# Starting Beginner's Agility!!



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

So I will be starting our first agility class on 29 Oct! I am super excited about it. 

Can you tell me what to expect for a beginner? Something maybe I could or should work on in the mean time. They are using clickers too I think.. which was interesting to me, but I haven't every really used a clicker so maybe it's the best for the training?

Also, one more question.. kinda based off this thread..

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/473057-how-get-over-my-own-anxiety.html

Like it says.. we have done A LOT of work and I have built up a lot of my confidence back and I am much much better in regards to bringing him out and about now (as far as my anxiety).. For reference.. our last excurtion was..

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/stories/486865-fireworks-crowds-titan.html 

..and so I guess I am wondering if there is anything I should expect or be prepared for while there. Like I stated int hose threads (if you read them) This is a ME issue, not a him issue.. one incident kinda scarred me and I have been workingon building that confidence back up. 

He is really good in training mode as far as paying attention to me.. During training are there going to be a lot of off leash times or is it really when they are going through the obstacles? I have never even seen an agility competition so I'm going into this rather blindly. 

Sorry if my question doesn't come through correctly. I can try to explain better if that's the case.

Any advice or knowledge in general would be awesome  Thanks guys!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Oh and what is a grab tab and where can I get it... Lol.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Good luck! I love agility (compete with my BC and teach classes) and love seeing more people getting into the sport. 

Only a few things I can suggest working on prior to class- work on Titan keeping focus with you while you turn and working on both sides. You can do "front crosses" on "the flat" which is just having food in both hands, luring him on your left, then turning into him (to turn the opposite direction) and switching to your right hand then luring with him on your right. Then you can fade the lure a little bit and reward for moments of brilliance (like reading the switch and keeping up with you, keeping with you for longer periods, etc.) while you practice. 

You can also get a yogurt lid and sit it on the floor (even in your house, or outside) and put a treat on it, tell him to "go" - this is a great targeting exercise to teach dogs to target away from you and drive forward (which will be over obstacles eventually). 

If you have access to a tippy/wobble board, use that too. 

Most novice/beginner/intro classes are done on leash until you start sequencing, unless the dog is very proficient and focused off lead, or they have a ring that they can excuse other dogs from while you're working. My intro students don't come off lead until the last class (out of 6 weeks) IF they do at all - many aren't ready for that yet. If yours is, it will be easier for you to move with him and better for proofing training, as well. 

High in Trial Canine Equipment makes nice 12" paracord tabs for $11 - I'd check them out!

https://www.facebook.com/HITK9/photos_stream

Can't wait to see updates!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

DJEtzel said:


> Only a few things I can suggest working on prior to class- work on Titan keeping focus with you while you turn and working on both sides. You can do "front crosses" on "the flat" which is just having food in both hands, luring him on your left, then turning into him (to turn the opposite direction) and switching to your right hand then luring with him on your right. Then you can fade the lure a little bit and reward for moments of brilliance (like reading the switch and keeping up with you, keeping with you for longer periods, etc.) while you practice.
> 
> You can also get a yogurt lid and sit it on the floor (even in your house, or outside) and put a treat on it, tell him to "go" - this is a great targeting exercise to teach dogs to target away from you and drive forward (which will be over obstacles eventually).
> 
> If you have access to a tippy/wobble board, use that too.


Thank you for the suggestions... But excuse the ignorance.. Can you explain the first luring exercise in Whitney style? AKA barney style, lol.. I think I have an idea of what you are suggesting but I dont' want to do it wrong and mess him up. 

We have done the targetting a handful of time a WHILE ago but I remember it! To my advantage I have made Titan get up on random things and walk on odd surfaces for fun in the past and he does well. We also were able to "play" with agility exuipment the last 2 weeks in Beg OB because our class was pretty advanced for Beg OB. If I recal (like a few years ago) he did well on the obstacles. I dont think there was one he didn't complete.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I started Agility this year with my Lacy. Holy Crap. It's a lot harder than I thought, not for my dog - but for me! 

Trust your instructor. Trust your dog. Keep it fun. Don't get all worked up when your dog runs the course in it's head and not the one you are supposed to be running. 

Don't get all worked up when you go hauling around the course and your dog is standing after a jump looking at you like you are koo-koo for coca puffs. 

