will be best. Is she super focused and interested in training? Maybe rally or obedience. It also matters what you like. 

I'd work with your current dog as much as possible too. Take her to obedience classes and intro sports classes. It will be easier to work with a mature dog over a crazy puppy when you're trying to get he hang of things.


----------



## makenzie (Jan 3, 2013)

Yay! I am also a first time Aussie owner of a new pup!! We are thinking about herding and frisbee. As others have said though the first weeks home have been dedicated to training the basics and lots of socialization. We joined a puppy class which has been really helpful! It is a great opportunity to practice commands in a place with so many distractions, and a great place to play with other puppies.


----------



## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I agree with others: For now, work on anything that teaches your puppy to learn how to learn rather than necessarily work on a specific sport. Basic puppy stuff, foundations of impulse control and attention, basic obedience, even simple trick training. Anything that builds the bond between you and teaches your puppy that training/learning is a fun game will set the groundwork for anything else to follow.


----------



## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I would suggest that you go to different activities whether in person or via the web to see what you find interesting. Also, it helps if the activities are within your area. Herding might be fun but if the first place around is a two hour drive doubt that will remain something you do.


----------



## SydTheSpaniel (Feb 12, 2011)

Thanks for the responses! I wasn't actually planning to -start- a sport until obedience and other basic training was down, haha. I just wanted suggestions on what would be a fun sport to begin, not only for the dog, but for myself. I've never done a dog sport before and I should have specified better that it was more about what's the best beginner sport for a newbie such as myself! I would love to try herding, but I'd have to do more research on it. I live in Kansas, I'm sure there's places around. I watched a few videos of freestyle Frisbee to music and that looked like a ton of fun.


----------



## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Ha, sorry! I haven't done agility seriously, so I can't speak to that. But I do find Rally to be fun and very low-stress.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I don't think there's anything that's necessarily better for beginners, though you can argue that rally is easier for a newbie to start with than straight obedience. Otherwise, it depends on your access to training and equipment. It's hard to get involved in flyball or dock diving, for example, without the right equipment and people to work with you. Agility, obedience, and rally are more common and you can probably find classes no matter where you live. Agility requires some equipment, but you can easily take intro classes to find out if it's your thing before investing in your own equipment (some people do it without any equipment of their own).


----------



## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Agility or obedience classes are probably going to be your easiest find. 

Agility is super simple because your instructors will walk you through everything you need to know as far as flatwork/crosses/handling and they supply the equipment. I've been training in agility for years now and have been competing for half a year, and having bought any equipment of my own. I have a chute that I got for christmas, but we don't even use a chute in training or competition. I go to training once a week and that's enough to keep our skills fresh and work on the things we need.


----------



## Nil (Oct 25, 2007)

Everyone else has mentioned fun things and have given great advice. 

I will mention Treibball!

If you are interested in herding without sheep, treibball might be easier to accomplish. Still somewhat new but there are vids on YouTube explaining the steps to teach it. Maybe not a real AKC sport, but still might be fun with a herding breed.


----------

