ummm well start by learning what you need to teach your dog, go help at a place that teaches agility if you can't afford lessons yourself. Its not nearly as simple as it looks 
Dogs jump height is based on their height. My 11 inch JRT jumps 10 inches in competitions, while her 13 inch father jumps 16 inches. The height also varies venue to venue. You need to teach your dog flat work first. (or foundation work, as it is also known) Contact behaviours need to be learned before you ever put them across a piece of lowered equip.
The most important thing to know is to never force your dog, if they say they are scared..back up to where they are fine. Clicker training is a huge bonus, so if you don't know about it, google it and start with that.
(PS the big letters are kinda annoying)
Dogs jump height is based on their height. My 11 inch JRT jumps 10 inches in competitions, while her 13 inch father jumps 16 inches. The height also varies venue to venue. You need to teach your dog flat work first. (or foundation work, as it is also known) Contact behaviours need to be learned before you ever put them across a piece of lowered equip.
The most important thing to know is to never force your dog, if they say they are scared..back up to where they are fine. Clicker training is a huge bonus, so if you don't know about it, google it and start with that.
(PS the big letters are kinda annoying)
A
ummm well start by learning what you need to teach your dog, go help at a place that teaches agility if you can't afford lessons yourself. Its not nearly as simple as it looks
Dogs jump height is based on their height. My 11 inch JRT jumps 10 inches in competitions, while her 13 inch father jumps 16 inches. The height also varies venue to venue. You need to teach your dog flat work first. (or foundation work, as it is also known) Contact behaviours need to be learned before you ever put them across a piece of lowered equip.
The most important thing to know is to never force your dog, if they say they are scared..back up to where they are fine. Clicker training is a huge bonus, so if you don't know about it, google it and start with that.
(PS the big letters are kinda annoying)
Dogs jump height is based on their height. My 11 inch JRT jumps 10 inches in competitions, while her 13 inch father jumps 16 inches. The height also varies venue to venue. You need to teach your dog flat work first. (or foundation work, as it is also known) Contact behaviours need to be learned before you ever put them across a piece of lowered equip.
The most important thing to know is to never force your dog, if they say they are scared..back up to where they are fine. Clicker training is a huge bonus, so if you don't know about it, google it and start with that.
(PS the big letters are kinda annoying)
You can do agility without being as into it as Dekka and some other people are. I mean no disrespect to those who are serious and into competing, but I disagree that it's not a sport to be taken lightly- if thats how you want to take it, then take it that way. If you want to be totally competitive and serious, take it that way. Regardless of how you do it, it's a lot of fun for you and your dog. You don't need to be competitive or anything like that. Just work with your dog and go slow. Like Dekka said, don't push them too far too fast. Start with low jumps and flat obstacles, use what ever motivates your dog to get them excited to learn the tasks, and work up as your dog gains comfort and confidence.
I do agility for fun with one of my dogs. He never had any formal training, but he loves going up to the course to have fun. He runs the entire course now with me not having to say anything, just jogging along and pointing to each object, and he can finish the course of about 12 objects in like 30 seconds. He may never be a true competitor, we may not have perfect lines to cut off milliseconds of his time, he may miss an object now and then, but he doesn't know that. He's just as happy for his reward at the end of the course as any agility champ.
You can make things in your yard. A couple buckets with a broom stick laid across can be a jump. An ironing board set a couple inches high can be a cat walk. PVC tubing is very cheap and versatile. You can make a tire/hoop kind of jump for a couple bucks with pvc, some black flex drain pipe, and some bungee cords. Scrap lumber nailed together can make a lot of things. Since my dog is big, we use things like the lawn swing as a jump, pieces of wood laid over the backs of lawn chairs, things like that. Use your imagination and have fun!
I do agility for fun with one of my dogs. He never had any formal training, but he loves going up to the course to have fun. He runs the entire course now with me not having to say anything, just jogging along and pointing to each object, and he can finish the course of about 12 objects in like 30 seconds. He may never be a true competitor, we may not have perfect lines to cut off milliseconds of his time, he may miss an object now and then, but he doesn't know that. He's just as happy for his reward at the end of the course as any agility champ.
