Tips for starting agility with a "non-traditional" breed

So, as some of you already know, I'm beginning an agility class with my 3 year old coonhound in (gulp) like 10 days, and I'm feeling a little nervous. When I signed up for the class, the instructor asked what breed my dog was and when I said coonhound she said, "Oh! My!"

Oh my, indeed.

My goal here is to not completely embarress us, and to make sure that Marlowe always has a good time and can experience some modicum of success (as defined by him having a good time, of course!). I've been reviewing some of our basic obedience (just CGC stuff) and a few tricks just to get him thinking again, but I'm wondering if anyone could recommend some things we can work on before class starts that might at least put us within shouting distance of the skills the more "traditional" agility breeds already come to class posessing.

I myself have never participated in agility before, or any dog sport for that matter. I've only ever taken one formal obedience class, and that was Marlowe's CGC prep class last year (which he passed with flying colors). So not only am I bringing a hound into the agility ring, it's my own first time as well. :yikes: pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right about now.

I wouldn't worry about it. Our agility class is mixed breed, small to big. All of the dogs (and handlers) have their own style. The most important thing is that your dog wants to work for you.

CeCe was initially scared by the teeter totter, the instructor helped and now she jumps up onto the raised end everytime we get close to it.

As long as your dog is well mannered around the other dogs and handlers just go and have fun.

I hope you guys have a great time! I went to an agility party last weekend, and there was a guy there with his purebred foxhound. It was so cool to see! I think I heard him say he had done all the training himself, so the dog wasn't all that familiar with the equipment. I was more impressed with the dog's rock solid stay - it would have put any herding dog to shame!

I'd say the biggest thing is to be prepared with the greatest rewards Marlowe can imagine - whether it is treats or toys or a live raccoon stuffed in your bag .

Good luck, and be sure to tell us how it goes!

In Sequoyah's last class we had a Treeing Walker Coonhound)
I have friends who do agility with the following breeds:
Malamute/Shepherd mix
Keeshond
Shih Tzu
Beagle
Labrador Retriever
Min Pin
Briard
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Does that make you feel any better???

Honestly.. I'd be mildly offended if an instructor I was paying for classes reacted in any way that my dog breed was unorthodox, a pain in the @ss, or difficult to train.

I just attended the AAC nationals this past weekend. There is no weird breed of dog. You see all sorts running, and running at a level some people can only dare to dream about.

It may take longer to get a dog who focuses to the level you want.. but if you work on it.. it shouldn't be an issue. I spent beginner agility near tears. Two classes indoors where Cider shinned.. And then we moved outside for the last 4 weeks where she repeatedly blew me off. The ground was way better to sniff than any type of treat or toy I could bring into the ring.

After the session was over I didn't think we'd ever go back, but after working for 3 or so months at home on focus.. we shocked the same instructors when we returned.

Takes time, patience and practice.. For all you know he'll surprise you and turn his halo on for class

ETA: My current trainer runs a shiba inu if you would like 'unorthodox breeds'. She placed 5th overall for 16 inch regulars at the nationals actually.. along with I think 2 5th place gamblers runs.. and 2 9th place something else. Ribbons at that level are mighty spectacular Really helps keep you creative and upbeat training with someone you know has been there in some of the same training dilemmas.

Agility is NOT exclusive, it welcomes all breeds and mixes. The best thing for you to prepare is have as much focus on you that you can get at this point. Plenty of 'watch me' games, teach hand targetting etc and have fun.
I know several people that compete very successfully with hounds or hound mixes, Every breed or style of dog can have its issues which may take some time to work out. Remember everything that is learning goes through three stages........progression, regression and platueas.

Good luck
Lynn

Try running an English Pointer in agility.

I started off with dogs/breeds that mostly were pretty smart and attentive to me. Apart from difficulties due to training methods and abuse in some of the dog's pasts(because these two factors combined made it VERY difficult to train), they were pretty easy to train, easy to get their attention, and quickly jumped right into competitions, Qing and being successful.

And then I got my pointer. Not the brightest dog on the planet or most attentive, but boy!, can he run! Just today at our agility trial we had a wild mixture of runs that included both greyhound like speed zoomies around the entire course, leaving me in the dust, as well as just bouncing, circling, and just havign a good ol' time. Never mind if he actually ran into a jump and knocked it over. He was still having a good time!

Sure, he doesn't make the best, most successful agility dog... but that is okay. I got him knowing that his breed wasn't known for their performance sports abilities, and I will define our definition of "success"(usually completing a course, nm Qing!) with that realization in mind.

Sometimes, you just gotta let yourself have fun, no matter what a fool you look like out there with your dog.

My trainer is really supportive of Kena. He doesn't treat him differently and sometimes he has more faith in him than I do!
Last time in class, he had us do a sequence of jumps in a square formation focusing on my handling and turns. Kena was awesome on the first set. For the second set, which was much more involved, I warned my trainer that Kena was hot, and that he might not do it. My trainer said, "He'll do it. I know he'll do it." And he did! He only made one little mistake, and it was totally my fault because I turned wrong. Wheee! Go Kena!

We had a substitute trainer last week who really bummed me out though. She said she couldn't believe how good he was doing for a 'non-thinking' breed. And he wasn't even having a good week that time! Non-thinking my butt! She must not know many huskies personally. This is a dog who escaped from a crate secured with carabiners while wearing an elizabethan collar! He's evil genius smart!

I'm really happy with my trainer. He's very encouraging. Even when things don't go great (like this week when we tried to introduce Kena to the frame and he wouldn't so much as touch it!! ) I leave feeling good and looking forward to next time.



And he's a babe too! LOL!

i think the biggest key to training any dog, but especially with a "non-traditional" breed, is to know what lights their fire- know what things your dog finds extremely rewarding and USE those things, even if they're a little bit different.

good luck! i bet you'll have tons of fun.

Have fun and learn to laugh is all I can say about running a scent hound.

They will do it THEIR way not yours, so you better get used to it. LOL.

Like elegy saud find something they like and use it to your advantage.

Dont feal bad.

Emma and I did a fun match, her first time EVER outside doing agility. Took us 10min to complete the course. LMAO. They may take more time to train but be patient. Her trainer told me "god bless you for picking a beagle"

i saw Marlowe's youtube video, and if that's anything to go by, i envy you.
Marlowe is probably going to make mistakes. He's going to smell something interesting and stop to sniff. Don't even worry about it. Just brush it off and work extra hard on getting him to focus. If he has fun, he'll be far to excited to worry about anything else.

Ground work will put you ahead of traditional breeds, especially if they're beginners. If he can heel, go forward, and do rear and front crosses, that'd be pretty amazing. If not, fine. Just get him to pay attention to you. The way i'd do it would be to go to a big area and then run him constantly and sharply changing direction (off leash, don't want to give him whiplash.) it will prepare him to pay attention to where you're headed and where he should be headed

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement everyone!

I got a new bait bag today (the nice Outward Hound one with the metal closure) and a new AirKong Squeaker ring--things that squeak are really the only toys that ring Marlowe's bell at all. I can get him to tug a bit with the squeaky ring so that might be a good reward too. We've been working on basic stuff in different venues (in the park, on walks) and I've also been getting him used to running around with me in the yard as part of our training time--we train a little, run around a little, train a little more.

We start in one week!