# Gypsy (Finally) Starts Agility!



## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Watching dogs do agility at the Premier over the weekend was the kick in the butt I needed to get Gypsy signed up. All this weekend, I thought "We could do that! Gypsy would rock that!" and my father berated me for wasting my dog's athleticism playing at the park. Hehe.

So! I got home and coughed up the money for a dog sport, one that I know she will love. We start Intro to Agility at 7:45 PM tonight, a week late for the class start date, but hey.

I have a 6ft leash and I'll make some hot dog treats special for the occasion. I'm super excited. And once Gypsy realizes that an obstacle course is involved, I'm sure she will be thrilled.

Any advice for tonight?


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## Cattledogfanatic (Sep 18, 2011)

YAY! OMG you're going to have so much fun! She looks like she'll be awesome! Good luck. I just finished my puppy agility class with Hunter. It was great!


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

Yeah! How fun!! We're starting flyball with Kobi in July... I can't wait to see if/how he takes to it!!


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## Cattledogfanatic (Sep 18, 2011)

Kobismom said:


> Yeah! How fun!! We're starting flyball with Kobi in July... I can't wait to see if/how he takes to it!!




You'll have to tell me about that! I don't know anything about flyball but am curious. My pup doesn't have enough ball drive.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

No advice .... but good luck and have tons of fun tonight! I will be looking for the update!


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Thanks, guys! We're pretty psyched! I'm hoping that the class is upbeat and encouraging. That's the environment in which Gypsy - well, actually, me too - thrives.

Awesome, Kobismom! Let us know how that goes! Gyp has some serious ball drive, and she loves jumping. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any flyball in the area.


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## Shoul (May 8, 2012)

That's awesome! One thing you could try as a toy if she is very ball motivated is making two hole in the ball and attaching a piece of rope through it. That way you can throw the ball as reward, without it bouncing too far (the rope tends to limit that and it makes a kind of tug toy). My dog didn't like to play tug in front of other dogs at first, so I had to learn to improvise.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Woohoo! I haven't taken an agility class, so no advice, but I know there was a thread recently about what to expect. One thing I've gathered is they vary a lot. Lots of people here seem to take classes geared towards puppies or other dogs with fairly minimal training. I know at my facility that Watson won't have the required training and impulse control for their intro class until he's at least 2 years old. It's a fundamentals class, not just fun over obstacles, but it's definitely starting at a higher level overall. I wish we had a lower level class available. And then there are the "fun with obstacles" type classes, but I gather those aren't a good place to start.

Good luck and let us know how it is! I'm sure Gypsy will rock it. Maybe you guys have found a new passion


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> Any advice for tonight?


Have fun!

If you are wanting to compete, make sure it's a trainer that competes. Agility is kind of a hot commodity so many trainers out there aren't really very experienced and don't teach agility in the more modern fashion. Personally, I would not take a class that starts day 1 with your dog on a leash going over obstacles. Well, I have before and I wouldn't again. They're not terrible trainers and are well-meaning just not very up to par with how agility is getting taught now.

I've been to four different trainers' Pre-Agility/foundations classes and they all work differently. The first two I went to were like I described above where you would spend the first days leading dogs over equipment on a leash. We did cover some basics like front crosses and such but that was minimal. Within 6 months we were running full courses... Summer and I were in the most advanced class there.

Contrast that to the last 2. First was with a national competitor who I would have gladly stayed training with but my schedule just stopped working. The second is where I am now. I'm about a year and a few months in starting up from scratch and we are just now entering trials. I feel MUCH more prepared than I ever did before. It was a lot of time on things without any obstacles at all. But when we started adding obstacles, it came together much nicer and faster for the dogs.

One thing to realize is that many people getting into the sport haven't done much with their dogs yet. Our first classes the last two places were basics the first week or so. What is shaping? How to use a clicker? That kind of thing. Then we progressed to driving to a target and started laying foundations for crosses and stuff. I knew it already but many other students were literally starting from scratch. So even if its really dumbed down the first few weeks, I'd take that as a good sign of a trainer that is wanting to lay a lot of nice foundation work. 

But there's not one right way to do it. The national level trainer intro'd jumps a lot earlier for example. But I would definitely want someone focusing on foundations vs obstacles at first if you think you might ever want to compete.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Great tip on the rope-ball, Shoul! Gyp has a habit of (intentionally, I swear) hitting the ball with her nose to make it go farther. It would be good to handicap the ball's bounce and roll if we use it as reward, haha.

