Training flyball and agility

[benandchance]

Hi again,

I have a 7 month old puppy which came from a line of working parents, he has so much energya nd I was wodnering if it would be ok at his age to start training him? Also I am joining the YKC and i would love to train him when i join. My older collies is more interested in sleeping

[ClickMeBC]

At 7 months, he's more than ready to begin in foundation and grounwork, and before you know it, he'll be ready to jump 4" to 8". You're right to be careful - building up jump height and waiting on the weave poles and full-height contact obstacles is important until the dog is physically mature enough to perform them without risk of injury.

 

If he's not introduced to the clicker, I highly reccomend getting into that method. It's a fun, positive-reinforcement based way of training and it continues ever to amaze me how quickly the dogs learn.

 

I don't do flyball, but there are many ways you can begin agility - targeting and distance work, jump standard exercises, tunnels, wobble boards, contacts, etc. I reccomend finding an instructor that's aware you're taking care not to endanger your puppy with the higher obstacles and weave poles and that's aware of the importance of foundation training. There's another thread that's covered this, as well, if you're interested in taking a look at it.

 

Agility is worth it. It's a fun way to give your active BC an "outlet" for his abundant energy and strengthen the relationship between the two of you. I must warn you, though....these sports can become addictions.

[abbies_mumma]

You can start training him now. There are lots of foundation exercises that will be helpful when you move on to equipment. But remember not to start him on too much equipment until at least 12 months.