# Where the heck to start???



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

I am looking at starting my 2 y/o GSD in agility. He is in such good shape and has such high energy, I think it would be really good for him, mentally and physically. He is in SAR and LOVES training. Just watching him manuever through certain obstacles that I have a hard time doing, makes me think he would love agility! Can you guys answer some questions and kinda help me get started?

Are there certain behaviors/qualities he needs to have or possess for this type of sport?

I work full time M-F is that a problem if I were to start Agility? 

What would you suggest, as a beginner, I do to start? 

I am sure I wil lhave MANY more questions as you all start posting but that's what I have at the moment.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I started Agility while working full time, don't see the problem. I found the closest club and joined their beginner's class. 
You do not need a special dog to do Agility with.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

You and your pup sound perfect to start agility, and with him being 2 years old he's the perfect age to 'jump' (get it? jump like agility  ) right in!

Main thing is to find a good club/classes in your area. It DOES make a difference. Even if you don't think you want to go to trials (and why not ???  ) instructors that DO go to dog shows and with students that trial are usually much better. They know how important it is to teach handling skills to the human not just the equipment to the dogs! 

If you can go up to the narrow black strip at the top of the forum, click on the User CP and add your GENERAL location, someone maybe able to give specific information on trainers/clubs in your area.

GOOD LUCK! And you better show lots of pictures and give updates when you start!!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Yep, finding a good trainer and entering classes is the best way to start. 

I was working 50-60 hours a week when I started training my GSD in agility, most classes are in the evenings during the week so assuming your schedule is open during THOSE times, it shouldn't be an issue.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Ok yay! This makes me excited! I wanted to start ASAP but I am going to have to wait until myt schedule goes back to normal. Right now I leave my house at 0530 and don't get back home til 1800 on a good day. Mid Feb it will go back to normal 0730-1630. Can't wait. 

Maggie: Location updated  thanks! I will for sure update pictures when he starts and probably bragg a bit or maybe complain a bit. LOL. Any advice from you guys for when I do get started? On my attitude as a handler or expectations I should or shouldn't have?


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

wyoung2153 said:


> Maggie: Location updated  thanks! I will for sure update pictures when he starts and probably bragg a bit or maybe complain a bit. LOL. Any advice from you guys for when I do get started? On my attitude as a handler or expectations I should or shouldn't have?


You should expect to have FUN and love agility! 

If I were you I'd start looking for classes ASAP. Agility is a bit different from other dog sports that it takes about 6 months of 'beginner' classes before you move up. Meaning that 'Beginner' classes aren't offered that often! And if they just started a session a few weeks earlier you may have to wait 3 or 4 months until the next one starts up (this is the reason I was attending Puppy Agility Classes a week before I even had a new puppy!).

Plus, most of us have stupid jobs (have to pay for the classes somehow, right?) so many classes don't start until 7 or 8 (or 9 or 10 pm). With them only once a week, I know I can speed home, throw my dogs in the car and be back on the road 15 minutes later to make it to some dog classes!


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## Skribbles (Jan 11, 2012)

Are there are exercises that can be done in the house (or backyard in summer) to prep for agility? Fun games that will pay off later? I've read perch work is a good start. Anything else?

Chloe is still a pup but in a year or two we will most likely be putting her in.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Skribbles said:


> Are there are exercises that can be done in the house (or backyard in summer) to prep for agility? Fun games that will pay off later? I've read perch work is a good start. Anything else?
> 
> Chloe is still a pup but in a year or two we will most likely be putting her in.


Super good questions.. Say if I miss the window for the classes and have to wait a little, what can i do in the home to kind of prepare him???

Also... where can I look for classes? Are we talking private businesses dedicated to that or things like Petsmart?? <--doubtful.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

You could look at local kennel clubs or private training organizations for classes. Petsmart does not offer such classes and I wouldn't personally go to them if they did. 

At home you can work on rear end awareness, focus exercises, building drive, and I believe you can find detailed picture/descriptions online for flatwork training involving crosses and send outs. I could not begin to actually describe it though.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

impulse control, proprioception, flexibility, conditioning, balance, coordination, drive, focus, strong recalls, hand targeting, nose targeting, and backing up (weight shift) are all key elements to a great agility dog- all of which can be worked in a simple room without agility equipment.

If you want some great examples of games you can play prior to taking agility classes, check out Susan Garrett's book Shaping Success, and/or Sylvia Trkman's tricks


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Definintely will look into! I am getting excited to start now. )


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

I just watched this DVD and it is so very, very good. Possibly my favorite dog training DVD ever! I would highly recommend it to anyone just starting out in agility (and really, anyone who's into training and/or agility) as it covers all the most important things about agility. Very little of the DVD has anything to do with agility equipment or teaching agility specific behaviors. It's almost entirely things you can do at home or wherever to prepare you and your dog for agility. And some agility oriented tips at the end so you can be sure to get off on the right foot when you start class. It's less than the cost of a set of classes in most places  LoLaBu Land Experience Speed&Conditioning


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

wyoung2153 said:


> Definintely will look into! I am getting excited to start now. )


You and me both! I am very psyched to start Agility! I hope my dog is a good candidate for it.  We're working on getting a nice, strong Obedience foundation first, but I am very, very looking forward to getting into Agility!


