You may find that agility actually helps with concentrating his attention on you and what you are both doing rather than the distractions - if he finds agility exciting/interesting enough.

People use different words for getting their dogs to stay on the handler's left or right side. At our club they teach 'heel' for your left side and 'side' for your right side.

The way I teach it is to make sure they know one side first (Hoki learnt heel first, Stumpy side because I prefer to have one dog on each side when I walk them). once they know what heel means, introduce 'side'.

Then you can do things like make him wait, walk away from him and then (still with your back to him) call 'heel' or 'side' (you can tap your appropriate thigh to give them a clue to start with). Make sure the treat (or toy) is in the hand you want him to go to but don't let him see it until he reaches the right side (otherwise he just follows the treat/toy and doesn't think where he should be going)

Also you can practice this at a run (yes, you will have to do some running yourself) which generally makes the dogs enjoy it more, but don't get him so excited that he starts jumping up at you - get him used to running alongside you, but not too close. then you can make him wait, you run off and while still running away from him, call him to heel or side.

Doing exercises like that will also build on his wait...running away from him and expecting him to wait until you tell him to go is a good test of how good his wait is

Similarly for building on wait, you can throw a toy and make him wait before he's allowed to chase it.

I'd leave teaching left and right until he has got the idea of heel, side and wait (happy to tell you how I do that when you're ready).

ETA why don't you go to basic obedience classes while you are waiting to be able to start agility? It will get him used to focusing on you with other distractions around.

I would just spend a bit of time teaching him tricks so he learns to use his brain and that working with you is fun
You dont know what commands your trainer is gonna use, with mine we use 'go' to release and to go over any obsticles, I use 'in' towards me and 'out' away from me. Down for the contacts and weave for the weaves. I am thinking of doing directions for faster turns but have done grade 7 courses without them

Have a look on you tube. I would look at tricks for back end awearness (so he remembers he has back paws on the dogwalk) like 'brick work' circles left and right and away round things - I do that with my hoover
If you can I would work on targets too as some places use them - also its good to practise getting your dog used to working away from you
Practise him running with you - you tube 'circle work' for running to the side you want and changing directions

Its great he loves his toys - make sure he learns to work for them - a nice sit before tugging. stay before a chase game, running with him on the side you are holding the toy then turns and things

tbh just have fun with him, if you can get the grinning focus saying 'what fun things are we doing now?' then you can train anything

Rock solid recall/focus on you is a must in my book.

Dogs running up to other dogs and handlers is not much fun if you have a reactive dog. Stone just wants to mind his own business, but as he is a bit protective of me on lead, I have to be 100% on my guard, which stresses me out, which goes straight down the lead. Sometimes I go home utterly miserable, but Stone actually enjoys it, so I want to carry on.

But then again, I know everyone has to start somewhere

Agility is great fun - good luck with it all - look forward to hearing how you get on!

I do agree with you. There are some reactive dogs at our agility and they are onlead between tasks,they have solid recalls themselves but there are one or two dogs that don't and it does make it much more difficult for their owners...because as soon as a dog charges at them they get hyped and are then harder to work with.
I do think a rocl solid recall is pretty essential if only to make the handler feel okay...I also feel for those whose dogs don't have a solid recall at the classes as it is embarrassing when your dog is at the other end of a huge arena bugging other dogs and ignoring you, regardless of that dog's intent.

I also think a rock solid recall is THE most important thing for an agility class...then a solid wait.


LB...you can practise a wait all the time...when you put his food down make him wait until you give him the ok to wait (we whistle feed...3 blows on the whistle lets them know they can eat...we can then use the whistle as an emergency recall). When he is onlead and out with you ask him to sit...then ask him to wait, take a step away then return to him...you don't want to make your return predictable...or the next command. Currently we are working on Cosmo's wait when we throw a ball. We put him in a sit wait and then walk away...sometimes I return to him and treat him and say 'nice wait' and walk away....when I do throw the ball I shout 'okay' happily and he knows he can go.
I look like a right nutter but I am past caring.

Some great advice there! We did a pre-agility course when Tilly was around 7 months old, so there was no jumps or weaves, but it got her used to the commands & she took to it like a duck to water, I found it more difficult to keep up! We are starting proper classes again in the spring, I'm so looking forward to it, but her recall was better when she was 6 months than now at 14 months but we've gone back to basics & getting there again. I also had my own little practice bits in the garden using a plank, some upright canes & a childs tunnel from the early learning centre
Good luck with Jake you'll love it

hi Lozzi
i used to compete in agility and hope to start it with Tupac

i would be carefull setting up your own agility course untill you know the rules(dont mean to sound patronising) its just it is very tempting to 'run before you can walk' and can often teach the dog incorectly,then have to start over.
i would concentrate on,teaching Jake directions, and on 'contacts' which can be taught on your stairs at home
good luck its addictive

Theres a good back end vid
http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup#p/u/39/xsvNvK8T1z8
Something like this gets your dog used to working away from you
http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelama...70/gb-exzapbSY
This is shadow heeling or circle work
http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelama...82/pvs9OeChfRw
The only different thing I do is have the hand out on the side I want the dog
I wouldnt use a command with this, they dog should do this as a default and will soon pick up which side you need him on

hi Lozzi
i used to compete in agility and hope to start it with Tupac

i would be carefull setting up your own agility course untill you know the rules(dont mean to sound patronising) its just it is very tempting to 'run before you can walk' and can often teach the dog incorectly,then have to start over.
i would concentrate on,teaching Jake directions, and on 'contacts' which can be taught on your stairs at home
good luck its addictive

Yes that's a good point (don't listen to me Lozzi, I know nothin )- I went to the classes before I made my own version in the garden.

lol, yeah you do! give yourself more credit than that

ah thanks do they not do a "pre" class? like I said there's no jumps highter than 6 inches or weaves & the planks are on the floor.