I'll look for that thread, elrohwen, thanks. I do hope this becomes a passion.  

Thanks for the info on classes, Laurelin! Really useful to know. I do see us competing if Gyp enjoys this as much as I think she will. I have a pretty good feeling about this place, though of course I'll have a much better impression after a few classes. The owners compete and have titles/awards for a variety of breeds. They stress a positive approach and "building blocks." One of the owners is a CPE judge. The facility is agility (intro to competition advanced) and daycare only, to my knowledge. They host CPE Trials.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Very good that she's involved in trials. It's a very good sing. My training club now is USDAA affiliated. Can't wait to hear how it goes! 

We don't have CPE around here but I hear it's a great place to start trialing! A little more laid back.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

I could definitely use "more laid back" to start, I think. Maybe, as we get into this, we can work our way up. Who knows? 

Well, the class went GREAT! Gyp was loving every minute. The instructor accessed the class with some sit/stay and down/stays, and Gyp performed them perfectly for me, as I hoped she would. I dropped her leash and went to the other side of the room and back before releasing her. Even with distractions, she was brilliant. 

Then we practiced contacts using small deli lids on the floor. We had the dog touch the deli lid, with a treat on it to lure, and attached a command (mine was "target") and hand signal (pointing, with the hand closest to the dog) to the behavior. Gypsy was psyched at first because she thought the lid was a mini-Frisbee. But nope, I was not going to toss it for her. She quickly got over her disappointment when she realized the new trick earned her lots of hot dog bits.

We played on a wobble board and a skateboard, and Gyp took to them better than expected. Again, thank you hotdogs! She was putting two, almost three, paws on the unsteady objects by the end of the brief session.

We introduced some low jumps, which Gyp was thrilled to do. I've set up makeshift jumps at home in the past, and she'll ignore even her tennis ball to do 'em. She loves jumping! To the point where it's self-reinforcing, I think. Haha. I treated her for waiting until my signal, and I practiced sending her through from my left and right sides.

The instructor then introduced the dogs to a tunnel. Gypsy had never seen one before, but when her turn came, she was eager to try. She practically dragged me through with her! Haha. I calmed her down and worked on, again, sending her through on both sides of me and having her wait for my signal. I'd say she likes the tunnel as much as she likes jumps.

Then a ladder was placed on the ground and the dogs were trotted over the ladder on short leash. I think we were teaching them paw awareness, attaching that behavior to the command "walk it." Gyp had the general idea after a few tries, though I'll need to work on paw awareness in the future. She's always making eye contact with me. It's usually a good thing, but it makes certain tricks tough for Gyp.

All in all, great time. At one point, the instructor asked me if I had done formal obedience with Gyp. I told her no, that besides puppy classes, I've trained her myself. The instructor seemed very impressed and told me I'd done a good job.  Proud.


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## Shoul (May 8, 2012)

Yay! Sounds like an awesome class! Working on foundations rather than only jumping obstacles. I find it's even better if they allow you to shape the wobble board/tunnel/etc to build even more desire to perform them, but it sounds like Gypsy as plenty of drive already lol.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

LOL, yeah. Drive has never been a problem for Gypsy! Bit of a shock for a first time dog owner, to be honest.

For a couple of dogs in the class, the process was a lot slower. There was praise&treat for much less than completion of an obstacle. With the wobble board, it took a second for Gyp to figure out I treated for nosing it. Then it was like she thought, "If mom treats for this, what'll she give me if I put one paw - no, better idea... TWO PAWS - on it?!" As for jumps, we've done them before. We also do jumps through hoops and over and through arms. The tunnel was new, but I think she was watching other dogs try it and had the idea down before her turn. (Can dogs do that? Or am I anthropomorphizing.) 'Cause she seriously dragged me into it, haha. We didn't have a chance to gradually introduce it.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm glad you guys had so much fun! It sounds like Gyp is super confident and drivey already, so I'm sure she'll pick it all up quickly.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

I'm glad the first class went so well. Sounds like you both really liked the class which is awesome.


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

Sounds like Gypsy is a natural! Congrats!


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Sounds like a good class.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Thank you all for sharing in my excitement! With dog stuff, no one in my life quite understands. Haha.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Glad you're liking the class!!



Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> Then we practiced contacts using small deli lids on the floor. We had the dog touch the deli lid, with a treat on it to lure, and attached a command (mine was "target") and hand signal (pointing, with the hand closest to the dog) to the behavior. Gypsy was psyched at first because she thought the lid was a mini-Frisbee. But nope, I was not going to toss it for her. She quickly got over her disappointment when she realized the new trick earned her lots of hot dog bits.


Some dogs will try to pick up and play with deli lids, especially if they've had previous experiences with frisbees. If this happens to you, buy some $0.10 bathroom tiles from Home Depot. They're much heavier and a lot less fun to toss around.



Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> Then a ladder was placed on the ground and the dogs were trotted over the ladder on short leash. I think we were teaching them paw awareness, attaching that behavior to the command "walk it." Gyp had the general idea after a few tries, though I'll need to work on paw awareness in the future. She's always making eye contact with me. It's usually a good thing, but it makes certain tricks tough for Gyp.


This is interesting to me. I've definitely heard of using a ladder for this purpose and have done it myself. But why pair the command "walk it" with that? Usually "walk it" is used as the command for the dog walk (and sometimes doubles for the A-frame). You're going to want a contact performance at the bottom of each of those obstacles (probably 2-on-2-off for a dog of Gpy's size). By using this command for the ladder, I would worry that the dog is learning that no contact performance is necessary at the end of the obstacle named "walk it". Personally, I'd choose a different command for the ladder (or none at all). Alternatively, you could decide on a command other than "walk it" for the dog walk/A frame. JMO.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Sounds like a lot of fun for you both!


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Agility class #2 went great! Gypsy nailed sit/stay and down/stay. In contact practice, she has long since graduated from luring to the deli lid to being sent and treated after the behavior. The instructor introduced a new behavior that I was pleasantly surprised to find is basically one I've been doing with Gyp for a year+. The dog is to touch your hand with its nose and follow it as you move, switching hands if you ask. I call that command "touch" and use it pretty often at the park to guide an off-leash Gyp away from or past distractions. I was happy to see how well she generalized the command to the class setting. We did jumps again, but a little more formal this time. I would make Gyp wait, then get ahead of the jump and command her to jump, then to touch my hand as I turned her away from the obstacle (toward an imaginary next one, I suppose).

We did the "walk it" over the ladder again, then graduated to ridged board (part of the A-frame?). Then a miniature teeter totter was introduced, with a contact placed at the other side. This didn't go quite as smoothly as the other stuff for us. My fault, I think. LOL. We were the first to go, and I wasn't being clear on what I wanted her to do. We had a couple of decent tries. I'm eager to give it another go next week!

Thanks for the tip on the tiles, GottaLuvMutts! She still goes to lift the lid about half the time. I treat before she picks it up, but I think the objective of the exercise might be clearer to her without the lingering frisbee interest. 

I can't yet explain the "walk it" and why we're pairing it so. Like you said, I figure I can invent a new word later if the new meaning becomes confusing to Gyp. I'm interested to see how this'll all come together.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Sounds like you've had some awesome classes, I can't wait to see how she progresses. Pictures soon!?


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

A tiny, insignificant rave:

We finished Intro to Agility and graduated to Beginners I in the big kids' room. One other lady and her dog are moving to the next class with us. She told me that she only knows of one other dog/handler team to graduate after one session of Intro. She herself has attended 3 sessions, which sounds pretty typical.

Anyway, I'm proud. Even though the skills I train into Gypsy every day aren't agility skills, they translate well. 



Funfunfun. But why must I wait two weeks to start the new class?!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

That's awesome!! Congrats you two!


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> A tiny, insignificant rave:
> 
> We finished Intro to Agility and graduated to Beginners I in the big kids' room. One other lady and her dog are moving to the next class with us. She told me that she only knows of one other dog/handler team to graduate after one session of Intro. She herself has attended 3 sessions, which sounds pretty typical.
> 
> ...


LOL...sounds like you two are hooked and have found something great to enjoy together!  Congratulations!


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## Cattledogfanatic (Sep 18, 2011)

Awesome! keep us updated on your progress. I'm chomping at the bit to start agility again.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

That's fabulous!! Sounds like Gypsy will be a great agility dog - and you a great handler! It is way too hot here in the summer to work outside, so we don't have classes again until after labor day <sigh>. At least it's only two weeks you have to wait! lol


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Waiting is so hard when you're excited about something. That stinks that you're out until Labor Day due to weather, MyCharlie! Our place is indoors, fortunately. I'm glad 'cause it's blazing hot here too. 

