# puppy agility - reigning in the puppy energy



## jessac (Oct 29, 2012)

We are currently going to puppy agility (Fleury's 7mo). He's been doing really well as far as the commands and equipment (minus start line stays, those are terrible. his stays are good at home, but not at the gym). He's just too fast for me. My trainer is working with us on distance so I don't have to keep up and I know the goal isn't to slow him down, but since we're still learning, is there a way I can make him stop and think a bit more or at least wait for my instruction/ command (if we've ran a sequence already and we repeat it, he'll go on to the next obstacle before I tell him to)? 

Also, why didn't any one tell me that I would be tiring myself out? I signed up to use his brain and wear him out and I think I come home just as tired!


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## gmcwife1 (Apr 5, 2012)

I've been thinking of doing agility for my own exercise


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

He's a baby.... you are right to not slow him down and LOVE that your instructor telling you that distance will be your friend (with training).

It's hard to have a fast dog as your first dog cause you don't realize how brilliant it is, just that you can't keep up  . But as you both continue to train and learn it will start to click. It is NOT enough to do a course perfectly. You must do it well AND fast. 

Most novice's just try to do all the obstacles in the proper order and slow their dog down to assure this. But if we teach our dogs that 'agility' is slow and at the human's pace, then that's what our dogs learn and we usually can never speed them up down the line.

Much better to have them fast and just work on all the skills WE need to give them direction! And getting in shape helps too.


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## jessac (Oct 29, 2012)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> He's a baby.... you are right to not slow him down and LOVE that your instructor telling you that distance will be your friend (with training).
> 
> It's hard to have a fast dog as your first dog cause you don't realize how brilliant it is, just that you can't keep up  . But as you both continue to train and learn it will start to click. It is NOT enough to do a course perfectly. You must do it well AND fast.
> 
> ...


Good advice. I am a definite novice, but it's good to keep in mind that I shouldn't expect him to go at my pace, I just need to get better. I signed up for this class because it seemed more fun than another obedience class (after kinder puppy), so I was not prepared for the work out. lol. I know today our instructor spent the majority of the class going over our arm, leg and body movements and how to get our dogs to go the right direction (front and blind crosses). I have more to learn than my dog, that's for sure. The trainer tells me every week how people would be so jealous that he's fast, works independently and just takes obstacles himself. I just need to keep up the learning!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Jessac, I've now been in agility classes for over FIFTEEN YEARS! (4th dog though) and I'll keep going. 

You are learning that after the dogs learn the equipment, now pretty much all the learning is on OUR heads! So much goes into steering an offleash dog, tearing around a course they 've never been on before, doing it fast and accurately! 

It's what keeps it fun for both dog and handler though.


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