You can make things in your yard. A couple buckets with a broom stick laid across can be a jump. An ironing board set a couple inches high can be a cat walk. PVC tubing is very cheap and versatile. You can make a tire/hoop kind of jump for a couple bucks with pvc, some black flex drain pipe, and some bungee cords. Scrap lumber nailed together can make a lot of things. Since my dog is big, we use things like the lawn swing as a jump, pieces of wood laid over the backs of lawn chairs, things like that. Use your imagination and have fun!
DanL dogs can get hurt (I hear about it..with disturbing frequency) now if you are ok with that..thats fine. I am the same about teaching people to ride. Yep there are people who ride horses with no lessons, just buy a horse at an auction let the kids on and go. But it all depends on the risks you wish to take. Foundation work is fun for both dog and handler, and can make the world of difference in other sports too, not just agility. Foundation work will increase focus (making daily walks better, no pulling etc) build a stronger bond (through increased comunication) and teach the dogs how to be safe on the equip.
Basically if your dog is healthy then pretty much all dog sports are good for your dog. Earth dog, obedience, Rally O, tracking, dockdogs, agility, flyball you name it.
Basically if your dog is healthy then pretty much all dog sports are good for your dog. Earth dog, obedience, Rally O, tracking, dockdogs, agility, flyball you name it.
Dekka, we've had this discussion before. I know dogs can get hurt, but starting out with a 6" jump or a 2x8 laid on the ground is pretty low risk. My dog stands just as much chance getting hurt going over an 8' A frame at protection training as he does jumping in the air to catch a frisbee, leaping off the pool deck to chase something, or any number of activities that are normal day to day things for him, just as an experienced, trained from basics competitive agility dog has the same chance of falling and hurting himself. We're not letting Daisy participate in agility at class because we know she's not ready for it, but we certainly let her walk up to the foot high jump and step over it with her long legs, because there is no risk involved.
I'm saying, take it slow. You don't start your dog on the highest jump or on the steep A frame or on the teeter on day 1. Just like Gunnar isn't being trained on long send outs to engage the decoy at protection training when he's still getting comfortable engaging him in close range. One step at a time, when your dog is comfortable, then you introduce the next step.
I'm saying, take it slow. You don't start your dog on the highest jump or on the steep A frame or on the teeter on day 1. Just like Gunnar isn't being trained on long send outs to engage the decoy at protection training when he's still getting comfortable engaging him in close range. One step at a time, when your dog is comfortable, then you introduce the next step.
DanL then that is part of the foundation work..we do to it slow..we also make sure the dog really understands so they don't get hurt later. Its not on the jumps dogs get hurt. Its once the dog seems to 'know' it and is running full tilt, and its almost always the contact obstacles. (or the tire for some reason)
Okay agilitygirl I'll try to help you out:
Earth dog- terrier dogs go in underground tunnels to find rats at the end, like they where bred to do.
Obedience- giving your dog commands. Kind of self explanatory, there are differntly levels and they get progressivly harder.
Rally O- Like Obedience exept the judge doesn't talk to you. What you need to do is laid out on a course with signs giving you instructions.
Tracking- kind of like search and rescue just there's not rescue part.
Dockdogs- having your dog jump off a "dock" after a toy. Who ever jumps the farthest wins.
Flyball- kind of like a relay team. Dogs go over four(I think) hurtles, hit this box that gives them a ball and go back over the hurtles.
The AKC's website can give you more info: http://www.akc.org/events/index.cfm?nav_area=events
I don't know how old you are but you might want to look into 4-H. They have a lot of differnt sports that you can try out, they teach you how to do them, you can go to a show, and it doesn't cost hardly anything.
Earth dog- terrier dogs go in underground tunnels to find rats at the end, like they where bred to do.
Obedience- giving your dog commands. Kind of self explanatory, there are differntly levels and they get progressivly harder.
Rally O- Like Obedience exept the judge doesn't talk to you. What you need to do is laid out on a course with signs giving you instructions.
Tracking- kind of like search and rescue just there's not rescue part.
Dockdogs- having your dog jump off a "dock" after a toy. Who ever jumps the farthest wins.
Flyball- kind of like a relay team. Dogs go over four(I think) hurtles, hit this box that gives them a ball and go back over the hurtles.
The AKC's website can give you more info: http://www.akc.org/events/index.cfm?nav_area=events
I don't know how old you are but you might want to look into 4-H. They have a lot of differnt sports that you can try out, they teach you how to do them, you can go to a show, and it doesn't cost hardly anything.