Getting ready for agility classes?

Pepper and I definitely want to do agility but it looks like we will have to wait until Easter for the next beginners class so in the mean time can any of you suggest exercises we can do at home and in the park that will help us prepare?

I get her to jump up on park benches, walk along and wait at the end before jumping down, I put her in a sit, tell her to wait and then get her to step over a branch on the ground.

We have a small garden but I was wondering if there are any inexpensive starter kits we could try? We don't have room for an a-frame or see-saw but we could probably fit a jump, some weave poles and a tunnel.

Thanks

J

hi hun good luck you will both have a great time, i ot some weaves and jumps from ebay. they all come apart so i can store them in a cupboard or shed. just look up agility on ebay and there are loads hun. let us now how you go.

I would actually suggest not getting equipment to use at home until you have started your class as it is hard to relearn any bad habits.I think the most important thing is getting your dog used to focusing on you during training. This will be a massive bonus when you throw in all the agility distractions. The things you have done such as the sit, wait and walking along a variety of different surfaces sound excellent. It will give her confidence to approach all the new obstacles.Your first classes will probably all be about meeting the new obstacles and techniques to encourage her over/under through them. the weave poles tend to come a few weeks later as they are HARD .LOL.

I really hope you enjoy your classes.I know me and Fudge did when we started last may.

Fudgeley is right, I would wait until the class.

ANY dog can jump up, owner and through things, agility is only partly about that. For a good agility dog the most important thing is the control. Start with some exercises that get the dog to want to listen and work with you. Working on stops and waits, perhaps by throwing a toy out and having the dog wait for your command before fetching it.
The 'watch' or 'look' command will be useful, so that you can have your dog focus back on you.
Teaching right and left prob. won't do any harm, again throwing food or a toy out to the right or left and teaching the dog what each means.

Thanks for all your helpful responses, Pepper knows wait, watch, stay etc and we practice them regularly but I know her biggest challenge is going to be to concentrate on me when there is a field full of excited dogs!

I expect to be spending the first few lessons retrieving her from other dogs until she realises what she's supposed to be doing. She was the same at our training club, I thought I'd never be able to get her to down stay or recall in a room full of dogs but she got there in the end....

J

It took quite a few weeks before Jed would stop running amok amongst the other dogs and actually concentrate on what he was meant to be doing. I used to dread when we were told to take the leads off because I knew he would just run riot, even though I had sausage and toys, and then suddenly it came together one week and he started focusing. It took until he was about 17 months old mind you but I know we've got past that stage now and he listens to me.

Flynn is a different matter because it's very easy to get him to concentrate on me. I can happily leave him off lead at 9 months old when we are doing his puppy agility because he gives 110% to whatever you ask him to do. If he doesnt have anything to concentrate on then he's a terror!

Like has been mentioned, perhaps get your dog used to some commands you might need like left, right, walk on (when you ask him/her to walk along a wall or something) and the touch command.

Excellent posts
Teaching left and right is actually very useful indeed, and not only ever walking a dog on lead on the left as well, they need to feel comfortable on both sides and on going ahead for agility, so teaching left and right and send away/go on as cue`s before starting agility-proper really can give a good head start for later on

Yes, good point about the dog feeling comfortable on both sides of the handler!

Jed did obedience before he did agility so everything was religiously on the left and as a result, he doesnt work well on my right, seems to be unsure of his position. Put him on the left though and he works wonderfully. I've had to teach him "side" to try and compensate and he also gets walked on the right hand side now but he's still uncomfortable with it.

Any tips on teaching right and left. Fudge has not learnt these yet.

I find doing it `subliminally` works nicely both on and off lead
If she veers to one or t`other direction while sniffing or mooching or running etc, quietly say `left left left` or `right right right` as she does it, [ remembering to do it opposite if she`s coming toward you then turns one way or the other ], so that she starts associating her own voluntary action with a cue then start introducing requests which can be praised for, [don`t praise on initial `subliminal` work as it won`t mean anything and would only distract her - at the early stage she should only hear the cue you are introducing for the direction she`s taking on her own volition ], by occasionally leading her either direction with the cue word and praise for turning with you, then away from etc, and she`ll start to put two and two together - I find doing it that way makes it nice and relaxed and no frustration about her not getting it like a trained element because of marking what she does naturally rather than starting out trying to train it specifically and it not training in as quick as a Sit or Down might, [ for instance ].

HTH