Attention span

[malinda]

I posted this in reply to another e-mail but thought after I should have put it here.

I am thinking of doing some agility training with Megan. She may be too young to be even thinking this route and first I want to get her through some basic training classes.

My question is though her attention span is very small. I'm not sure that would be good for agility. Is this because she is still a puppy?

Do they recommend agility courses for puppies?

I would love to do agility training with her, maybe it would release some of that energy of hers. And it looks like fun for both of us.

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Mom of Megan-flashy, female, fawn boxer. Natural ears and docked tail. Born 5/23/00.

[Jan]

As I said on your previous post, puppies definitely have short attention spans.

You can't compete in agility until I believe they are 18 months old. The age might actually vary from place to place. It's important that you don't do too much jumping untill they are fully developed, which is usually around 2 yrs old for boxers. A good basis in obedience will help alot when it comes to doing agility. I don't know if they usually have agility classes for puppies or not. You could certainly start to expose Megan to the types of obstacles that she will see on a agility course. Get her to walk on benchs and up ramps etc, you could even set up weave poles in your yard and start teaching her to go in and out the poles.

Good luck,

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Jan
Markus, dark brindle
neutered male, 6 yrs old