# Excitement! First Agility Class!



## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

So Today is my lil Forest and my first agility class soooo exicted and nervous to see how it goes... not sure what to expect but know it has to be fun since any time playing with my pup seems to be exciting 

Tell me all about your agility experiences! (or any other doggy sport you do)


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

How was your class? Have two rough collies that I run in agility. Rio and I have been playing the game for about 7 years Savannah and I about 5 years. we compete in CPE. It is alot of fun!!


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Mosey on over to the "new agility classes" thread. Lots of good info and experiences there. Hope your class went well!


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I have been doing Agility with Remmy for about three years and he has done well but I never got the chance to do the foundation Agility work with him. I have another Shih Tzu x Maltese that is 8 months old. I took her through one class of Obedience and last Saturday was our first class of Foundation Agility. We just did two obstacles. They teach the channel for the weave poles and we just had them running down the open channel and clicking and treating. We then moved on to a very low jump and taught them what Jump meant, clicking and treating and having them come around the ends of the jump and not back-jumping. Today is our second day so I am looking forward to what we will be doing today.


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## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

I was not to happy with my class..I was told there would be 3 trainers and at first there were 2 but one had to leave... so 15 dogs to one trainer seems like alot. They also spent no time explaining anything at all just went right to doing jumps, a frame, tunnels and one other which i cant remember the name of at the moment. What should A class be like? and Should I stop going to this class? I dont want him learning the wrong things as I do have a goal of one day competing


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Sounds like the classes I learnt Agility with Remmy in. If you intend to compete, I would look for a class that starts with the basics so you do not learn a lot of bad habits like I did with Remmy. He has still done well but I never learned about body language, proper directional signals, etc. which is making it a lot harder now that I am in Masters in all but snooker. (needs two more Q's).

I am hoping with Lucy getting the basics, plus me learning alongside her, that we will have an easier time. Our second lesson we worked on the teeter (just flat and off the ground with a couple of two by fours under each end) and the tunnel, starting really short and gradually lengthening it out but still keeping it straight. We have two instructors with each of them working with five dogs. It just worked out that we have five big dogs and five small dogs. They are both AAC judges and compete with several dogs of their own.


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

I am really happy with the agility classes that I have been attending during the last 18 months. There is only one instructor and a maximum of three dogs per class. There is equal time given to both the completion of individual obstacles and handling skills. The training is entirely positive reinforcement based. The dogs have a great time and I have learned a ton.

This past summer I have entered Eppy in 3 runs during 2 trials. Out of those 3 runs he got 2 Q's in starter jumpers and starter gamblers.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

synm26 said:


> I was not to happy with my class..I was told there would be 3 trainers and at first there were 2 but one had to leave... so 15 dogs to one trainer seems like alot. They also spent no time explaining anything at all just went right to doing jumps, a frame, tunnels and one other which i cant remember the name of at the moment. What should A class be like? and Should I stop going to this class? I dont want him learning the wrong things as I do have a goal of one day competing


15 dogs in a class seems big. I'd be happier around 6 for a beginners class. Instructors often jump students right along to the equipment without laying much groundwork first. Some of them will claim that their students demand it, and if they don't, people will drop the class. I tend to see this as an excuse; often the instructors don't know how to train the flatwork in a way that will be engaging for their students, so they skip it. If they truly had you doing jumps, A frame, and tunnels on the very first class session, I'd walk away.

Tell us a little more about Forest. Breed? Age? Where are you located? Are there other options in terms of instructors there? Have you attended an agility trial? What venues are available in your area?


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Here is a great book that can help you make an informed decision as to what you should expect from your instructor: http://www.amazon.com/Agility-Right...catcorr&keywords=agility+right+from+the+start I agree with the other posters here. 15 dogs in any agility class is too many dogs.


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## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> 15 dogs in a class seems big. I'd be happier around 6 for a beginners class. Instructors often jump students right along to the equipment without laying much groundwork first. Some of them will claim that their students demand it, and if they don't, people will drop the class. I tend to see this as an excuse; often the instructors don't know how to train the flatwork in a way that will be engaging for their students, so they skip it. If they truly had you doing jumps, A frame, and tunnels on the very first class session, I'd walk away.
> 
> Tell us a little more about Forest. Breed? Age? Where are you located? Are there other options in terms of instructors there? Have you attended an agility trial? What venues are available in your area?


Forest is a aussie/heeler mix. He just turned 2. We are located in Albuquerque. Yes there are many facilities in the area.. this place just happened to be where I learned basic and was ok with that training figure I would give there agility a try. I have never attented an agility trial but love watching them on youtube and on tv. The agility class was to be honest kinda boring (which is def not what I thought agility would be like and still dont think it will be like with a good instructor) Spent most of it in line maybe went over each obsticle twice, 3 times if we got lucky. They also were much more willing to help people who had taken the puppy agility class...it was almost like since people were brining our older dogs they thought of us as not serious about getting into the sport. :/ Just frustrated was sooooo excited and now all I can think is great we get to go to class freeze outside in line or I waste the money spent on the class.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

15 dogs is way too many for one instructor. Maybe if you have a couple assistants (so if the assistants showed up next week it could be better). We have 5 dogs in my class. 

Agility class in the beginning is pretty dull. Well, not dull if you're into dog training. But it shouldn't be lots of obstacles right away if it's good training. Ground work/flat work is where you should start off.


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## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

Laurelin said:


> 15 dogs is way too many for one instructor. Maybe if you have a couple assistants (so if the assistants showed up next week it could be better). We have 5 dogs in my class.
> 
> Agility class in the beginning is pretty dull. Well, not dull if you're into dog training. But it shouldn't be lots of obstacles right away if it's good training. Ground work/flat work is where you should start off.


