# Agility training?



## RickGibbs

Leo's Mom said:


> Is there some way to tell if your GR has an aptitude for Agility Competition or training?


Great question....Katie? I'd like to know this one too.....


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## Maggies mom

Ask Katie& Dusty, she does agility with her dog, and knows alot about it.


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## katieanddusty

I'd say the best way to tell is to try it! When people go specifically picking a dog "for" agility, they look for things like the dog liking to play with toys, can switch between toys and treats, and being generally athletic. But all dogs can do agility and you never know if you and your dog will love it until you try 

Some agility clubs have "intro to agility" things where they introduce your dogs to most of the obstacles. If you want to PM me with where in PA you live, I should be able to find some agility clubs near you that you can contact.

Until then, you can definitely try agility on your own. You can build some cheap "real" obstacles with these plans http://futuremach.baka.com/equip.html or you can improvise. I used PVC pipe and brooms between chairs, watering cans, flower pots, anything you can find. Look for Jane Simmons-Moake's book Agility Training which has introductions to each of the obstacles (if you decide you want to do agility, you should get the first two books of Jane's Excelling at Dog Agility series as well).


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## Maggies mom

Katie:
What is the age you can start your dog?


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## jeffreyzone

Katie is right. Agility might not be for every dog, but it sure is worth a try. Even if you don't go any further than an Intro class, you'll probably see a difference in how your dog pays attention to you.


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## katieanddusty

You can start at any age, but you have to be careful about growth plates. The general rule is no jumping above the dog's wrist height (maybe 4 inches for Goldens) until 6 months old, or above elbow height (16 inches for Goldens) until 14 months old. No weave poles before 12 months, no full-height dogwalk or teeter until 12 months, no full-height A-frame until 14 months.


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## Maggies mom

Have any good websites for flyball? Maggies trainer thought she would be good at it?


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## katieanddusty

I don't do flyball, it's a lot of wear and tear on their shoulders slamming into the box ...


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## RickGibbs

katieanddusty said:


> I don't do flyball, it's a lot of wear and tear on their shoulders slamming into the box ...


I've seen some good local Flyball sites.....but I didn't know about the shoulder wear and tear.....

Here's a couple links:

http://www.flyballdogs.com/
http://www.perfectpooches.com/flyball.htm
http://members.aol.com/leasejax/myhomepage/
http://www.alldogsgym.com/sports/sports-flyball.asp


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## Maggies mom

Thanks Rick.. Guess i will talk to Maggies trainer tomorrow about the wear and tear.


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## HovawartMom

Maggies mom said:


> Have any good websites for flyball? Maggies trainer thought she would be good at it?


I do flyball and here's an address:
North American Flyball Association | NAFA Home
Yr Maggie is at the perfect age to start training if she loves to retrieve,you will have no problems.


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## AquaClaraCanines

Four legs and lots of enegry are about all it takes!!! I wouldn't run a dog with serious structural problems. However, most dogs love agility, and many GRs excel.


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## bluedog

Is there a difference in energy level of a golden that would be a good candidate for agility? Would you consider the energy level of a pup when trying to pick a show dog for agility, obedience or conformation?


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## sammydog

bluedog said:


> Is there a difference in energy level of a golden that would be a good candidate for agility? Would you consider the energy level of a pup when trying to pick a show dog for agility, obedience or conformation?


What are you looking for specifically?

For me personally (thinking agility) I would go for a litter that was from good working parents, and then a pup that was focused and wanted to interact with me. Playing tug is also a must.


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## FlyingQuizini

bluedog said:


> Is there a difference in energy level of a golden that would be a good candidate for agility? Would you consider the energy level of a pup when trying to pick a show dog for agility, obedience or conformation?


We do pretty much everything but conformation... obedience, rally, agility, dock jumping, hunt tests, working trials...

When picking a performance pup, I look for the following:

1. Working lineage is nice, and I definitely gravitate toward pups who come from strong working backgrounds. That said, there's a first time for everything and the right BYB dog could certainly excel in performance sports if the following were in place:

2. Good conformation. Dog should be put together well. For obedience, agility, etc. the dog doesn't have to meet "show standards" (my own dog doesn't; he's too small) but he's well proportioned and all his parts are in the right place, etc. (Parent's had appropriate clearances, etc.)

3. Toy Drive - I want to see a pup want to interact with me with a toy as early as possible and DEFINITELY by seven weeks.

4. Food Motivation - I want to see a strong interest in following a treat in my hand, etc.

5. Natural Retrieve - I want to see a pup who wants to bring a thrown item back in my direction. It won't be a perfect retrieve on a young pup, but I don't want to see a dog take the thrown object to the other side of the room and plunk down with it.

6. Natural Follow - Similar to what Jess said about wanting to interact with the human. I want to be able to get a pup to follow me w/o any huge effort.


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## bluedog

Thanks for the help. This is my first time at considering a dog to show in obedience or agility. I wanted first to get a pup that will settle nicely in the house. Not a couch potato, but not super high energy. I did not know if high energy level was necessary for agility.


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## Maxs Mom

One thing I will say, is once you start training for a discipline, agility, obedience whatever, you will want to do more. It is a lot of FUN to work with your dog. 

Does your dog have the potential of winning in high competition? Who knows, does it really matter? The best part is doing something WITH your dog. My big lab who I run agility, is the most laid back dog on the planet. We took up agility to pull her out of her shell, it worked. She has a great time, and we have had more than one run where we have not met the time allowed. Doesn't mean we are not having fun. The big thing is your goals with the sport, any sport. Comeraderie to me is the most important. Belle is winding down on her agility career, I tell people Belle "likes" agility but LOVES to run with me. She has been an awesome partner. She was not bought to be an agility dog, she was out of the paper, BYB to be a pet. 

There is nothing like the partnership you gain, training together in some venue. I say go for it and see what happens.


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## seagypsy

how do u get started in this ?


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## Maxs Mom

seagypsy said:


> how do u get started in this ?


Look for local training clubs and ask questions and go watch. If you can't find any clubs, try contacting your local Golden Retriever club for suggestions. You will find most are very helpful. Sorry I don't know the VA area for dogs. I do have a friend somewhere out there who does some training I think. Not sure where she is but Newport News is coming to mind. 

Good Luck! It is worth the effort to find a place. It took us 3 places before we found one we were happy at.


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## seagypsy

how old should they be to start learing that stuff?


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## bluedog

Thank you for the info. My girl is just a new puppy, but I want to go to some shows and see if it will work for me. Planning on attending the one in New Smyrna, FL this Sat.


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## bluedog

The puppy is just 3 weeks old, but Mom is a Champion and I will have a running start with her pedigree and her breeder. Hyegold Golden Retrivers in PA


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## Maxs Mom

Where I train they recommend the pups be at least 5 months old for "puppy" agility. This is not a training class, it is a class to familiarize the pups with obstacles. The jumps are on the ground, and contacts are LOW so the dogs can crawl through, and over. It gets them working in a venue with distractions. All on leash. 

We do not recommend you taking true agility classes until the pups are at least a year old. You want their growth to be mostly done. We moved our Quinn to the Comp I (first level agility) class at 1 year, and enrolled her in contacts class. The next session she took the weaves class. She is now 15 months old she still is not jumping full height. 

You can introduce them early but serious "training" needs to wait until they are at least a year. However the obedience part can start as soon as you get them.


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