Agility Candidate?

My dog is 8 years old and I was wondering if
she can do agility. She is a dachshund mix, and she
is overweight and stubborn.

Hehe I love dachshunds. ^^ Um I don't exactly do agility but I'm guessing that a dachshund wouldn't likely be good enough to do competitions and everything. But of course you could just do agility for fun(and for your dog to lose some weight)! I have heard that dachshunds get back problems, so you might want to take it easy with the jumping or not jump at all. All of the other obstacles should be fine though and fun for you and your dog!

8 years old? I think it'll be better for your dog if you let him/her rest. Not run too much.

I would think some fun hikes/walks in new places would be good. It will help your dog to lose weight and get a little exercise, but agility can be quite violent at times. LOL. The jumping, the jerking they do when going through weave poles, the leaping off of other obstacles. I wouldn't recommend that for your dog. Just more play outside, retrieving and games like hide and seek would be fun and some obedience practice gives a dog a great sense of accomplishment...keeps their minds busy.

Ok, I will try to walk her more. I don't know
a whole lot about dogs so sometimes I may ask
dumb questions. Thank you!

Hey, don't ever think your questions are dumb. It's the people who don't ask or who ask and continue doing something that isn't good for dogs who remain in the dark. Sure, not always is there good advice, but often there is. You're wise to ask. And remember, those are just a few opinions on a message board. You could also use your vet for health type questions, just to get a double dose of ideas.

I have one little Chi mix who tends to get chubby. If I am careless, he gets into the big dog's food. So, I am cutting him back a little on his food. And normally would increase his exercise (he's young) but he has a patella problem which did get surgically fixed, but is acting up again. So without ample exercise, I know I need to cut back on his calorie intake even more. I know he's going to glare at me for depriving him.... but it's just one of those things. He has got to lose some weight or his health will suffer. He has actually come down somewhat the last week or two and doesn't have far to go. LOL. (I wish someone would cut me off)

Honestly, you could start her in agility, just for fun! There are Beagles that go into this sport and i'm sure they are WAY more stubborn then your girl lol

The jumps are lowered considerable for smaller dogs. you'd be surprised the breeds of dogs that enjoy this sport. I've see Chiuauas(sp?) at shows(my mom co-owns an agility club), i've seen min pins, beagles, viszlas, dalmations.. breeds you would really expect to do agility, but they all just LOVE it!

I do suggest getting her out for walks more though, having an overweight dach can lead to back problems for them because of their elongated bodies. Your girl may just happen to enjoy agility though. just take it easy for sure.

Also, the agility you see on tv is for advanced fully trained dogs, that is why they have sharp turns and such in it.

I have a Daschund and she has been to an agility class only once (when my boyfriend came to pick me up after the class he brought her along) I will not let her jump - with her long back she is likely to get a disc prolapse. The tunnels, Aframe, dogwalk and see-saw are all I'll allow her on. Most vets recommend that you do not even alow Daschunds to jump on the bed or climb stairs so I do not want her doing jumps in agility - back ops are expensive and it is a lot of pain for the dog so I don't want to risk it. The fatter your dog the more risk he/she is at. Rather take her for long walks and just play in general - you could start obedience or another dog sport perhaps.