A Few Agility Questions

brianloki · #1 04-05-2008, 12:37 PM

Okay, first off, how early would you recommend beginning agility training? My dog, Loki, is nine months old, and I've recently started taking him to the local dog park (which has a bunch of agility obstacles) to begin training.

Second, what is the best way to get Loki to do the tire jump? He will do it if the tire is relatively low, but if I raise it too high, he'll sniff it, but will refuse to jump through it. Keep in mind that I'm raising it to a height that I know he can jump.

Third, any recommendations about getting him to do the poles that he has to zig-zag through (I can't remember their name off the top of my head)? I have trouble keeping him focused when attempting them.

Fourth, how would you recommend working on the ramps? Thus far I've found this to be the toughest aspect of agility training. Loki simply does not want to go up any of the various ramps in the park. The highest I've been able to get him was near the top of one ramp (and only once), but he quickly leaped to the ground without completing it.

Finally, what is the best way to do the tunnels? I haven't tried them yet, and I assume they aren't terribly difficult, but I figured I might as well get advice on that while I'm posting here.

Any other advice on agility training would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

HurricaneBox · #2 04-05-2008, 01:45 PM

Most of your questions I don't know about, but I am planning on getting into agility with my boy too, and it has been recommened to me that I only work on flatwork (tunnels, etc) until he is at least 18 months old. Teaching him how to do the jumps before this could injure his still growing bones, etc. Since I have been told it isn't a good idea to start that yet I am still working on getting a solid obedience background with him before I begin any agility work at all. l hope this helps you out...

**gmacleod** · #3 04-05-2008, 02:54 PM

Indeed - jumping and weaving are two things that should be reserved for after the dog's skeletal growth is complete. In the case of boxers, which are a slow maturing breed for their size, that's around the 14-18 month mark. Prior to that, you would risk permanent damage (and discomfort may be one of the reasons he resists doing it).

It doesn't mean you can't get started on other stuff, nor have fun with your dog. But the sorts of things that put extreme stress on his joints should be reserved for his adult body

CodysPop · #4 04-05-2008, 02:58 PM

The recommended age for boxer's to begin Agility training is at 18 months old. The training center that I currently attend has obedience classes that start at 6 months old. The obedience will definitely come in handy with the Agility later down the road.

brianloki · #5 04-05-2008, 06:33 PM

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I guess I'll just take him to the park to play for a couple of months before I get started on the agility stuff. At the very least, it will give me plenty of time to work on off-leash commands.

IluvLucy · #6 04-05-2008, 09:14 PM

As some members have already told you, I would wait until 18 months to do any real jumping. For now, I would keep jumps VERY low. It also can't be stressed enough how helpful a solid base in obedience can be. Your dog has to obey you off-leash and sometimes at a distance to be at all competitive. Weave Poles is the name you were looking for. There are many ways to teach them but about the easiest is to start out on a leash and just weave them through it. Once they seem to understand what to do you can take the leash off and start working them that way. In my opinion it's one of the hardest obstacles for them to learn, but luckily it's one of the easiest to make so that you can practice them at home if you don't have easy access to them elsewhere. Ramps. Which one are you talking about? The narrow one is called a Dog Walk, the wide one is called an A-Frame and the one that tilts is obviously called a Teeter Totter or Teeter for short. The key to starting out with those is to lower the height, which may not be possible with the equipment you described. Most training facilities will have adjustable height ones and will lower them for beginner dogs of ANY age. Open tunnels are fairly simple, just make sure they are straight to start with so your dog can see through to the other end. Sometime you may have to have someone start your dog on one end, while you are on the other end calling them to you. You can curve them as they get used to going through them. The Collapsed Tunnel is similar, have a helper start on the open end with your dog and you on the other side holding the collapsed end open so they can see you and eventually letting your end drop as they near the end so they get used to it being closed. Depending on which venue you would be training for, there would also be other obstacles to learn.

brianloki · #7 04-05-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IluvLucy