Don't get all worked up when you forget your timing, or the names of equipment, or the sequence you've been asked to run. 

Don't get all worked up when your dog stops in the middle of a near perfect run to go poop (BIG NO-NO with my instructor!). 

Don't get all worked up when the treats you've been using suddenly loses their magic and your dog looks at you like you've grown a third eye when you say (in a sing song voice) "Over!" 

Don't get all worked up when you find yourself talking to you dog in a sing song voice 24/7.

What gave me an edge in the beginning was I did a lot of fun work with my dog before I even considered agility. I had him 'load' on feed sacks at the feed store. I had him 'touch' bowls on the floor. I had him 'wait' on benches. I taught him 'quiet' in the deer stand. I had him 'over' pvc poles used for jumps for the horses. I had him 'look' for treats. I had him 'through' my legs. I also have a large air duct (from work) that I utilized for play, so the tunnel wasn't even new it him. The only thing I had trouble with was going through the hoop - because he'd never been introduced to one. I had to teach him to jump through it. Every other piece of equipment he did without hesitation.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Lilie said:


> I started Agility this year with my Lacy. Holy Crap. It's a lot harder than I thought, not for my dog - but for me!
> 
> Trust your instructor. Trust your dog. Keep it fun. Don't get all worked up when your dog runs the course in it's head and not the one you are supposed to be running.
> 
> ...


LOL I take it these may have been personal experiences??? Thank you for the advice. I will Def have to work on MY patience with this. I tend to be a perfectionist and when he doesn't do well, or out thinks me.. I tend to get worked up... have come a long way with controlling that though.. SAR teaches you loads of patience. haha. 

Looks like I will be playing with him a bit before the course


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I would hold off on any obstacles if you can. You don't want to teach wrong or unsafe habits - the instructor will be able to show you how to do them properly down the line. In the beginning it's almost all foundations. 

Here's the best "front cross on the flat" video I can find. I do it more flowy- just walking straight, turn around and go back the way I came after turning into the dog.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Thanks DJ! This is not exactly what I pictured so I am glad I asked! can you explain why this is important in Agility?


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> LOL I take it these may have been personal experiences??? Thank you for the advice. I will Def have to work on MY patience with this. I tend to be a perfectionist and when he doesn't do well, or out thinks me.. I tend to get worked up... have come a long way with controlling that though.. SAR teaches you loads of patience. haha.
> 
> Looks like I will be playing with him a bit before the course


I am my dog's biggest enemy! You have to really put your trust in your instructor. Apparently, I was hovering over my dog. If you'd ask me I'd say, "No way!" and when my instructor called me out on it I thought she was nuts. But she continued to call me out ....again...and again...and again...finally she'd say "Straighten Up!" and the I'd realize I was in fact slouching over - I suppose in a sub conscious attempt to 'lure' my dog (even though at that point I can't use treats). What I was actually doing was shutting my dog down. 

After that, if my instructor tells me to do the hokey pokey and turn myself around, I do it. 95% of the time, she's right.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Start watching at 4:00 for front cross flatwork. Watch at 4:50 for rear cross flatwork.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Haha!! Good to know Lilie!! I feel like we will share similar stories!!!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> Thanks DJ! This is not exactly what I pictured so I am glad I asked! can you explain why this is important in Agility?


You're welcome! 

This is important because during an agility run, sometimes you need to switch sides of your dog. The goal is for the dog to do all the work and the handler to stay ahead and take the shortest path possible. So you switch sides to stay on the "inside" of the course. You accomplish the switches by "crossing" your dog. Front cross, rear cross, blind cross - all common crosses you will learn with a good instructor. Front crosses are the easiest to teach and usually are taught first which is why I mentioned them. 

I can't find a good video right now of mine to illustrate, but there is a blind cross and rear cross in this one, I can show you. 





 
So this starts, Recon takes two jumps and a tunnel. After the tunnel, I blind crossed. I crossed to the other side in front of him, but I didn't turn into him, I continued running forward and picked him up on the other side for him to take the next jump on my right. Blind Cross.

Then he takes a jump after the first tunnel, another tunnel, and as he takes the second tunnel, I run behind him (rear) to cross again, picking him back up on my left side this time as he exits the tunnel. Rear cross.

