Agility Question, may be a tad silly

[haleigh]

What should I start off with? I want to get some foundation work on Joy before classes, but don't know what I should do. I started by making her run though a ladder for hind foot awareness.

 

Also, for you agility nuts, how many of you make your own equipment? How much does it cost to make some weaves, jumps and maybe some 'awareness' obstacles?

[gypsy84]

I'm just starting agility too. So far I've taught Gypsy "over" - for jumps, "up" - for use on a-frames and dog walks, "target" - follow my hand, and we're working on "away" to get her to move out from me in the direction I point.

 

And I just finished making a set of 9 jumps for a total of $13 for the wood. A bit more for paint but it wasn't necessary.

[Tassie]

I wrote a reply earlier, but it got lost in cyberspace. Who knows if I can remember what I wrote - but it was something along the lines of checking the net for puppy agility foundation exercises. And there are some good DVD/videos - Greg derrett has one called something like Agility Foundation Training - and Susan Garrett may have something out too, for example.

 

Some suggestions: teach targetting - hand and target - useful for teaching side changes later, (and for obedience heeling), and for teaching the dog to send ahead, and to do contact obstacles;

- continue with rear-end awareness - walking, rather than running over things like the ladder, or a sequence of poles or boards laid on the ground at varying distances - the walking is so the dog's body and brain have time to process what they are doing;

- making a wobble board out of a light squarish piece of wood balanced on something like a tennis ball - builds confidence,e specially for the teeter;

- having the dog comfortable working on your left and your right equally;

- you can work on the concept of going through the space between uprights - adding a pole on the ground;

- work on creating great motivators for your dog;

- work on focus and building a great relationship with your dog - the basis of all training IMHO.

 

It's so worth while spending lots of time on these foundations, so you don't have to plug gaps or re-train later on. Don't be tempted to rush into obstacles and sequencing before the dog has some physical and mental and emotional maturity. You are setting the foundations so you and the pup will still be having fun in 10 or 12 years time - in that context, waiting a few extra months is nothing.

[Kat's Dogs]

If I remember right, I think that was pretty much what you said before, although maybe a little more this time.

 

That summed it up very nicely of how I would start a dog. Although I would add one thing that jumped out at me, just getting the dog to walk on funny surfaces (like sand, or an actual piece of contact equipment laid flat on the ground, slick cloth like used for a chute, etc) just to get the dog comfortable walking on different surfaces.

 

Effaces on the "don't rush" part. That is very important. And don't overlook the obedience. ALWAYS (even once you are an agility champion ) keep working on the basic obedience and off leash control (stays, comes, sits, downs, working around distractions, etc).

 

Good luck!

[Pat W.]

Joy's still pretty young so I would wait on the hindend awareness just yet, give it another month. You can teach her to touch or target, practice you stays for startline leadouts, run her through standards, purchase a childrens play tunnel, used the Play Hut one found in Toys R Us. Teach getouts by having her go around an object as you walk past it. get a board and place dowel under it so it tips slightly and have her walk on it, increase the size of the dowel over time so the movement becomes greater. There are all kinds of things to work on with a puppy. As for building your own equipment I joined the agility equipment group on yahoo reams of info there.

[berocca]

Equipment is quite easy and cheap to make.

 

Weave poles: go to the hardware and buy some garden stakes and pvc pipes (a metre long should be fine). Then you hammer the stakes in and slide the pipes over the top. They are easy to move around, incredibly cheap (only costs a few dollars), and they move a little when the dog hits them.

 

Jumps: I use more pvc pipes... I just sit them on top of chairs, bricks, pots, etc. Just so long as they will fall if the dog knocks them.

 

Tunnel: I bought a kids tunnel from the toy shop pretty cheap. Most dogs will get used to going through them coz they arent very long and they can see the end. Once they are used to that its relatively easy to get them going through longer tunnels.

 

Shoot: A tunnel with material stuck to the end of it.

 

Dog walk: Planks of wood resting on bricks.

 

Table: Once again, the toy shop should have a cheap kids table. I go down the road to the park and use the lowest platform on the play equipment.

 

Tyre: A bike tyre tied to a tree branch or clothesline etc at the top and another rope held in the ground with a tent peg.

 

Depending on how much room you have you could make an A-Frame etc with wood from the hardware but I havent bothered. Its one of those things that dogs pick up quickly at training and seem to love (do really fast naturally) so therefore dont really need to practise at home.