As some members have already told you, I would wait until 18 months to do any real jumping. For now, I would keep jumps VERY low. It also can't be stressed enough how helpful a solid base in obedience can be. Your dog has to obey you off-leash and sometimes at a distance to be at all competitive. Weave Poles is the name you were looking for. There are many ways to teach them but about the easiest is to start out on a leash and just weave them through it. Once they seem to understand what to do you can take the leash off and start working them that way. In my opinion it's one of the hardest obstacles for them to learn, but luckily it's one of the easiest to make so that you can practice them at home if you don't have easy access to them elsewhere. Ramps. Which one are you talking about? The narrow one is called a Dog Walk, the wide one is called an A-Frame and the one that tilts is obviously called a Teeter Totter or Teeter for short. The key to starting out with those is to lower the height, which may not be possible with the equipment you described. Most training facilities will have adjustable height ones and will lower them for beginner dogs of ANY age. Open tunnels are fairly simple, just make sure they are straight to start with so your dog can see through to the other end. Sometime you may have to have someone start your dog on one end, while you are on the other end calling them to you. You can curve them as they get used to going through them. The Collapsed Tunnel is similar, have a helper start on the open end with your dog and you on the other side holding the collapsed end open so they can see you and eventually letting your end drop as they near the end so they get used to it being closed. Depending on which venue you would be training for, there would also be other obstacles to learn.

Thanks for the advice. I've only been doing the jumping now because Loki really loves to jump, and he does so very freely at home (jumping up on my couch, and frequently doing laps where he leaps up onto my recliner and back down again while playing with his toys). I don't really do very stressful routines when I'm at the dog park. I usually just try to get him to do a few jumps for a treat, and then a few based solely on command, and then resume letting him run around and enjoy himself.

Based on the advice of yourself and everyone else, I suppose now would be a good time to get him working on tunnels, as that shouldn't be an issue for his growing bones. I'll be sure to shift the focus on that from now on at the park, at least until he is old enough to begin work on jumps.

I was actually referring to all of the ramp obstacles. They have all three types at my local dog park, although unfortunately I can't adjust the height. Do you have any recommendations for the ramp equipment (which is generally three and a half to four feet high)? That seems like it will be the biggest issue for Loki, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Really, I don't know if I ever plan to actually have Loki compete, but I figured that agility was a great way to keep him active and to give him a sense of purpose. Even if he never compete, agility courses could proved him with a great way to have some fun and burn some energy, which is why I've decided to play around with it in the first place. If he excels at it, I can eventually have him compete, but regardless, I figured it'd be a fun and unique way to train with him.

IluvLucy · #8 04-06-2008, 08:43 AM

If you can't lower the height on the contact (ramp) obstacles, the only thing I can suggest is luring your dog over it with treats or a favorite toy. Be very careful to make sure they don't fall off. A bad experience can be a real setback and makes it extra hard to work past to get them to do the obstacle again. The Teeter is especially so. Make sure your dog proceeds slowly forward from the half-way point at first because the tipping motion can startle them and the board slamming down quickly can be hard on joints. They may also have a tendency to try to jump off the end when it starts to tilt at which point the board will immediately start to tilt back up, possibly hitting your dog before they land, causing injury. I have seen this happen.

brianloki · #9 04-06-2008, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IluvLucy

If you can't lower the height on the contact (ramp) obstacles, the only thing I can suggest is luring your dog over it with treats or a favorite toy. Be very careful to make sure they don't fall off. A bad experience can be a real setback and makes it extra hard to work past to get them to do the obstacle again. The Teeter is especially so. Make sure your dog proceeds slowly forward from the half-way point at first because the tipping motion can startle them and the board slamming down quickly can be hard on joints. They may also have a tendency to try to jump off the end when it starts to tilt at which point the board will immediately start to tilt back up, possibly hitting your dog before they land, causing injury. I have seen this happen.

Yeah, I think the teeter will be the last thing I teach him. I want him to be comfortable going up and down ramps before I force him onto one that moves.

Thanks for the tips.