As he exits the second tunnel, he takes three jumps, then I indicate I'm rear crossing again. Why would I want to run all the way around that when I can just cut through? So jump three out of the second tunnel, and I indicate a "switch" (this is our cue) with my arms and voice, and he takes the fourth jump and knows to find me on his other side again, where he finishes the last jump. 

So altogether, I crossed three times in that course to make it as easy on me as possible, as clear to my dog as possible, and as quick as possible. And it worked - we had a first place, clean Q for that run.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Ok. :29 is a front cross for you to see. He had been on my right, entered the tunnel, and I wanted to pick him up on my left to curve those obstacles to the right. So I ran to the exit of the tunnel and turned into him until I was facing the flow of the course to continue on, with him on my left hand side.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> Haha!! Good to know Lilie!! I feel like we will share similar stories!!!


I went in doing Agility to give my dog additional work to do (he's a crack head). I figured how hard could it be? HA! 

Honestly, I was surprised at how nice all the folks are who are into Agility. I thought I'd be snubbed because I had a 'hunting' dog. But it really isn't that way. They want you to succeed. They want you to do well. And I've found that they really don't care what breed you're running. That was a pleasant surprise.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

DJEtzel said:


> Ok. :29 is a front cross for you to see. He had been on my right, entered the tunnel, and I wanted to pick him up on my left to curve those obstacles to the right. So I ran to the exit of the tunnel and turned into him until I was facing the flow of the course to continue on, with him on my left hand side.


ahhhhh I see.. so it's jsut so that they don't completely try to go on one side everytime? Is that right? so he doesn't waste time realligning himself? Or am I totally off?

Looks like fun though 



Lilie said:


> I went in doing Agility to give my dog additional work to do (he's a crack head). I figured how hard could it be? HA!
> 
> Honestly, I was surprised at how nice all the folks are who are into Agility. I thought I'd be snubbed because I had a 'hunting' dog. But it really isn't that way. They want you to succeed. They want you to do well. And I've found that they really don't care what breed you're running. That was a pleasant surprise.


That is always a pleasant surprise!! I hope this group is the same. I get really turned off when people act like their dog is better in training environments. Do you still do it? It's basically the same reason I am starting it with Titan.. he needs to release his energy more.. I can't even believe I am saying that.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

wyoung2153 said:


> ahhhhh I see.. so it's jsut so that they don't completely try to go on one side everytime? Is that right? so he doesn't waste time realligning himself? Or am I totally off?


You're kind of off, but that's ok- because you're learning. Situations like this are where it's worth pointing out that there are things in agility called "handling systems." Handling systems allow you to know when, where, why, and how to execute a cross. For example, the Greg Derrett system states: "A change of hands means a change of direction."

So you can see that for the Derrett system (and really most all modern systems) the crosses are used to turn the dog on the course. The crossing skills are your steering wheel. If you're not crossing, then the dog should be driving ahead on their line. If you are crossing, then you are changing the line- turning your dog. Crosses are used to steer the dog through the course.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

wildo said:


> You're kind of off, but that's ok- because you're learning. Situations like this are where it's worth pointing out that there are things in agility called "handling systems." Handling systems allow you to know when, where, why, and how to execute a cross. For example, the Greg Derrett system states: "A change of hands means a change of direction."
> 
> So you can see that for the Derrett system (and really most all modern systems) the crosses are used to turn the dog on the course. The crossing skills are your steering wheel. If you're not crossing, then the dog should be driving ahead on their line. If you are crossing, then you are changing the line- turning your dog. Crosses are used to steer the dog through the course.


aha.. slightly better grasp... Lol.. sorry for the ignorance.. I am a very visual learner. I am sure all this stuff will be an "aha" moment in the class. but I do get the steering thing.. makes sense.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> ahhhhh I see.. so it's jsut so that they don't completely try to go on one side everytime? Is that right? so he doesn't waste time realligning himself? Or am I totally off?


It's just a maneuver that is easy in flow to get on the other side of your dog when you need to be on the other side. If your dog was just running and you tried getting them on your other side, it would likely involve tripping, cursing, barking, spinning, and a waste of time!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> That is always a pleasant surprise!! I hope this group is the same. I get really turned off when people act like their dog is better in training environments. Do you still do it? It's basically the same reason I am starting it with Titan.. he needs to release his energy more.. I can't even believe I am saying that.


