when should you start training a dog for agility?
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Most larger breed dogs cannot be trained till they are about 14-18 months old and done growing.
But in the meantime you can train basics (sit, stay, come, heel) as the dog has to at least have the basics for you to control them in the ring/training.
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I am from Austraila and here they do not allow you to start agility with a puppy.
Your dog will have to be a minimum of 18 months old and with vet certificates (including vaccination records).
This is because it puts a lot of stress on growing bones and joints – so they have to be finished growing.
They also do not allow you to do agility until you have completed basic obedience to Grade 5 (highest level before competiton levels begin).
This is because your dog will need to be off lead for agilty and therefore you must be able to prove you have good control over them.
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Regardless of your dog’s age, foundation stuff can, and should, be taught first. I started some of the training as soon as I brought my puppy home- stuff like balancing on a bosu ball, working on a perch, being able to switch to and from reinforcers depending on what I want, recall work, tricks like waving (both paws) and rolling over- all of these help develop the puppy’s brain and body, and our partnership. Later I worked on plank work, and targeting, and taught her how to get herself over a jump safely and efficiently. Once she was around 10 months (she’s a small BC) I started doing more work with jumping and weave poles, and started training her on the contact obstacles. Keep in mind- I was working with a trainer privately, and had been doing agility for 12+ years, so your dog may not be ready as quickly, but building a good foundation sets you up for quicker progress down the road.
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agility training is not for puppies. you can start by 8 months for small breeds atleast a year for large breeds..
for more info try my site
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as tiptoptr said, “pre-agility” training can start as soon as you bring a puppy home.
Agility is not just the dogs jumping over jumps, and doing the rest of the equipment. It is firstly, and mostly, the attitude of the dog wanting to “play” a game with you and the bond you have with your dog. Agility is the dog reading your body language for direction, and your understanding what that body language is. It is understanding how to motivate your dog, how to use treats and toys to build enthusiasm, how to use these tools to guide/lure your dog into “behaviors” you are seeking, and how to use them as reward.
Agility dogs must know such as: sit, down, come to front, come to your side (right and left) with your back turned…quickly and enthusiastically! Person needs to know how to switch dog from their right side to their left side, and vice versa smoothly and quickly….handling moves.
If an agility course is, say, 165 yards long, on a standard course about 65 yards is actual “equipment”. The rest is? The handler being able to correctly direct the dog from one obstacle to another.
This is where you start the “pre-agility” training.
I have my 2nd agility dog. Both were started the day I brought them home. Not on equipment of course, but all training and play geared towards being an agility dog.
We offer “Play/motivation for agility” classes. We accept dogs as young as 6 months old. It is all “ground work”, in the beginning. As the classes progress into next levels of training we gradually introduce equipment: table on the ground, then tunnels.
Check for classes in your area, talk to the trainers.