To keep myself occupied in the meantime, I'm researching ways to make jumps and weave out of PVC pipes. Seems easy enough.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> Waiting is so hard when you're excited about something. That stinks that you're out until Labor Day due to weather, MyCharlie! Our place is indoors, fortunately. I'm glad 'cause it's blazing hot here too.
> 
> To keep myself occupied in the meantime, I'm researching ways to make jumps and weave out of PVC pipes. Seems easy enough.


I have a .pdf at home that my trainer sent me to use for the right lengths for everything.. if you're interested, I could email it to you! Helped take the guess work and research out of it for me since they're competition standards.

eta; Also, I bought these weave spikes  on amazon about a month ago... perfect for weaves in my yard!


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> A tiny, insignificant rave:
> 
> We finished Intro to Agility and graduated to Beginners I in the big kids' room. One other lady and her dog are moving to the next class with us. She told me that she only knows of one other dog/handler team to graduate after one session of Intro. She herself has attended 3 sessions, which sounds pretty typical.
> 
> ...


That's great that you guys are doing so well. Just curious, would you say from this experience that it's best for the dog to already have good experience with certain commands before taking an agility class? 

There's a place by me that offers a ton of stuff including agility lessons. I'm wondering if it would be best for me to take an advanced obedience course or training class they offer before trying agility. My dogs 8, but he's still extremely hyper and I'm thinking it might be something fun to try. I just don't want to look like an idiot while doing it lol.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I'd go ahead and sign up. If the dog can sit, and stay for a short period of time then a good trainer will teach you everything else. It's definitely nice to start with a dog that can work off leash in front of other dogs.


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

To make the weave poles, I used some temporary horse fencing posts. They are metal with a point on one end and a foot stomp piece to get them in the ground. I just slide PVC piping over them (to make them safer and more visible). Takes two seconds to set them up/take them down and store easily.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

We're in the big kid's room now with all the REAL obstacles!  Gypsy is in heaven. So am I. So many well-trained dogs, aaaah! I thought I was alone in the world, using commands like "leave it" and "watch" and talking about resource guarding and appeasement behavior, but I'm not. 

We tried a chute, tire jump, and a long jump for the first time today, as well as a full set of weaves (splayed, not straight), and a full sized A-frame (though we only went partway up and practiced stopping two paws on/two off). We also did a series: start line stay (?), jump, long jump, tunnel, jump. 

Gypsy was brilliant, in spite of the distractions of a new room and tons of dogs and people. <3 She's sooo fast and enthusiastic. And she barks through EVERY obstacle, haha, but is silent while we wait our turn. The owner of the place even commented on her drive. I feel better that knowing that my dog's drive is affirmed, and it's not just me, a first-time dog owner, overwhelmed with standard dog drive. 



> I have a .pdf at home that my trainer sent me to use for the right lengths for everything.. if you're interested, I could email it to you! Helped take the guess work and research out of it for me since they're competition standards.


Thank you, DJ! I'd really appreciate that.



> That's great that you guys are doing so well. Just curious, would you say from this experience that it's best for the dog to already have good experience with certain commands before taking an agility class?


At least in our class, the dogs definitely don't need much training to start. I'd say jump on in! It has helped tremendously that Gyp is so solid with sit/stay, recall, and working off leash with distractions. It's also helpful that she knows how to learn. That is, she trusts my direction and knows she'll be rewarded for new and scary things. But dogs will learn all that in class if they don't already, I think.

Thanks for the tips on the weave poles, SDR! I built a hoop jump and two straight jumps out of PVC, but that would be easier (and cheaper) than what I was thinking of doing for the weaves.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> We're in the big kid's room now with all the REAL obstacles!  Gypsy is in heaven. So am I. So many well-trained dogs, aaaah! I thought I was alone in the world, using commands like "leave it" and "watch" and talking about resource guarding and appeasement behavior, but I'm not.
> 
> We tried a chute, tire jump, and a long jump for the first time today, as well as a full set of weaves (splayed, not straight), and a full sized A-frame (though we only went partway up and practiced stopping two paws on/two off). We also did a series: start line stay (?), jump, long jump, tunnel, jump.
> 
> ...


It's great hearing about your progress and how much fun you both are having with it.  Keep up the great work and wow us with some videos soon!


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