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#1
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very beginner agility?
"elegy" wrote in message ... i was hoping somebody could give me some hints or point me toward some good resources for beginning agility. we have done some targeting (and basic obedience), but this is the first dog i've trained so i don't know where to go from here. i'd really like to get into an actual class but between my work schedule and her extreme reativeness around other dogs (read: lunging and screaming and absolutely no dream of being reliable off-lead), it's not going to happen in the immediate future. i'm looking for very basic handling stuff that i can do in the backyard. Not too long ago on here, there were a few books listed as good agility books for beginners. I have two of them on my own bookshelf, and as a novice agility person, I would agree. They are both easy to understand, and both have a few exercises and things that "backyard" agility people can set up. The first is _All About Agility_ by Jacqueline O'Neil, and the other is _Agility Training_ by Jane Simmons-Moakes. Both of my copies are outdated (from the late 90's), so some of the regulation heights/course descriptions/club affiliation info may have changed unless they've released new editions since then. _Agility Training_ also has some blueprints in the back for making a few of your own obstacles. Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog.* Watchful management of their social behavior is crucial, IMHO. Teaching your dog to focus on you, having a reliable recall and a solid stay are also important. If you've got those before going into an agility class, it's less to worry about! :-) That way, everyone can have a good time and concentrate on learning. (*and this comes from someone who has one dog that likes to unexpectedly lunge out at fast moving targets Coda, and the other from a breed that has a lot of common misconceptions as well, but is actually very well-behaved Bodhi) Shelly & The Boys: Coda (Collie/Golden/BC mix) Bodhi (Belgian Sheepdog) |
#2
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"elegy" wrote in message ... i was hoping somebody could give me some hints or point me toward some good resources for beginning agility. we have done some targeting (and basic obedience), but this is the first dog i've trained so i don't know where to go from here. i'd really like to get into an actual class but between my work schedule and her extreme reativeness around other dogs (read: lunging and screaming and absolutely no dream of being reliable off-lead), it's not going to happen in the immediate future. i'm looking for very basic handling stuff that i can do in the backyard. Not too long ago on here, there were a few books listed as good agility books for beginners. I have two of them on my own bookshelf, and as a novice agility person, I would agree. They are both easy to understand, and both have a few exercises and things that "backyard" agility people can set up. The first is _All About Agility_ by Jacqueline O'Neil, and the other is _Agility Training_ by Jane Simmons-Moakes. Both of my copies are outdated (from the late 90's), so some of the regulation heights/course descriptions/club affiliation info may have changed unless they've released new editions since then. _Agility Training_ also has some blueprints in the back for making a few of your own obstacles. Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog.* Watchful management of their social behavior is crucial, IMHO. Teaching your dog to focus on you, having a reliable recall and a solid stay are also important. If you've got those before going into an agility class, it's less to worry about! :-) That way, everyone can have a good time and concentrate on learning. (*and this comes from someone who has one dog that likes to unexpectedly lunge out at fast moving targets Coda, and the other from a breed that has a lot of common misconceptions as well, but is actually very well-behaved Bodhi) Shelly & The Boys: Coda (Collie/Golden/BC mix) Bodhi (Belgian Sheepdog) |
#3
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"elegy" wrote in message ... i was hoping somebody could give me some hints or point me toward some good resources for beginning agility. we have done some targeting (and basic obedience), but this is the first dog i've trained so i don't know where to go from here. i'd really like to get into an actual class but between my work schedule and her extreme reativeness around other dogs (read: lunging and screaming and absolutely no dream of being reliable off-lead), it's not going to happen in the immediate future. i'm looking for very basic handling stuff that i can do in the backyard. Not too long ago on here, there were a few books listed as good agility books for beginners. I have two of them on my own bookshelf, and as a novice agility person, I would agree. They are both easy to understand, and both have a few exercises and things that "backyard" agility people can set up. The first is _All About Agility_ by Jacqueline O'Neil, and the other is _Agility Training_ by Jane Simmons-Moakes. Both of my copies are outdated (from the late 90's), so some of the regulation heights/course descriptions/club affiliation info may have changed unless they've released new editions since then. _Agility Training_ also has some blueprints in the back for making a few of your own obstacles. Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog.* Watchful management of their social behavior is crucial, IMHO. Teaching your dog to focus on you, having a reliable recall and a solid stay are also important. If you've got those before going into an agility class, it's less to worry about! :-) That way, everyone can have a good time and concentrate on learning. (*and this comes from someone who has one dog that likes to unexpectedly lunge out at fast moving targets Coda, and the other from a breed that has a lot of common misconceptions as well, but is actually very well-behaved Bodhi) Shelly & The Boys: Coda (Collie/Golden/BC mix) Bodhi (Belgian Sheepdog) |
#4
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Shelly writes:
Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog. My club is pretty strict about dogs not lunging at other dogs, no dog who chase little dogs like prey, etc. They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Janet Boss http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/ http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience |
#5
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Shelly writes:
Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog. My club is pretty strict about dogs not lunging at other dogs, no dog who chase little dogs like prey, etc. They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Janet Boss http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/ http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience |
#6
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Shelly writes:
Nothing is like taking a class, however! And personally, I consider basic obedience a must--beyond that a big bonus! In a class where a lot of the work is off-leash, it's nice for everyone to feel fairly comfortable that another dog isn't going to lunge or attack their dog. My club is pretty strict about dogs not lunging at other dogs, no dog who chase little dogs like prey, etc. They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Janet Boss http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/ http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience |
#7
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"J1Boss" wrote in message ... They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. Agreed! This, among the hip issues, is one reason why I stopped with Coda. While his obedience is solid, his behavior was unpredictable (for me, maybe someone with much more behavior knowlege than me could predict it, but usually I can catch it "just in time"--which just wasn't good enough for me). There were never any attacks, just a loud caccophony of noise and a lightening fast lunge. I felt uncomfortable with him doing that, even though he's never gotten into a fight (other than scrapping over food with Bodhi). He gets along well with most dogs otherwise shrug. At the time, I just wasn't equipped to deal with that behavior. I may be better now, but at the time I was (and neither was Coda) not very confident about this in class, and it showed. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. Our class is small also, usually 5 dog/handler teams. A Belgian, a Newf, a Golden, then a Cardi & a SUPER CUTE small Spaniel mix. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Yes, my weirdo is like that too. He would do the A-Frame, LOVES to jump, is getting better & better at weaves, but he was NOT setting his pretty little paws on that teeter or dogwalk! I was afraid that we'd never get past this! He'd go on the same type of obstacles at lower heights, but not raised up. So, at the recommendation of our trainer, we did some "height work". Just hanging out on bleachers, going up & down stairs, and added some cavaletti work as well. But what really seemed to help was that after a couple of weeks of working with a contact trainer, he just zooms right up the teeter and the dogwalk like it's no big deal. Of course, now he LOVES contacts, and I have a hard time keeping him from being sucked up the A-frame! One step at a time! Shelly & The Boys (Contacts=Food, Bodhi hearts Food!) |
#8
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"J1Boss" wrote in message ... They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. Agreed! This, among the hip issues, is one reason why I stopped with Coda. While his obedience is solid, his behavior was unpredictable (for me, maybe someone with much more behavior knowlege than me could predict it, but usually I can catch it "just in time"--which just wasn't good enough for me). There were never any attacks, just a loud caccophony of noise and a lightening fast lunge. I felt uncomfortable with him doing that, even though he's never gotten into a fight (other than scrapping over food with Bodhi). He gets along well with most dogs otherwise shrug. At the time, I just wasn't equipped to deal with that behavior. I may be better now, but at the time I was (and neither was Coda) not very confident about this in class, and it showed. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. Our class is small also, usually 5 dog/handler teams. A Belgian, a Newf, a Golden, then a Cardi & a SUPER CUTE small Spaniel mix. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Yes, my weirdo is like that too. He would do the A-Frame, LOVES to jump, is getting better & better at weaves, but he was NOT setting his pretty little paws on that teeter or dogwalk! I was afraid that we'd never get past this! He'd go on the same type of obstacles at lower heights, but not raised up. So, at the recommendation of our trainer, we did some "height work". Just hanging out on bleachers, going up & down stairs, and added some cavaletti work as well. But what really seemed to help was that after a couple of weeks of working with a contact trainer, he just zooms right up the teeter and the dogwalk like it's no big deal. Of course, now he LOVES contacts, and I have a hard time keeping him from being sucked up the A-frame! One step at a time! Shelly & The Boys (Contacts=Food, Bodhi hearts Food!) |
#9
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"J1Boss" wrote in message ... They want solid Basic obedience, not so-so. Agreed! This, among the hip issues, is one reason why I stopped with Coda. While his obedience is solid, his behavior was unpredictable (for me, maybe someone with much more behavior knowlege than me could predict it, but usually I can catch it "just in time"--which just wasn't good enough for me). There were never any attacks, just a loud caccophony of noise and a lightening fast lunge. I felt uncomfortable with him doing that, even though he's never gotten into a fight (other than scrapping over food with Bodhi). He gets along well with most dogs otherwise shrug. At the time, I just wasn't equipped to deal with that behavior. I may be better now, but at the time I was (and neither was Coda) not very confident about this in class, and it showed. I'm incredibly lucky to have a class that meets during the daytime (which is the only thing I can work into my schedule), which is also very SMALL. There are only 6 of us in the class anyway, but have a few absent for various reasons, and it practically becomes private training. This past session, there were only 3 of us there, and with 3 instructors, it was amazing. Our class is small also, usually 5 dog/handler teams. A Belgian, a Newf, a Golden, then a Cardi & a SUPER CUTE small Spaniel mix. And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Yes, my weirdo is like that too. He would do the A-Frame, LOVES to jump, is getting better & better at weaves, but he was NOT setting his pretty little paws on that teeter or dogwalk! I was afraid that we'd never get past this! He'd go on the same type of obstacles at lower heights, but not raised up. So, at the recommendation of our trainer, we did some "height work". Just hanging out on bleachers, going up & down stairs, and added some cavaletti work as well. But what really seemed to help was that after a couple of weeks of working with a contact trainer, he just zooms right up the teeter and the dogwalk like it's no big deal. Of course, now he LOVES contacts, and I have a hard time keeping him from being sucked up the A-frame! One step at a time! Shelly & The Boys (Contacts=Food, Bodhi hearts Food!) |
#10
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"J1Boss" wrote in message
... And Franklin finally decided the dogwalk was not just not evil, but FUN - he ran up and over like he had never had any issue with it at all! He's such a weirdo sometimes. Warning - this means that he will now develop an aversion to either the tire or the table. (But, also YAY Franklin!) Sassy - who LOVES the table because she KNOWS she does it right - has taken to running right over it in trials. Spenser has, at times, spent many seconds during trials circling the table as if he'd never seen one. As we're working out Sassy's table issues - we have literally cut the legs off our practice table - she's starting to avoid the tire jumps but only the ones at trials. -- ~~Judy Spenser - Carbor Talk of the Town, NA Sassy - Can CH Carbor Back Talk |
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