Beginners obedience, rally, or agility?

Oh yes...I know what is the norm, hear about it and understand why that could efinitely be a problem. Like I said, he wasn't Mr. Perfect in agility but he was fairly fast and knew what to do....learned quickly. We also hiked every day in the woods and he was encouraged to "go run" and zip ahead and do his own thing, just as long as he would check in and come when called, which he did. But maybe that practice where we'd have a controlled obedience practice...heel and stay and all that, and in the same day, running like a lunatic through the woods, leaping over logs and creeks helped him not get stuck in one mind set.

We started obedience at home when he was just a wee one. (well, he was never a wee one) LOL. And started puppy agility at around 6 months. He went to puppy kindergarten soon after I got him, after 2 sets of shots, and another obedience class, then we did a little obedience after agility class with other dogs around when he was older and able to do big-boy agility. lol. The trainer wanted to practice her young dog with other dogs around and offerered the obedience no charge. That was a fun time. I miss my Lyric boy.

All of the above...and herding.

I agree with starting agility before or at the same time as working on competition obedience. Rally can be a fun way to do competition without as much strictness as formal obedience.

Tracking is a blast and corgis are usually great at it.

Same with Ares. He had a little trouble though in the beginning with working on my right side, but that was completely a handler issue -- I couldn't keep track of where he was on that side which caused confusion. Once I learned to handle on both sides, he was great at it...so I'd say a corgi can certainly be a dog for "every job" too.

But I do think it's more the exception.

I've seen a lot of dogs and handlers struggle to get agility after doing a lot of formal obedience. I think also it depends somewhat on the dog's enthusiasm for agility. Some aren't as naturally eager to go run and jump and be a little more independent, and if they've been taught to stay close to the handler and in heel position and always wait for the handler to be with them, then they don't make the switch as easily.

Nyx is like that. It's kind of one reason I started dabbling in freestyle.

I agree that some dogs (although not all) would have issues doing both competition obedience and agility. I had really wanted to try obedience as well with Meg, but after talking it over with a few people, that is on hold indefinitely. Rally or obedience may come when she is done with agility, because I think she would enjoy it. But she is a very clingy dog by nature, and confidence is always her issue. With all the work we've done trying to teach her obstacle focus, distance work, and to run ahead of me when instructed, I think training obedience right now would just encourage her to go back to her more natural tendencies.

As for tracking, I took a couple of seminars, thinking my hound dog might enjoy it. She though it was okay; I thought it was like watching paint dry. I know people who adore it, but it is so not my style!

uh oh! we're doomed!

lol not all dogs. But I will always remember this one dog. It was an adorable little mix at Dekka's first NAMBR obed trial. I watched it warm up and my heart sank. I just knew I wasn't getting a first in Novice B with that dog entered! He was perfect, focused like you wouldn't believe.

But he went in and on leash he was amazing. As soon as the leash came off he started screaming at his handler and was revved up to play flyball lol.

Its also a 'common' issue with people who get high drive dogs and start them competing in flyball first, the dogs get so hyped an dog events it never occurs to them that it might not be flyball. A few times a year I meet someone new who says they wish they could do agility at trials but can't as their dog is to high. (and some of these people are very good trainers.. though some really suck too )

Not all dogs have this issue of course. I just hear it soooo often.

steve's too high anyway

i still haven't decided if it was a good or bad choice to put him in flyball, but he LOVES it. and he's good at it. i want an obedience dog but i don't know if i'll ever get that from him.

OoO Flyball!

I can't really see Harper doing that one, but boy it looks like alot of fun!!! She has the personality for it, but I don't think she has the build LOL

I'm kind of excited about puppy preschool- they have a quote of Patricia McConnell on their website, which is why I picked them.

It seems like agility is a better place to start then I initially thought it was. It seems like you can go from agility to obedience, but not the reverse.

Corgipower- all three and handling???? LOL! I think we'll start off with one or two things and then branch out later :rofl1:

Who knows, maybe Harper could eventually be a TDI or Delta dog, but she has too much energy right now.

Don't discount build... A friend had the first Shar-Pei to title in Flyball - not a breed you think of when you think of flyball. :lol-sign: