# Beginner Agility Questions



## Jack Meirod (May 29, 2013)

My dog Buddy is 7 months old and I'm starting to think about getting him into agility. I've signed him up for his first basic obedience class at a school that also has a bunch of agility classes. He already sits and goes down on command and is a very well behaved boy for a puppy. His dad had a bunch of champion titles including agility so hopefully he has the genes for it.

Question: Should I take him through all the available obedience classes before starting agility (I think there are 3 basic obedience classes at the school plus a separate obedience class for agility). I assume he should have mastered all the basic obedience commands before starting agility? Also, at what age to dogs start to compete at the novice level generally?


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

I would do obedience first for two reasons, 
1) to build a foundation to work off of
2) to give him time to finish growing, his growth plates time to close, and his joints to finish growing so as not to injure him. I would also recommend getting his hips/elbows certified through OFA so as to make sure there are no existing joint problems that could be made worse.


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Yes, he should go through basic obedience before beginning agility. He'll need a good recall and attention, sit, down and stay for agility. I'd wait until at least 18 months before you start to really do any jumping with him, maybe 2 years (so that long to start competing too). Did you breeder have a recommended age to start such activities?


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Eowyn said:


> 2) to give him time to finish growing, his growth plates time to close, and his joints to finish growing so as not to injure him. I would also recommend getting his hips/elbows certified through OFA so as to make sure there are no existing joint problems that could be made worse.


^^^^^ This so much!! Our agility club actually requires all dogs be properly vetted with a signed health certificate from an orthopedic vet verifying the dog is of sound body. They require the dog be at least 18 months of age, and have clear hip, elbow and knee x-rays.


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## goldenca (Jan 31, 2011)

I started my puppy out at about 8 weeks old at a puppy preschool then puppy agility at the Zoom Room (they have Zoom Rooms all over the US now). They did very low obstacles---nothing high--- and it was a gradual, fun, learning experience. She then went thru obedience one - then more puppy agility classes mixed in with another obedience class. She is now 2 years old. I did a heart ultrasound and had her elbow and hips x-rayed by a vet who does most of the show dogs in southern California before she started agility competition this September. She only does jumps with weaves competitions right now as she is not too sure about the seesaw yet. As long as everything is suited for puppies - I think it is OK to start early. She does weaves better than most dogs in the expert class and I think it is from starting early in her life.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

While taking obedience classes is a wonderful thing, at a good training facility there should be "puppy agility" that introduces to the game and could be VERY beneficial. I agree until a dog is at least 1year, no full height jumps, contacts or closed weave poles. You don't have to wait until 18 months (unless you want to) as AKC allows dogs to start trialing at 15 months. Yes waiting does reduce injury risk. That being said you can teach ALL agility behaviors without height on jumps or contacts and teach weave poles. I waited with Gabby to go to height until a month before her first trial (she was 19 months) but she was trained on all and her training started at 7 months. 

I just want to say if your facility offers a puppy class it's easier to introduce to the game younger. You do have to be smart and think about what is best for your dog. 




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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

What (how) contacts should be avoided? 

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## Jack Meirod (May 29, 2013)

Thanks for those great responses. The place I am going offers beginner agility but not specifically puppy agility. There are plenty of obedience classes to keep us busy for the near future before starting the agility courses: 
Basic 1: Manners
Basic 2: Skills
Basic 3: Canine Good Citizen
Good Manners in Public
One other question: He is not neutered and I don't plan on having him neutered until 18 months, but he is such a good, calm dog, even as a puppy, I wondering whether I'll need to have him neutered at all. Are there advantages/disadvantages to having the dog neutered/not neutered for agility competition.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

lhowemt said:


> What (how) contacts should be avoided?
> 
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We lower them WAY down. A frame 3', dog walk 2' to 3', and teeter down to 8 to 12". They can safely learn how to handle the obstacles. Then as they get old enough you SLOWLY raise them but maintain preferred method of training. 

I go back now to lower A frames or dog walks when I want to drill a skill, as well as channel weaves, to not strain my dog as we work through an issue. Once they understand, then I put things back. Gabby is HARD on herself normally so any risk I can remove in training I do. 


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

FWIW, my Brady is now 17 months old and he has not yet jumped full height and my instructors advise not starting weaves until they are 15-18 months or so - Susan Garrett, one of my online instructors, also advises waiting until the growth plates have closed. They have their whole life to run agility so there really is no rush. Building drive, focus and the 'want to' run is a priority for these instructors as it is for me. Also impulse control is very important.

My dogs rarely enter any ring before they are at least 2 years old - I rushed agility with my Casey at 18 months and he developed stress issues and we both developed a hyper-alertness to Border Collies since his movements attracted multiple (unprovoked) attacks. It was truly not worth the rush to train & compete.

ETA: Teaching my Brady foundation jumping skills will be my winter project.

Also: with Casey, he was so quick and so gung ho that rushing to agility had him beating border collies, yes, but it also had me forced to use call-offs at times if I placed the Q over my handling errors - I finally stopped using call-offs and let him just run if I misdirected him or was late - with a bit more foundation I think we could have really been a much more solid team. I really work hard to avoid call offs now and rather work towards building our teamwork


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

Maxs Mom said:


> We lower them WAY down. A frame 3', dog walk 2' to 3', and teeter down to 8 to 12". They can safely learn how to handle the obstacles. Then as they get old enough you SLOWLY raise them but maintain preferred method of training.
> 
> I go back now to lower A frames or dog walks when I want to drill a skill, as well as channel weaves, to not strain my dog as we work through an issue. Once they understand, then I put things back. Gabby is HARD on herself normally so any risk I can remove in training I do.
> 
> ...


Thanks. We're going to start agility later this winter. But just for fun, maybe we'll do some fun matches down the road. There are two places that have beginner agility but I'm concerned one does not drop the obstacles enough. I appreciate the guidance.

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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Obedience classes are great, any classes are great. If you can start out with one of the obedience classes and then maybe watch some of the agility classes it would give you an idea about how they are run. You don't want a puppy doing weaves, jumps or contacts. But there are LOTS of things you can do without stress on the body. My puppy is 4 months and we are starting a puppy agility foundation class this week. Mira started in a regular agility class at 6 months, but it was a very slow progressing class which was very appropriate for a puppy.

I would say many dogs start competing around 2 years old. This of course varies based on the dog... Mira started competing at 17 months.


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