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

chelle said:


> You and me both! I am very psyched to start Agility! I hope my dog is a good candidate for it.  We're working on getting a nice, strong Obedience foundation first, but I am very, very looking forward to getting into Agility!


 Honestly, there isn't a lot of need for "strong obedience" in agility. They are very different things. While you need your dog to focus on you, want to work with you and have a recall, depending on how it's taught "obedience" can actually be detrimental to agility. In agility you want a fast, fun loving dog who doesn't worry about being wrong more than you want an obedient dog who worries if they are doing the right thing or not. There's tons of foundation work that does help a great deal with agility but traditional obedience class type exercises are not terribly useful.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

that's funny. you have a hard time manuevering a certain
obstacle so you think your dog will love agility. :crazy:



wyoung2153 said:


> Just
> 
> >>>>watching him manuever through certain obstacles that I have a hard time doing, <<<<
> 
> makes me think he would love agility!


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

AgileGSD said:


> Honestly, there isn't a lot of need for "strong obedience" in agility. They are very different things. While you need your dog to focus on you, want to work with you and have a recall, depending on how it's taught *"obedience" can actually be detrimental to agility*. In agility you want a* fast, fun loving dog who* doesn't worry about being wrong more than you want an obedient dog who worries if they are doing the right thing or not. There's *tons of foundation work that does help a great deal with agility* but traditional obedience class type exercises are not terribly useful.


Really, now that is interesting! 

Bailey qualifies on the fast, fun loving part. 

What type of foundation work do you mean? (We'll start tomorrow. )


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

chelle said:


> Really, now that is interesting!
> 
> Bailey qualifies on the fast, fun loving part.
> 
> What type of foundation work do you mean? (We'll start tomorrow. )


 Sounds like Bailey has a good start if he's fast and fun loving 

_-Tricks!! _Tricks are great! They help your dog learn that working with you is fun and many help the dog learn balance, coordination and flexibility: http://silvia.trkman.net/tricks.ht)

_-Figuring out what toys/play/games/treats that your dog is crazy for!_ You'll want different motivators for different scenarios, so the more things you find that your dog loves, the better!

_-Confidence with different surfaces/moving stuff/strange objects_ This can best be learned through shaping - wait for the dog to interact with whatever object or surface you're working on then click/mark and treat. Start easy, non-moving stuff and work your way up to harder stuff. 101 Things to Do with a Box is a good start: 101 Things to Do with a Box | Karen Pryor Clickertraining

_-Running contact plank work_ Even if you don't ultimately do a RC, this program is an excellent foundation for confidence on the contact equipment: FAQ contacts

_-Two on/two off position on whatever_ Again, doesn't mean you have to use 2o2o - it's just something to teach...show's how to teach it and a cool trick variation of it: 




_- Running with you in play_ Agility is all about your dog running with you, so you can start practicing running with your dog. Rev him up (hold him back and say something like "Ready...Set....GO!") then take off! As he catches up or passes by young in the same direction throw a toy ahead to reward him. 
_
- Restrained recalls_ If you can get a helper, have them hold Bailey as you rev him up and run away, turn around and call him too you. Reward with food/toys and/or more running. If you don't have a helper you can have Bailey on a long line, pass it behind a post while you run away, then let go of the line when you call. 

That should keep you busy for tomorrow


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## kbella999 (Jan 6, 2012)

AgileGSD said:


> depending on how it's taught "obedience" can actually be detrimental to agility.


I agree completely with this. When I got Rusti at age 4, she was heavily obedient trained. I had to untrain her on a lot of things. She could only do things on one side of me. Trying to get her to just walk on the other side was difficult and she was such a velcro dog and still is but not anything like she was. There are some obedience commands that are needed such as a good stay/wait command. You could practice any ground work and I believe there are several puppy agility dvd's that you could watch.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> that's funny. you have a hard time manuevering a certain
> obstacle so you think your dog will love agility. :crazy:


Yes actually, lol. I mean that there are some obstacles that I have a hard time doing that he does as well as he walks. It's second nature to him to climb over things and find the best route to get to a victim. 

We once had a training scenario where a victim was up on one of our metal shelves in our warehouse; we were doing a building search. The victim was 2 shelves up, about 10 Ft. The other dogs all sat beneath her when they found her and barked to alert the handler, since they could not "touch" her. Not Titan.. he saw her.. made eye contact and realized there was no way up to her in the front so he went around to the other side where there was a lot of boxes, ladders, poles, etc. and climbed up to her, manuevering through all the unintentional obstacles and made it to her.. touched her with his nose and came back down to alert me. It was at that moment I knew he would be an amazing search dog, but then also started looking into agility because I never thought he could do those things. If it were me I wouldn't have been able to balance on all that! Haha.. but he made it up and back down. Now granted I was right there in case he lost his balance but when he started I wanted to see how far he could go until he deemed it unnecessary.



chelle said:


> You and me both! I am very psyched to start Agility! I hope my dog is a good candidate for it.  We're working on getting a nice, strong Obedience foundation first, but I am very, very looking forward to getting into Agility!


