# Agility Question



## wolfmanusf (Apr 5, 2012)

I am doing some research for a project that I am working on. This is in reference to all breeds, not only German Shepherds. How important is the pedigree of the dog in competition agility? I have a background in schutzhund where it is relatively important. 

Additionally, what are some of the most popular websites/forums for agility training?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

John


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Nope, no fancy pedigree needed!

Any breed or mixed breed dog can do great at competing in this sport! 
It's also great for owner's and their dogs' even if they don't compete and do it just for fun and bonding!

Clean Run Magazine: https://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm/category/447/magazine-home.htm

Clean Run Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clean-Run-30731789945/

Some of the different styles of Agility: AKC, UKC, NADAC, CPE, USDAA

Good Luck!
Moms


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

John - Sending you a PM


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

Agility is a sport that most dogs can enjoy, and at any trial you will see a wide representation of breeds. In order to do well in competition dogs need decent nerves, temperment, and athletic ability, which is determined by genetics, but there is a much wider acceptable range than in IPO. If you look at upper level competition you will find that certain breeds dominate: border collies, aussies, shelties, etc. These tend to be softer breeds and you will find agility to be generally positive-only training - it can be a different training environment than IPO. 

This is a website that might help:

USAgilityTeam.com | The home of the AKC USA World Agility Team


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

This should answer your first question. Roo! is an amazing rescue and agility dog!
Meet AKC National Agility Champion Finalist: Roo! - American Kennel Club


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## Caja's Mom (Aug 6, 2003)

You might want to take a look at flyball also. 

The serious people are heavily breeding mixes for the sport. You can get 3 or 4 generations of pretty much only flyball dogs.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Websites/forums is kind of hard to answer. It really depends heavily on how much you're willing to spend as well as location. In my part of the country, it's Mecklenburg country and information is usually found via an in person, weekly class. I'd imagine Oregon is pretty similar with Daisy Peel put there. Definitely Ohio is this way with Susan and Jen Crank and Linda Mecklenburg. I think the "average" agility competitor doesn't tend to do much research outside of their weekly class. Honestly, I'd be quite shocked to learn otherwise.

For those who do venture outside of their local class for information, I think they tend to go to a pretty small set of websites. For free info, BadDogAgility and AgilityNerd come to mind. Of course there's also Clean Run Magazine, which was mentioned above. But certainly the much more popular option is online training from "leading" agility competitors. Susan Garrett, Daisy Peel, Silvia Trkman, Stacey Winkler, even Linda Mecklenburg now offers online classes. I'm reasonably certain that the OneMindDog (OMD) group also offers online classes. I'd be remiss to not also mention conditioning/body awareness/physical fitness offerings like Bobbie Lyons and Robby Porter as well who both offer online classes. So like I said, for those who choose to dive in a bit deeper than just going to a weekly class, I do think that online classes are by far the most popular place to get agility information. Most likely the same people who are willing to pay for an online class are also the same people who are likely willing to go to an in-person seminar as well.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

What wildo says...  

Susan Garrett has a great blog and she's raising her newest pup in agility so doing alot of the great GENERAL training as well as specific agility stuff. Susan Garrett Agility Training


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## PuppyLove7 (Mar 31, 2013)

So first things first, I live in an apartment. Yes, I know that apartments by nature are typically small and GSD are not lol. But my apartment is actually a pretty good size. Plus, it offers a dog park, nearby trails, as well as bike paths. I truly plan to commit to this breeds exercise requirements, and plan to enroll it into training and agility. I just wanted some advice on some of your guy's favorite exercise routines, and how long I should expect to exercise my dog. I was anticipating a good morning walk (~30 min) and some time for it to relieve itself before work, and then a longer walk in the evening (~2 hours). However I have heard of GSD owners running their dogs for miles. I personally don't think I agree with that type of exercise, since the breed is so prone to hip dysplasia, however maybe that's just me and I'm wrong. So, could someone enlighten me as to the appropriate amount to exercise a GSD without causing injury? Just as a side note in addition to training and agility, I also plan to take my dog on special outings during the weekends when I am home the longest, such as trips to the dog park or beach.

Also, I really want to make sure that my dog is getting plenty of mental exercise. First off in the morning I was thinking about just giving them a normal meal out of a bowl. Then, at dinner time I was thinking about purchasing a food dispensing enrichment toy for them that would force them to work for their food, deter them from eating too fast, and also provide them with a fun game/mental stimulation. My major concern with this, is will the dog get bored of the same toy eventually, and if so, how many enrichment toys should I have on hand to rotate between to avoid the dog getting bored? Is it ok to feed them like this every day?

How much time should I dedicate to mental stimulation for my GSD per day? In addition to feeding the pup in the aforementioned way, I was also planning on doing daily training sessions going over what we learn together in class. I also want to buy some other toys that dispense treats, as to provide other fun games for the dog, but wasn't sure which ones would be best for a GSD. I know they are very intelligent and wouldn't want mine to get bored.

If anyone could give me advice in these areas, and even a daily routine that they follow for their GSD, it would be greatly appreciated. My family owned the sweetest female GSD when I was little and we were inseparable. It has been my dream since to own this breed of dog <3


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Great questions and glad you are preparing before getting a pup. 

I live in a fairly small house and don't have a fenced in yard. Yet I have THREE GSD's (don't recommend that though  ). If you are able to dedicate yourself to walking them and exercising your pup (for me real exercise every other day was enough).

Since hip dysplasia is GENETIC, doing your homework finding a responsible breeder that xrays all their breeding dogs PLUS any and all puppies they breed (part of the puppy sale) that really makes an impact on your dog NOT having expensive and painful hip issues. As well as many other issues. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/162231-how-find-puppy.html

A normal healthy GSD puppy can be exercised as much as any other normal healthy puppy, no matter the breed. These are WORKING dogs, and if we have to treat them like delicate blossoms there is something seriously wrong going on. 

You have a good handle on crate training http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...hat-crate-training-why-put-my-puppy-cage.html and the Crate Games.






Have you seen this about exercising puppies? UNDER exercising actually causes issues to prohibit normal growth of bones and their bodies. What are wolf/fox/coyote/etc. pups doing in the wild? Running and tearing around like the maniacs ALL pup can do!


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Any physical achievements of the two in breeding pair (before they are too old and weak to mate) would be inherited by their puppies, no doubt about it. Do you know any particular breeder, breeding for Agility? These GSDs must have a light skeleton, you know yourself what they should have..


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