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Agility training at home?


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I don't know how far you are into training but this is some info for beginners and more advanced dogs.

 

for beginners:

Foundation work, Foundation work, Foundation work. You can never get enough.

Just getting the dog to send to a target plate is a big step. Later you can build (or buy) a PVC jump and start working that. Even with one little jump - you can get really good distance, good sends to it, work on directional commands, work on sending from hard angles, work on start line stays, ect. Even though it might only be one jump, the dog will have a MUCH easier time when you transfer that training to some other equipment. Another thing that helps is to make a buja board (a piece of wood with a ball underneath) and that helps to get the dog used to unstable surfaces - it makes training the teeter totter lots easer, and makes the dog more confident overall.

 

When you dog is more advanced:

I find it GREAT to have a plank to work on my 2o/2o contacts. Also I think that it is GREAT to have a tunnel (just a kiddy tunnel from Toys-R-Us is fine) so that with those two I can start to work on obstacle discrimination, wraps from a contacts to a tunnel, ect. And when you are really into it and are competing, weave poles become a MUST for at home - Even just 4 poles is wonderful! Then with these obstacles you can work on all the stuff that I listed for the jump.

 

Also just improving your relationship with your dog(s), getting them to trust you completely, getting them to follow a treat in your hand, getting faster on their obedience commands (having fast sits, downs, and comes are a MUST). A good book that I like is "Agility Training" by Jane Simmons-Moake , in the later part of the book it talks about handling and sequencing - stuff like that you can start early with just jumps, and it is pretty easy to do in the back yard (keep in mind that a jump can be anything from a steel competition jump to a broom on some milk crates!).

 

Have fun in your training!!

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So far we've taken a six week puppy agility class. I've been working with her on left and right, sit, down, stay, come. In class we've used tunnels, chute, weave poles, pause table and a tire jump (tire sitting on the ground, she's only 7 months so no jumping yet).

 

We're going to be starting up in two agility classes and a basic obedience class in early january.

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Be sure that at only 7 months you don't do much weaving. It could tweak the dog's spine and then you have a BIG problem. For weave poles it is safer to wait until they are at least a year - it can add an extra 5 years on thier agility career!

 

If you do want to do them, just go slow (very slow)- for now! :rolleyes:

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EEK, at 7 months I wouldn't advise any weaving!

 

You can teach targets... useful for contact training and distance work.

 

You can also teach a wobble board... first step towards teeter work.

 

Hind end awareness exercises are good as well, and easy for indoors.

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These are all things my pups are working on in my kitchen....

Lots of stay-work with lead outs and distractions. Variably reward stays by returning to dog, tossing toys ahead, tossing toys behind and with treats at your side. Calling the dog to your side on either side - circle work in both directions, adding lateral distance, and changes of side. Teach warm up/focus tricks. Targeting. Send/Drive to a target or obstacle. Send out and around (270 work). Fast downs. Distance sit and down commands. Targeting and 2 0n/2 Off on a plank,on steps....hmmm

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Can you guys break some of this stuff down for me? We've been doing our classes indoors and mostly on leash with food as a lure. So I'm not really sure how to go about teaching these long distance things or sending them to an object or even how to teach targets. The only target we've done so far is a dish with food lying on the pause table.

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Well, I will be getting a 10-11 month old Vizsla bitch that I will show in conformation and jr showmanship as well as compete in agility with her. Because I do not wish to use my dog training isntructors training methods, I have chosen to do quite a bit of Georgia's training at home. I do plan on doing foundation work with her, but not quite sure what all I would ike to do with her besides basic obedience. (My dog training club doesn't teach foundation work and this will be my first time training with it) What is usually taught in foundation work? Targeting? Why do you teach targeting in foundation work? What else?

 

Also, does anyone have plans for channel weaves(ones that don't stick in the ground)?

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if you mean like building PVC weaves here is something that I thought would work really well, it would be pretty easy to make it.

 

Playful Pooches Weave Poles

 

Basically, the poles just turn in (for a straight line of weaves) or out (for the channel).

Just make sure that from pole to pole it is around 20" (some org. do less - some to more)

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BeezSK,

First i will ask you some questions.

1:is this your 1st dog

2; I see you have done 6 agility classes does not sound like you have done foundatio as Katsdog

says Foundation foundation and more foundation isv essential.

My newest Boy took puppy class than we whent into an attention class and taught attention , All this attention work is games you play with your dog, Like the name game ,1 2 3 sit game

3; target my hands and a lid

4:My dogs Know go on and get out with in a week of them coming home with me.GO ON- iteach this by sending them to their crateI reward them in the crate either breakfest ,a treat or a toy. As we are running out side i throw a toy out infront of the dog and race to get it . Get Out I throw the toy out to the side of me and reward. Remeber placement of reward is of the upmost importance.I add the verbal q after the behavior is consitant

5: all my contact work is done on aflat board or a-frameIteach speed 1st so when my dogs are comfortable running all out over the wood than I add my 2020 contact.

6: Weaves You could teach your very young dog to weave if you use the channel polls. just leave them open until your dog isat least 1- 3years old depending on Breed. I also teach entries seperatly

I would recomend that you take things slow Foundation......

bobh

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also (what I did) is make the poles VERY far apart (if you use stakes). If little dogs can learn to weave that way I think that big dogs can too.

 

If the poles are so far apart, the dog doesn't have to bend their spine to go through them - just regular everyday turning. It looks wierd to see the poles that far apart but it keeps your pooch safe.

 

Just another option.

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You can use a round plastic lid to get started as a target. I actually started target training Speedy with a ceramic plate because he thought it sporting to grab anything else I used and he would run off with it!

 

Once he got the idea of what I wanted I changed to a lid. Now I have a small wooden disk that I use as a target.

 

So, you could start with one thing and change to a piece of plexi later if that's holding you up!

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I am using a metal jar lid. It is working really well - and helping for comp. obedience (she doesn't mind having metal in her mouth).

 

but I use whatever I can find at the moment, plates, treat lids, jar lids, old camera lens caps, old plato lids, or even just a cut out piece of paper!

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