They have one assistant but last class she had to leave for most of it and when she came back all she did was stand with the instructor.. Absolutely no work/flat work was done or explained at all...just these are jumps run your dog over them...oh yeah forgot to tell you tell them jump as they go over...this was said after 5 dogs had already gone.

It was dull in the sense.. nothing was taught was just standing in a line for a hour with maybe 10min of actual interaction with my pup. ( I love training!)

What would you do in this situation?  sad


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## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

Going to try again tonight.. Does anyone have questions I could ask during class? (see if maybe I can get a bit of insight to why they are training that way)


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## synm26 (Jul 26, 2012)

Called the facility and was told "Well our main trainer is out of town so the person she works with wont be here either so till than you have our other non agility trainer. Oh but dont worry she does it with her dogs.............ahhhh I wanna scream so frustrated, disapointed....But apparently since I felt the class was so bad "maybe we can see about getting you a leason to make up for the first class".....Than what is the point of taking tha agility if they agree its not being done properly....sorry mostly ranting


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

Here are some things that I like about my class. You can use this as a comparison to what you are experiencing.
1. Every exercise is done on both sides of your body. For example, the dog is on your left side when you ask him to go over a jump. Then the exercise is repeated with the dog on your right side. This ensures that the dog will perform on both sides of your body.
2. For puppies the jump bars are kept on the ground at first then maybe on the lowest setting for larger breeds. Jumping at full height shouldn't happen until the dog has finished growing (18 months - 2 years). It's really not about jumping over anyway. It's about guiding the dog to the jump and going in between the uprights.
3. My instructor has competed with several dogs for over 10 years. She has attended seminars, read books and watched videos. She herself trained under someone successful when she was learning agility. She truly knows what she is doing.
4. For me personally, it is important that the training is entirely positive reinforcement. There is absolutely no forcing a dog to do anything in class. It's all done with lures and targets, be it food or a toy. Eppy had a bad experience with the teeter a year ago. He generalizes so well that he wouldn't step on a piece of wood that even looked like a plank. He was afraid of a bridge over a creek on a hiking trail, baseball benches, bench built in on a friends deck etc.. It took 8 months of playing with him and feeding him near and on all sorts of benches, planks and the teeter before he would try it again. He is now doing the teeter almost at full height. I have a sensitive dog, this is a real triumph.
5. There is a huge emphasis on handling. I have learned where to be on a course. When and how to do front crosses, rear crosses and false turns. Looking at a course and finding the best line for the dog.
6. The classes are small. All exercises are tailored to the age and ability of the dog/handler team. She groups her classes with dogs of similar ability. You learn both from running your dog and from watching other people run theirs. Oh yeah, there is also a ton of laughter. Agility is what I look forward to all week.

It would be a good idea to attend an agility trial in your area. Ask the people there where they train, what the classes are like and what training methods are used. I'm sure that you will find something that you are comfortable with and will take to toward your training goals.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Laurelin said:


> Agility class in the beginning is pretty dull. Well, not dull if you're into dog training. But it shouldn't be lots of obstacles right away if it's good training. Ground work/flat work is where you should start off.


I teach biology to teenagers (at the University level), and engaging them can be a challenge, too. But it's a challenge I'm willing to take on. 

I think a really good instructor would be able to make flatwork seem exciting. After all, you're playing with your dog, and most dogs (and owners) with agility potential are going to enjoy the opportunity to play and bond, no matter the task. The flatwork involved in my first agility class (with an instructor who I considered mediocre, btw), included lots of target training, off leash focus work, out around objects, turns, directionals, solid stays, really solid recalls, etc. I still practice this stuff at the park with Kit, and neither of us get bored.

My boredom with this trainer occurred later on, once we had mastered the individual obstacles. She refused to let us progress into sequencing, but I got very bored practicing already-perfect contacts, tunnels, and even weaves week after week. That's about the time I started complaining, which was met with resistance at first, but eventually got me moved to a different instructor  And THAT'S about the time I quit complaining and started improving.


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Foundations work is so important. This was not offered with my first dog and we have holes in our training that come back to haunt us. Most students expectations are that they are going to come in and start with obstacles. They are disappointed where they find out that those come later. Just think of it this way you have to walk before you run. Without a solid foundation a house will not stand!


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Both the decent trainers I've been to have done a lot of foundation work. However, I do think it can be bad in that a lot of people go to agility just to learn the obstacles and then doing weeks of flat work is not what they expect. But I agree it's very good to do, my first trainers (2 of them) did none of that with us and it made things really bad in the long run. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with them. 

We did not see any equipment until the last week of our foundation class (so 6 weeks in). Now we're in since April and it's still not much more than 3 or maybe 4 obstacles. 

It is mostly handling. Turns, targets, out and around, teaching the dog to wrap jumps, stopping on the teeter.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I agree with Laurelin, not getting the foundation really catches up with you if you intend to compete. There is a "Fun Agility" class around here where you can take your dogs and they immediately start them over all the obstacles. It is an 8 week class for $60 so it is cheap but at four weeks into the class, they are still all on leash and most of them you could not let off leash as they have not been taught focus or anything. They are still falling off the teeter, refusing the tunnels, etc.

I know a lot of people see Agility trials on TV and think that would be great to do so think all you do is get your dogs on the equipment and do not realize how much foundation work went into the dogs to have them so good. I was lucky with Remmy that he is such a smart little dog and has done well. Right now I have him in an advanced class just so I can learn some of the things I missed out on like front and rear crosses, directional body language, etc. It is harder to do when a person has learned a lot of bad habits.


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