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Jesss
Dogsey Junior
Jesss is offline  
Location: North lincs, UK
Joined: Aug 2012
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Female 
 
18-11-2012, 09:37 PM

Beginning agility

I have no experience in agility, it isn't something i have ever considered doing with will, but i am considering getting into it with Wiggins, i like the local club where we go to puppy classes, they have been great and i would like to stay part of it, they are keeping me sane through puppy classes. What age do you usually start your dogs off? Is there anything i should be aware of? Plus he is a collie x springer will that have any benefits/drawbacks that i should be aware of? Like i say i know nothing about all this, will was my family pet who i have taken with me as i grew up, but adding wiggins to the mix has opened my eyes to a lot of things. He has a lot of energy and is very bright so i would like to treat him to sonething he will enjoy!
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kobi
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19-11-2012, 08:29 PM
He should not jump or weave until he is near to a yr and he cannot compete until he is 18 months.
Good foundation basics will always benefit you in agility.
Walk and run on either side of you.
Good stay and recall.
Play touch with paws and nose
Find an agility club and they will most likely have puppy/beginners classes to guide you through the steps.
Some things such as contacts for dogwalk and A-frame are best taught from early days by using a plank flat on the ground.If a dog gets bad habits like jumping over contacts it needs to be retrained which is more difficult than getting it right in the beginning.
A good club and trainer will keep you right.
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Jesss
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19-11-2012, 10:38 PM
Thank you, that makes more sense to me, i'm sure they will explain it all to me, i just wondered how they got pups going without over doing it
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kobi
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20-11-2012, 10:14 AM
run a semi-circle with the dog on your right
run a semi-circle dog on your left
Play twists and turns with a ball or a tug toy in your hand, keepthe dog guessing which way your going to turn
get him interested in a tug toy. many owners give their dogs a game of tug at the end of an agility run, both as a reward and as a means of quickly getting the dog to you and getting its lead on around a busy ring.
Get him to run through your legs.
Walk and do turns in both directions with dog on both sides.
Learn rights and lefts, sit in front try to spin dog with a food lure,do other direction. Directions are from the dogs viewpoint.
All good control which will help later, you will enjoy it.
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julie-kn
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Location: Suffolk, UK
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22-11-2012, 08:14 AM
Find a local club. You won't be able to start until your dog is a year old.
Any breed of dog can do it. Our local club starts with an eight week old beginners course, which every dog needs to do before going into the intermediate class. They don't take dogs until they are a year old, and they limit the numbers of the beginners class.
Good luck with it. It really is good fun, even if you don't want to compete, our club does displays in summer, and of course you and your dog are meeting others.
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Jesss
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14-01-2013, 10:57 PM
We tried it! Our local club does a biginners class, this week there was 8 of us, 6 first timers, 1 of the pups was the same age as wiggins so for them they took the bars off the jumps and they just ran through them! He loves a tuggy toy but was in obedience mode and wanted treats instead which was annoying! He absolubtly loved the tunnel, they made it small for him at first then lengthened it on their second go, he nearly pulled me over trying to get to it and didnt want to stop going through when it wasnt his turn! Just got to practice coming to heel either side, stay and playing with a tuggy!
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kobi
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15-01-2013, 03:20 PM
glad you enjoyed it. no harm in a few treats. give tug at the end of a run if he will take it.
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zak1968
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Location: UK - Devon
Joined: Apr 2013
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16-04-2013, 10:46 AM
Originally Posted by Jesss View Post
We tried it! Our local club does a biginners class, this week there was 8 of us, 6 first timers, 1 of the pups was the same age as wiggins so for them they took the bars off the jumps and they just ran through them! He loves a tuggy toy but was in obedience mode and wanted treats instead which was annoying! He absolubtly loved the tunnel, they made it small for him at first then lengthened it on their second go, he nearly pulled me over trying to get to it and didnt want to stop going through when it wasnt his turn! Just got to practice coming to heel either side, stay and playing with a tuggy!
hey i was just wondering, where do you get your tug toys from and are they any good? i'm thinking of splashing out on a chuckit tug from here: [link removed] but don't know if im paying over the odds?? sorry am new to this lol!
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pamela81
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15-07-2013, 09:52 AM
we are looking at doing this with our new addition Barney, my worry is just now, he tugs on the short lead and we havent tried his recall out properly as we have been advised to wait for atleast 6weeks before letting him off. Any advice on this would be great
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Fivedogpam
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Location: Worcester, United Kingdom
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15-07-2013, 03:05 PM
I really wouldn't even think about agility for a few months. You need to establish a relationship with Barney first so that you can trust his recall etc., otherwise it will just be a frustrating experience for all concerned.

In the meantime, whilst he settles in, you can be working on his ground work, sits, waits, recalls, etc., so that you only have to concentrate on the agility when the time comes and not worry about whether he's going to run off.

Most clubs would not accept a dog without good basic obedience anyway as it can be disruptive to the class.

Good luck with him and well done for giving him a lovely home!
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