What advice would you give someone just starting out in agility?

If you had to do it all again, is there anything you would do differently from the things you did as an inexperienced handler, and think might be of benefit to other handlers just starting out?

Apols if this question has already been asked - not been here that long!

I shall read this with intrest.

I am planning on doing agility with Maisy (westie) come April, we both haven't done it before.

....sounds odd...but, stand up straight

If I had to do it all over again, I would stay in Grades 1 and 2 longer, if I could, to improve my handling, and give myself and my dog confidence and experience in the ring, and work on things like waits, ensuring contacts are solid, all the basics. Nowadays, dogs just out of Gr 2 can find themselves in classes such as Gr 3-5, and facing things like jump discrimination, odd angles and distances, really strange entries to weaves, if an overenthusiastic judge has pitched the course at the higher grades, for example, and this could give the handler's and/or dog's confidence a real shake up.

I think too, in the smaller grades, because there aren't so many people competing, it is too easy to go up the Grades before you and/or your dog is ready. Not because the courses are easier or anything, just that on a specific day, you could be the only one clear, and go up a grade without meaning to.

Find the right club from the start. Its so much easier to start off right rather than try to solve mistakes later.

I'm hoping to start soon.
Advise I am getting is not to be in too much of a hurry to get onto the obstacles.

Good foundation work of sit ,stays. recalls and walk/run either side of you in control but not tight.

Especially if you've done obedience, make sure your dog is happy workingon either side of you.

Oh, I'd completely forgotten about that, TBBS, and it was something that I really had to work on too!

Too right & that you teach the Dog to switch sides easily (rather than you having to move yourself)

Teach good contacts from the start.

When it comes to jumps,don't think the higher the better.

First of all a good solid wait. Good contacts, plus left and right comands. If you have mastered these then you wont go far wrong.