[BrandiJ]

Hi!

So we are waiting on our new puppy(not due until this coming week) and currently own a 9 1/2 year old female-Gia. As I've been brushing up on puppy socialization/training(partly in preparation and partly as something to occupy my impatient mind while we wait for our new puppy) I've become more interested in agility.

I'm wishing I had gotten into it with Gia when she was younger, I feel like it's something she would have loved. Anyway, I'm thinking it would be fun to try with our puppy. Obviously not right away, and I know she won't be ready for jumping and things like that for some time. I assume though that it's a good idea for me to start learning now and probably to introduce the puppy to some aspects of it when she's young too. The problem is we live in a small-medium sized city with no access to training other than our local Petsmart. Definitely haven't been able to find anything online having to do with agility in my city. We are in AZ and about an hour from any larger cities.

I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions as to how to begin learning on my own. Any books/videos you'd recommend, or anything in particular to avoid?

I'm sorry, I know this is pretty broad, just starting from scratch here and have nobody local to mentor/teach me. I did a search and didn't find anything so hopefully I'm not asking something that's been answered her before.

Thanks in advance

 

[AlessiRott]

Under a year old, you can start teaching them to go through a tunnel, chute, weave poles, stay on a low table, and walk through a wobbly board. You ou can buy all these things on amazon under dog agility equipment, or build some yourself. Also teach them to pay attention to you, recall, to go/touch either your left or right hand when requested, go to/touching a specific target (target training used for contact obstacles), etc. After a year old, I will then introduce jumps, tire, a-frame, dog walk, teeter, and improving technique. I usually don't start competing until 2 years or so. In the mean time, I'd train and compete in Rally to help build control.

There are a lot of helpful agility puppy training/intro videos on YouTube. Hope this helped some.

 

[Guardian Rottweilers]

I start my dogs at a kids playground, at evening time when there are no kids around. Some basic obstacles like climbing stairs, elevated platforms, moving/rickety platforms etc. Practice obedience, sit stay down stay on top of these structures. Dog will catch on quickly if it's not nervous. I will also climb a boulder pile with the dog, making it wait as I go ahead moving from boulder to boulder looking for safe footing, then having it follow on leash when I give the signal. Obstacles build trust/confidence in the dog.