# Starting agility with Nikon?



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm thinking of doing agility with Nikon and thinking of starting some basic games/training that we can do at home later this winter. It would just be for fun/exercise for the next few years b/c we are more involved in SchH and want to focus on that first, but to keep some variety at home I thought we could start some basic stuff. Our club only has classes April - Sept b/c of weather. At home I have channel weaves (6 and 6), 3 fully adjustable jumps, and a short tunnel. Nikon is 12 months, hips and elbows prelim'd normal and will be doing a-stamps later this fall. 

What was lacking with Kenya was the real speed and drive. She is very accurate and runs fast enough to Q, but there's no intensity. My goal with Nikon is to really capitalize on his drive and intensity. In general, I train him a new skill with food (using it as a lure, then a yes/click + reward) and once he knows what I want, we transition to using his toys to bring out the drive. If I use a toy right away, he is so locked in drive it takes forever to learn the skill. He also LOVES to fetch so one of the things I was thinking of doing is having him go through the channel weaves (fully open at this age) and toss the toy, or go over the jump very low (like 12 inches maybe?) and toss the toy to get him driving off the obstacles from the beginning. With Kenya, we kinda trained everything and then went back and tried to bring more intensity. It didn't work b/c 1) she's just not an intense dog and 2) I think we rewarded so much precision that she was conditioned to hold back. I don't want to have that again with Nik.

Another thing I'm thinking I should drill home early are waiting on the contacts. Is there a cheap and safe way to train this at his age? I've heard some people just take a piece of strong plywood, paint it like a contact, and prop it up against a couch or on the stairs. Is that OK or is that still too steep for him? He loves doing games like this where he has to "hold" a trick and then fetch the ball or attack the tug, plus I like any game that involves developing more self control!

Since we are already doing other training constantly, we are developing the flatwork stuff like focus, minding me, tuning out distractions, etc.

Any tips or pointers for getting started?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

sounds like a good plan,,as for the contacts, there is a short small contact trainer out there probably find it on clean run or one of the agility vendor sites, you can probably make one just as easy,

You can also practice using stairs,,when I am doing beginner stuff as you/flat work,,,I do alot of hand signaling, working the dog off both sides of me, circles, backing up, left & rights, weaving my legs, targeting, I work alot of body language with my dog since most dogs DO work off your body language vs verbal q's. 

The exercises you mentioned sound like a good start, and I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions as well


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kro4NqlaA24 you can use this video of me teaching my puppy to get alot of stuff started!

The one jump is NOT about our dogs jumping a sequence. It's about our dog getting the strength in their rear as well as the control of their body to REALLY be able to curve tight over a jump. Whether low or high. And to keep their head low, focused on the ground and not the handler. It's amazing how they can get up to full height with that exercise (once their growth plates are closed). With you sitting right on the ground by the upright!

You absolutely can teach a contact with just a plank, have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnLXtbcpgfw

You are absolutely on target with starting with treats in training and quickly then using the toy... The toy is ideal with training the chute/weavepole method. Practice entries! Make sure you're dog is set up to succeed with weaving. They have to love to weave or you are in big trouble!

Some great DVD's are out there now. Books just aren't the same. Success with One Jump by Susan Garrett is great.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

How old should the dog be before you start closing the channels on the weaves (assuming he's got the hang of it and is driving through and out)?

How old before the growth plates close? I don't want to jump him too soon. He's 12 months, 24.5" (as best I could measure) and probably 70lbs.

Yeah I'm not a book person! lol


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

You can start with the weaves open now, and by 14 to 16 months I believe the growth plates are done growing so you can have them closed by then...

While I hold off doing sequences at full height (with the jumping) I have no problems doing the one jump exercise in that video up to my pups shoulder height (when she's strong enough). There is NO speed with this and minimal impact cause it's all muscle control and coordination. Long as you are treating low and right at the base of the jump. As soon as the dog is running to the jump and away from the jump, THAT is different entirely and will have to wait until they are older.

The flatwork on the video (left? right? ). NOT pointing at an obstacle but the dog learns to just take stuff we are walking towards that's in 'working space'..........all that is easy an no impact.


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Another contact trainer idea I see alot in my area are those plastic stairs used at horse stables for mounting horses


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Gosh, I'm so behind with India, who will be 2 next month. I've been so busy that I haven't been methodical with her like I was with Yoda--I've got to write out a plan.

I've taught her to do tunnel, jump, tire, and we're working on the table. But I've done nothing with the contacts or weaves, so in the intro class that she just started this past Monday, she's way ahead in some areas. And training a big dog is a little different than training my 10 pound terriers!









I've got to get something going for contacts; I sold my contact trainer several years ago, then last fall I sold my mini a-frame (wouldn't have been sturdy enough for her). I can do a plank on cinder blocks, but now I need to decide which contact method to teach her. 

I think I'm going to wait on weaves until the spring, 'cause I know that I'll slack off when the weather gets crappy. One thing I miss about living at my parents' house--no basement for foul-weather training!

Got to check out some of those videos. Wonder if I can get them through the library system?

~Kristin


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Kristin... try this place to rent them. Search on dog agility or dog training and you will find a nice selection. Lysa

http://smartflix.com/store/search


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I taught Meri contacts starting when she was tiny with just a 2x12 tossed on the grass, so she couldn't fall off and hurt herself. It's the same size (although shorter) as a standard dog walk. I didn't need to put this on an incline at all. As she grew, we screwed 2x4 blocks to the bottom of it for 2" of height. Then, we put it up on cinder blocks. Then we built a full size dog walk at 24" inches, then 38" where it's currently located. Speed wasn't ever an issue because she always felt comfortable with the height of the plank.

I taught her the word "stop". After talking to my agility instructor (who was Camper's trainer at the time), I intentionally did NOT paint my plank. I wanted her to learn that coming to the end of a contact obstacle ALWAYS meant stopping no matter what -- paint or no paint. Our full size walk doesn't have contacts painted with contrasting color. 

My trainer also advised NOT using obedience commands like "wait," just so that the two commands (wait vs stop) are context specific. If the dog doesn't like "waiting," (like waiting at a door, waiting for her dinner), this is something totally different.

I've had great success with this. In fact, when the dog walk and teeter in my yard aren't propped up (which they almost always are: for safety, so the kids aren't chasing each other around up and across them), Meri will be walking along next to me, and dash over and stand on the edge of the obstacle and look up at me -- "hey look: I'm in a "stop". Don't I get some sort of reward?"









With Celo, I've started to work him on the 2 x12, which is flat on the ground and safe again. He's already learned the "stop" command. We're taking it nice and slow, nothing to risk his health. 

I'm sure that Nikon will be very successful if you just build him up the same way. 

And 2 x12s are about $30ish at Home Depot. Rather affordable.


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