I'm going to be so happy when my shifts go back to normal next month! Right now I can only train with him on the weekends and if I happen to get off at a decent hour, which is not often.



AgileGSD said:


> Sounds like Bailey has a good start if he's fast and fun loving
> 
> _-Tricks!! _Tricks are great! They help your dog learn that working with you is fun and many help the dog learn balance, coordination and flexibility: http://silvia.trkman.net/tricks.ht)
> 
> ...


Very interesting about the obedience bit. I guess it's a good thing that he started "forgetting" somethings I know he knows once I got the new puppy! Haha! Are there certain things that are part of obedience that he should at least have? Recal, sit/stay, etc.??


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

AgileGSD said:


> That should keep you busy for tomorrow


Wow! That'll keep us busy for weeks! Thank you for all that info. Fascinating! My "true" love is the dog dance vids I've seen. Seems to me that Agility could be the opener to the dog dance stuff? 

When our training facility starts a Beg Agility course, we're all in. Honestly, this particular sport gets my attention more than any other at this point. Bails *loves* Frisbee, but I've watched those disc dogs and I'm concerned over all the high jumping and hard landings for a bigger dog. I love the high energy of Agility for *myself*, too. 

Sorry, OP, for taking off on your post!!!! And again, thanks AgileGSD for all that info. I'm digging into all of it.!  (That handstand is... COOL!)


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

wyoung2153 said:


> Super good questions.. Say if I miss the window for the classes and have to wait a little, what can i do in the home to kind of prepare him???
> 
> Also... where can I look for classes? Are we talking private businesses dedicated to that or things like Petsmart?? <--doubtful.


Can try searching for clubs/classes on this site:

Clean Run: Search for Agility Clubs and Schools

These are the kinds of sites you'll find with clubs/classes, I'd even email them and ask for recommendations for closer places. Agility ends up being a small world and everyone starts knowing each other.

Home - Pals and Paws Agility Club

Welcome to Dog-On-It Agility Club of Central Florida

Sarasota Obedience Training Club

Home Page

Dog Training Club of St Petersburg - Pinellas - Florida > Home

Cool Critters Dog Training School

Florida has TONS of clubs/classes you need to just do a google search...


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

wyoung2153 said:


> Very interesting about the obedience bit. I guess it's a good thing that he started "forgetting" somethings I know he knows once I got the new puppy! Haha! Are there certain things that are part of obedience that he should at least have? Recal, sit/stay, etc.??


 Well he should want to work with you more than he wants to run away  A recall is never a bad idea but the formal type recall taught in obedience classes won't be of much use in agility.

You don't need a stay, especially not at first. A lot of people like them for the start line but honestly, I think people tend to get a bit hung up on the whole start line stay issue and that creates stress in some dogs. Many beginner dogs run much better if you run with them. So a solid but highly motivated stay (dog will hold position but be ready to spring into action when cued) will be probably be useful down the road but definitely not a necessity when starting out. 

The most important things to have starting out would be a motivated, eager, happy, fit dog who wants to do stuff with you and knows a lot of tricks, has learned to be confident on all sorts of objects and interactive with new objects. 




chelle said:


> Wow! That'll keep us busy for weeks! Thank you for all that info. Fascinating! My "true" love is the dog dance vids I've seen. Seems to me that Agility could be the opener to the dog dance stuff?


 I think a lot of the foundation work (the tricks, shaping, developing a training relationship and finding your dog's motivators, getting your dog in shape, etc) would all work towards creating a dog who could do well in freestyle as well.



chelle said:


> When our training facility starts a Beg Agility course, we're all in. Honestly, this particular sport gets my attention more than any other at this point. Bails *loves* Frisbee, but I've watched those disc dogs and I'm concerned over all the high jumping and hard landings for a bigger dog. I love the high energy of Agility for *myself*, too.
> 
> Sorry, OP, for taking off on your post!!!! And again, thanks AgileGSD for all that info. I'm digging into all of it.!  (That handstand is... COOL!)


 Don't forget to post progress updates! And videos are always nice 

I'm teaching my puppy to do a handstand - it is a very cool trick! Here is where we are now: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150625173770850&set=vb.287557245498&type=2&theater

And where we were a couple weeks ago: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150621874685850&set=vb.287557245498&type=2&theater


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> You could look at local kennel clubs or private training organizations for classes. Petsmart does not offer such classes and I wouldn't personally go to them if they did.
> 
> At home you can work on rear end awareness, focus exercises, building drive, and I believe you can find detailed picture/descriptions online for flatwork training involving crosses and send outs. I could not begin to actually describe it though.


I have my puppy in training at Petsmart(2nd dog to go there) and in my class they do bring out the tire, jump, and tunnel as an introduction but its done every week.


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