# New to agility, looking for some info!



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

We had our first agility class yesterday and it went decently well! My dog has never seen agility equipment before so I was a little nervous about how he'd react but he did great... No hesitation on the A frame or the teeter and he did perfectly his first time on the table, we haven't tried the tunnel yet though! My dog doesn't quite understand yet that he's supposed to go over the jumps, not around them.  This class was mainly for me to see if he had an interest and big weight off my shoulders I think he will make a decent candidate for the sport, he is almost 14 months and is 65lbs so I don't see him being over 75 for his mature adult weight. I'm more worried about me being able to coordinate my body with my brain at the same time! :crazy:

So my question is are there any good books(or any other information sources) to help me learn about the sport? I am a complete and utter novice, I know nothing so it would be helpful to learn terms, rules, etc. I know clean run is a good site to check out as well... I can tell already what people mean about it being addicting, I've been researching on how to build some of my own agility equipment.  I don't have any 'dog friends' who live near me so I really enjoyed the class and getting to commiserate with equally dog crazy people... I've very much looking forward to going back next week!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Welcome to the fun world of agility!

Make sure you find the best agility classes in your area. Ones that the instructors go to show not just playing around on the equipment. The better the start the fewer the bad habits we start up and then have to relearn  

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/agility/85941-favorite-agility-websites.html has some good sites with info. I tend to get more out of DVDs then books. I cleanrun as well as Susan Garrett have some great stuff.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Oh definitely! I'm training with Anne Platt, she competes in nationals herself... I didn't explain it well but it was definitely more then just playing around, we were introducing him like with the A frame she showed me how to start teaching him the two on two off. I was just worried that he'd refuse to go on the equipment period but I underestimated him!

And thanks I will check out the link!


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## kbella999 (Jan 6, 2012)

Ditto what MRL said. I really liked the Greg Derrett dvd's and Susan Garrett's 2x2 weave poles. You will probably get more out of your instructor though. Good luck and have fun.


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## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

Welcome to the craziness! And yes, it is addicting. 

I tell people that if they only have the space/money for one piece of equipment, make it a jump (or two or three, they're pretty cheap to build). Jumps actually require a lot of training for the dog to learn to execute properly from every angle and with different handler positions and speeds. If you can work with jumps outside of class, it will really benefit you and help your dog stop running around them, which is a common issue for beginner dogs. As you've discovered. 

Two of my favorite jump books are Developing Jumping Skills for Awesome Agility Dogs by Linda Mecklenburg, and One Jump Two Jump. The One Jump Two Jump workbook is a little lacking in instruction, so you may want the accompanying DVD.

Regarding building equipment, my second choice would a 4-foot travel plank you can use to work on the 2on/2off. It's much easier and less expensive to build than the full contacts, and easy to toss in your car and work on it in a park or wherever. You can build one for much cheaper than the one on Clean Run but that is what it looks like.

Third choice would be the weave poles, but honestly I prefer having a welded metal base over the common build-at-home PVC bases. Our big GSDs are usually too powerful for the all-PVC weaves.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Thank you! I was thinking about buying the economy jump kit from clean run BUT the ground shipping charges are ridiculous! So I guess I will look into building my own which I will probably have to get the hubby's help on as I am way to much of a klutz to be trusted with a hacksaw. 

I just never realized how 'technical' the sport is and am worried about how I will preform... I was already having difficulty after doing a lot of formal obedience on the left, have to retrain my brain(as well as my dogs) to work on the right too, lol.

Thanks for all the advice, I will check all this stuff out!


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Carriesue said:


> Thank you! I was thinking about buying the economy jump kit from clean run BUT the ground shipping charges are ridiculous! So I guess I will look into building my own which I will probably have to get the hubby's help on as I am way to much of a klutz to be trusted with a hacksaw.
> 
> I just never realized how 'technical' the sport is and am worried about how I will preform... I was already having difficulty after doing a lot of formal obedience on the left, have to retrain my brain(as well as my dogs) to work on the right too, lol.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice, I will check all this stuff out!


Go ahead and make whatever you want yourself. PVC is very easy to cut. If you have an irrigation supply business nearby have them show you cutting tools, there are several easy to use hand tool options, no need for a hacksaw. Also for some sections you can use class 200 pipe instead of schedule 40 and its super easy to cut and cheap too.


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