# Possibly want to get my puppy into agility



## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

I am thinking about getting my husky puppy into agility. I figured this would be a fun way to help him let off all that energy he has. I had done some agility with my papillon, Legend, many years ago (when he was just a year old) and it was fun but he had some issues (dog aggression/protectiveness of me) that made it difficult and then he ended up hurting his shoulder so we stopped. I would love to get back into it with my new puppy. I found a local agility training place about 20 minutes from me that has puppy classes starting in September, but Faolan will only be about 3 months old then and with just 2 (maybe 3) shots done. Is this too early? The trainer said that she is ok starting puppies as early a 9 weeks so long as they have had their first shots since the younger they are, the easier they are to train. Everyone has to bring shot records, she says, and I think it'd be great socialization for Faolan. If we register for this class he will also be taking puppy obedience classes at the same time, so that'd be two classes per week. I am a little worried about possibly overwhelming him.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I would do just the obedience school first. Having a good sit, down, stay, come, etc. are important skills for agility. The puppy class also helps puppies learn how to learn. They get a lot of basic skills there. I would get that done first. 3 months is very young but he can definitely learn the basic ground work. As long as he isn't jumping, doing the teeter, or full sized contact obstacles. You will have to keep in mind his age though and not rush it. If he catches on really quick, as my husky did, it can be really hard to not keep going for more.

Agility is not a very social activity for him as dogs aren't allowed to play with each other. It would be a good place for him to meet new people though! And it's great for him to learn that being around other dogs does not always mean he gets to play. Agility is great to work on attention and ignoring distractions.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

Yeah I found a different class that I think would work out better because it starts just after the obedience class ends and agility is not the main thing, its more of a socialization/confidence building class but they introduce the puppies to mini-agility obstacles as well. I think it'd be a perfect class for him.


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## Julie260 (Jun 30, 2011)

I dont think you will overwhelm him! I have a puppy that is not very physically active, but very smart and I am looking at agility as well as it will stimulate his brain. He may not be fast, but he will have to figure some stuff out this way!! Not a trainer or expert, but puppies need to be challenged or they will feel bored! 

Puppy class was amazing for me and my boy. He loved it and we learned so much. I would recommend them to anyone!


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## maggie3kais (Aug 19, 2011)

Thought I'd bump this thread instead of starting a new one. I want to start agility with my puppy for fun. I've never done agility before but it looks like something we'd both enjoy. He's 6 months old and we'll be done with our basic obedience class next week. He knows sit and down perfectly. He knows come most of the time, he does pretty well at the park we're still working on it when there are other dogs around. Is this ok to start with? 

Since I've never done agility before, I want to try it out and see how we both like it. If it works out I'd like to continue in it for fun, no real plans on competing, guess it would just depend on how Marley takes to it. I'm having a hard time deciding on what club to take our classes at. Not sure if I can post the links on here, but if any experienced people wouldn't mind giving me some advice I can PM you the different websites. I'm going to call the one and ask if I can go sit in on a basic obedience class they have tomorrow evening, so hopefully that'll give me a better idea. 

Any advice or comments would be appreciated =)


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Agility is one of the most fun dog sports out there. Just ask anyone who does it. I think more than any other dog sport, it builds a lasting bond between dog and handler. It requires you to work incredibly closely with one another, and always presents a new challenge for both parties. I absolutely encourage you to try it out. That said...

IMO, 6mo is still too young. In addition to the possibility of hurting the dog physically by pushing them too fast (jumps, weaves, etc.), they aren't mentally ready for agility at 6mo. I'm not saying that you should just sit back and wait for him to be a year or older before you do anything more. There's a thousand foundational skills you can work on with a 6mo old pup that will benefit you in the long term. Work on recall, especially in distracting settings, until it's 100%. Work on heeling exercises. Work on solid stays. Work on "leave it". Work on impulse control. Work on toy/food motivation. Work on targeting. Work on silly tricks that will increase focus on you. Work on getting the dog 100% comfortable around other dogs, but also more than happy to leave them at the drop of a hat if you call. Work on confidence. If you need it, there are a few great books out there on these types of foundation exercises. FYI: It's sometimes called "flatwork", since there's no obstacles. 

After beginning obedience and many months of just working my dog myself, I started in a class entitled "foundation skills for agility". We didn't see any equipment in that class for several months. Quite frankly, I would have been slightly peeved if someone had shown up with a 6mo old to that class, unless they were already a top competitor and could prove that they had already placed significant skills on that dog. Agility, even in the early stages, takes extreme concentration and focus from a dog, which isn't something that a 6mo old can normally handle. I adopted my dog around 7mo, and it was a whole year before she was calm/mature enough to even attend the foundation skills class. Even then, she was on the wilder side of the class.

Now, having said that, all of this is going to be highly dependent on where you go for classes. If you're taking classes from a serious competitor and everyone in the class competes with their older dogs, then definitely stay away until your dog is older. In fact, I'd be surprised if they let a 6mo old into the class. On the other hand, if most of the folks in the class also have puppies, if the instructor is "for fun" rather than for competition, and if you're going to be working on these foundation skills for a good long while, then I'd say maybe. In any case, it's absolutely way too early to introduce equipment that could get a young dog injured. 

