First agility attempt

ds5160

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#1
I got a call from the trainer we have worked with for a couple of months, and she said she was setting up an agility course at a local park. I decided to take Dami, the dog we've had for 3 months since she needed to burn off some energy, and I thought agility would be good for her, and more interesting than going for a run. We got to the park, and she took to the course in no time. The trainer doesn't have a full setup, just a few items, but Dami took to them in no time. Showed her the jump once with the bar on the ground, and then raised the bar to the lowest setting. Dami immediately started to jump it. I could get her to sit and stay, walk to the other side of the jump, and over she'd go. She did start to go around it after about an hour and she was just exhausted. The other items, the tunnel and the weave bars were even easier to train her on. I was stunned at how easy it was to get her going on these.
 

adojrts

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#2
Glad you had fun, but the first rule of agility is to not over train, your dog should never be exhausted from it. I am going to assume that your trainer knows nothing about agility (from what you have said). If you are interested in agility, please go with someone who can teach you properly and safely.
 

MafiaPrincess

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#3
A good trainer teaches foundations. Learning how to weave in the first class ever is a huge red flag to me.
 

ds5160

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#4
Thanks for the tips. I did let her play a bit more than I should have. I was giving her regular breaks again, and when we left the area, she wanted play with every other dog that we passed on the way to the car.

This was very informal, and as for the weave, I wanted to see how she reacted to the sticks. She walked between them, and showed no fear, so I started to play with her guiding her through the sticks.

Definitely not something I want to do formally, but the dog seemed to have a good time, and it was a good thing to get her to burn off some energy.
 

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