Anyone have Heelers/Agility/Fly Ball

[Kansaseq]

I did agility with my old rescue Tervuren, Priscilla, and she was awesome at it. We made it to our NA title, then I pretty much stopped. It's an awesome sport that the dogs have a blast doing, and it's great exercise for owners, too.Really, I think the dogs just love the one on one interaction with their owners. It really builds the dog/human bond, and if I didn't live so far from civilization, I'd get back into it with my youngest Terv, Beowulf.

 

[MagsC]

I guess thats another consideration, our town is pretty much no mans land....
but we could do it anyway, set up a course here, even if we didnt compete.
PS I like the pic!

 

[bonnylass79]

I do agility with my Aussie and love it. Great outlet for the herding breeds. A good trainer will start you and your dog out slow. Going too fast will kill their confidence, desire and speed over the obstacles. You will be able to teach your dog to be sent over obstacles so you won't have to run to each one. Even if you were in perfect health, you could never keep up with a trained agility dog. And believe me, many of the handlers I've seen are not in the best physical health.

How old is your healer? One thing that I will say is that you should use caution when jumping young dogs. It can cause permanent damage to their growth plates.

Most importantly, have fun! It is amazing how smart these dogs are when they put their minds to it.

 

[MagsC]

Our pup is only going to be 8 weeks old. What is something that CAN be worked on with a young pup to get them eventually ready for agility that wont cause them problems? I am thinking basic things to keep them in shape, walks and such? And then start work in agility after he is full grown?
I just want to do this right so have to ask the questions.

 

[bonnylass79]

Basic obedience. I really like doing clicker work and "shaping." You could also set up standards with the bar on the ground so he learns to run between them. You can teach the wabble board so he is used to the board moving under him. The ladder will teach awareness of his feet and the foundation of the dog walk. You could teach low jumps, tires, A frames and dog walks. Contacts are easy to teach puppies with a green and yellow painted board going down the steps. You can teach "out", "go to" and "touch". You can also do the tunnel. Really, there's not much you can't start teaching. Just avoid jumps that require actual jumping. Nothing higher than a few inches.

 

[WriterofWords]

I started Bella on the weave poles at 9 weeks and she thought it was a great game to chase me through them. I use thin wall 1/2 pvc pipe and just drove them into the ground. I made them far apart at first, about 4ft apart then slowly moved them closer together. I still don't allow her to jump anything higher than 6 inches yet because she's still so young. I started her with the bar on the ground in between the standards and then picked it up an inch at a time.

 

[WriterofWords]

Quote:
She's learned Go out when I point a certain direction, Stop when I say it, then Bring Them and I'm pointing at the birds I want. The ducks are easier, they stay together, the chickens split up to quickly for her still. But she's still a baby, and just learning.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i've been wanting to do the agility training with my corgi. he has the speed to do it but i am not sure on his focus.

i wish i could teach him better to heard the chickens and not just chase to pin them and enjoy licking their feathers!

 

[wordgirl]

I do 4-H agility with my dog, Tipper. She's a lab/cocker cross and will be eight next year. This was my first year and it was a blast! You will have a lot of fun with it if you try it! The dogs seem to enjoy it, too!

Like bonnylass said, it is important not to hurt a young dog by jumping them too early. In 4-H, you can't begin agility training with a dog under twelve months old, and they recommend you wait even until eighteen months with larger breeds. If I ever get a new puppy, though, it is going to be hard not to start practicing early!

I've heard of flyball, and it sounds very fun, but I haven't tried it.

Have fun with your new puppy! Be sure to show us pictures!

 

[MagsC]

Thanks everyone!

Now I know how and where to start, I appreciate it.