But it's not too early to check out classes. As with obedience, look for an instructor that believes in positive reinforcement, not punishment. If possible, look for someone with some agility titles to their name - it's a sign they know what they're doing. If possible, try to check out an agility class, instead of just an obedience class. Does it look safe? Are the dogs and people in the class progressing? What kind of relationship do the students have with the instructor? Is the instructor fairly hands-on or hands-off with other people's dogs? 

If you absolutely can't attend an agility class, is the obedience class you want to attend taught by the same instructor? There are several instructors within my agility club, all with different methods. I stuck with the one I started with for a year, but eventually switched to someone whose methods more closely matched mine. 

Sorry for rambling, I realize that got a little long.


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## maggie3kais (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks for all the info! I know its wayyyy too early for him to be doing any kind of jumps. He is very eager to learn and, for the most part, is very attentive to me and what I want him to do. The biggest things we are working on right now are leave it and not having to meet every dog that passes us. I guess since this is my first experience training a dog on my own I would feel more comfortable and confident in having more guidance.

The reason I was going to watch a basic obedience class is that for that specific club you have to take their basic obedience class, or pass a test which costs the same as the class showing your dog posses those skills, to be able to become a member. After paying the member fee per year you have unlimited access to any classes offered and free times available. I figured since he is only 6 months we could retake a basic obedience class, since he can't pass a sit/stay 1 min and down/stay 3 min yet. They say that puppies must be 5 months old for this class, so by the time he'd be done with that and ready for foundation for agility he'd be about 10 mons old. I'll have to ask them when I call tomorrow how old they require dogs to be. Even if they let puppies I don't want to be the only puppy in the class and annoy everyone else. 

The other club requires dogs to be 6 months for foundation for agility. Though they mention starting jumps in that class, and like you said I'm not ok with that yet. 

Could I possible send you their links and get your opinions on them? I really like the sounds of the one, but its too early to decide yet. I'm in no hurry, just trying to look ahead and lay the foundation now to have him motivated and focused in the future. Especially if I like it I feel like I would benefit from having a good mentoring group, since, like I said, I'm not sure if I'm doing things right and am afraid of messing up =P 

Thanks again for all the advice!


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Having a good group for support is really key to success in agility. I'd be nowhere without my agility club. There's a variety of experience there, and I can always find someone to help with any problem that I'm experiencing. I'd definitely recommend joining a strong, active, vital agility club. Ideally, the members in this club will be well-connected in the dog community (even outside agility) and can point you towards plenty of resources in your area. They should also be very welcoming to newbies! Stay away from the clubs where you have to prove yourself to get your foot in the door. 

If you think you need more guidance in training your puppy, then go find it. Maybe take multiple obedience classes with instructors who use different methods (but never punishment). Or if there's some other classes available to you (nosework, handling skills, lure coursing, rally, a trick class, almost anything), consider taking that. It's almost impossible to put too much control on a dog before starting agility. 

IMO, one of the biggest problems in beginning agility classes is that there are lots of dogs who like (no, love) to play with other dogs. Don't get me wrong - you definitely want a well-socialized dog who can interact well with other dogs. But in class, your dog's focus should be on you. Herding breeds in particular are generally fascinated by movement, and when they see another dog racing around the course at warp speed, it's often all they can do to contain themselves. In beginning agility classes, generally they can't contain themselves (or don't know that they should), and the handlers don't know how to control them (or why they should). This can result in a lot of chaos. In my case, there was a sheltie constantly chasing my dog through every exercise. In competition, you see a lot of handlers trying to time things carefully so that they don't get their dog out too early and make them crazy before their run. IMO, it's a lot easier to put in some work on the front end so that the dog is comfortable around other dogs, but at the same time would prefer to interact with you. As much negative sentiment there is towards dog parks here on DF, this is an awesome place to train this sort of thing. Every week in agility class, my dog lays on a couch 3 feet from the ring, watching dog after dog run courses, eagerly awaiting her turn. She is definitely interested enough to watch them move, but unless it's me out there running another dog, she's content to watch calmly from the couch.

Another piece of advice: check out some trials in your area! Clubs should have these listed on their websites. Spectating is always free, and you learn a ton. Clubs usually need people to volunteer for jobs (like re-setting knocked bars, leash running, etc.) at these trials, and it's a fabulous way for you to meet people. When you feel comfortable enough, start asking questions: who's your trainer? what club are you with? I'm a newbie and I'm considering taking classes from instructor X. What do you think of their methods? I volunteered at local trials for almost a year before I was ready to compete with my dog. In addition to making me friends, it made me more comfortable with the trial setting, and more in-tune with the agility community. When I needed to switch out of my old instructor's class (mostly because of personality conflicts and differences in training style), I volunteered at a trial and got a personal invitation from another instructor to join her class. I've been with that trainer ever since.

As far as the links, I generally avoid visiting unknown websites due to security issues. Often a website won't tell you what you really want to know, anyway. Anyone can make a great website, but these aren't the same skills needed to successfully train agility dogs. I will, however, try to keep up with this thread. I'm curious to hear your impressions of the class you attend!


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