Yes, I do. It's good exercise for me. And honestly, my dog is handler sensitive, so it's a little more challenging for me. BUT it is eye opening for me. 

I took him for his UBT (United Blood Tracking) certification and he blew it. I was shocked. He ALWAYS rocks. And it wasn't until I started Agility that I realized that I blew it. He did EXACTLY what my body told him to do. And then he flushed a mouse out from under a crevice and I hollered out 'LEAVE IT!' even though he barely reacted - and he shut down. He told me that I was all over the place and he just wasn't going to do anything. At the time I blamed him. Wasn't until Agility did I realize it was ALL me. Poor dog was doing what I asked him to do.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

Finnick and I are starting agility on Sunday. I know from my previous dog that its mostly shaping with body awareness, learning contacts, wobble board, crate games, it's yer choice, recalls...lots of stuff you can do by yourself at home, but I really do think you benefit from doing in a class setting with distractions...

I can't wait. My biggest concern is that my boy is 10 weeks old today and the quiet in the crate is a work in progress, I think he will bark/whine throughout the entire class...Even though I've been working the crate practically everyday.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Wow Lauren.. I didn't know you could start agility so young.. But awesome. I bet you will have a good time. 

Thanks for the responses guys!!


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

There is just so much developing drive and focus and working on recalls, you could really start at any age!

Finn didn't want to tug/play at all today...next class, next class!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

K I ordered a new tug toy for Titan for his reward from that site DJ suggested and a grab tab.

Question on the grab tab.. should there be a handle. I requested the one that did but she said that normally they don't.. but everyone I have seen has had a handle. Just curious.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

wyoung2153 said:


> K I ordered a new tug toy for Titan for his reward from that site DJ suggested and a grab tab.
> 
> Question on the grab tab.. should there be a handle. I requested the one that did but she said that normally they don't.. but everyone I have seen has had a handle. Just curious.



It doesn't matter. You'll probably use it three times before you graduate into doing stuff off lead (which means you're on a normal 6' lead otherwise). Ideally, handle loop-less would be best, but like I said- you're probably not going to use it much. That was my experience anyway.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

wildo said:


> It doesn't matter. You'll probably use it three times before you graduate into doing stuff off lead (which means you're on a normal 6' lead otherwise). Ideally, handle loop-less would be best, but like I said- you're probably not going to use it much. That was my experience anyway.


Oh ok. thank you. Mind explaining when you would use it? Also, why ideally without a handle?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I've never used a tab for agility before, so I have no input. lol. I'm either on lead or off lead. I use them for obedience, but that's it...


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

wyoung2153 said:


> Oh ok. thank you. Mind explaining when you would use it? Also, why ideally without a handle?


Beginner classes often claim that they want your dog to be on a tab. It's generally a safety issue so that the dog can easily be corralled if they get crazy or out of control. You use it because a 6' lead would get in the way all the time when training obstacles. Really though... if you have any kind of engagement with your dog- you'll find yourself being off lead anyway when working. I used mine very little.

Ideally with no handle because you don't want the handle getting looped over a jump cup or stanchion.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I was required to use a 6' lead. The only time it was left to drag was going through the tunnel. But, because my Lacy is handler sensitive, my instructor didn't want him to go through the tunnel dragging the lead. She didn't want any adverse reaction from the lead dragging in the tunnel. I would have never thought of it. 

If memory serves, we were on our third class and he was totally off lead. I did purchase a specific collar to utilize for Agility. Everyone else had one, so I thought I needed one. Then I noticed that most of the more experienced folks pull their dog's collars off and have them run naked. The purpose behind the specific collar made sense at that point.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Aha.. gotcha! Thanks guys!!! They said the tab was required for the class and you could buy one there. I opted to just show up with one.. I met the instructor and feel WAY better about the class than before. 

I also changed the tab to one with no handle off your description I can see why they usually don't have one. 

Thanks you guys for being so helpful. I am just full of questions.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Good luck in class and can't wait to hear how well you are both doing and all the updates!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

*sigh* we have to postpone  they changed the hours of the class andwe can't make the new times... Hopefully they will do another at a different time after this one!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

RATS! That is disappointing for sure.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Yeah, they said they will start another class in January and will notify me of the schedule when it's out.  sad. but he loves his new training toy we bought, lol!


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