Dog owners discussion: Do you do agility? Tips, tricks, and how-tos.

[StinkyAcres]

I have this agility set (or something very similar) plus a tunnel from eBay: https://www.amazon.com/PawHut-Portable-Training-Obstacle-Adjustable/dp/B07S7TJR3V/

 

[lomine]

My dog Luc and I did our first agility class yesterday. He's a 2 yr, 70 lb pit mix. We were introduced to a few different pieces of the equipment and Luc was totally fearless. We both enjoyed it and it was so fun to see him zoom through the tunnel with a huge smile on his face after. I plan to keep it up but don't have any desire to compete.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

Maybe one day but it isn't at the top of my priority list rn

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I forgot about this thread!

Finley is now too old, sleepy, and grumpy to care much, but I’ve just started training my new dog, Bridgette, in some very basic things. We still have the one jump left from Finley, and I decided to build an A-frame which ended up being a lot of fun. I’m just about to go outside and find some sticks from the windstorm and see if I can conjure a few more jumps.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

• Do you do agility with your dogs?

Yes

• What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?

Denver 3 year old Golden Retriever who weighs 80lbs
Tucker 2 year old Golden Retriever who weighs 58lbs

• Do you compete, or is it just for fun?

We compete in 4h. Denver isnt really fast so her its just for fun. Tucker is reactive so its also just for fun.

• What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?

All of it jumps, tunnel, tire, weave poles, table, a frame, dog walk

• Do you enjoy agility?

Yes very much it actually helps in both the dogs skills on listening and helps me work better with them

• How much time do you spend on agility?

Every Tuesday and Thursday May-Sep and then i do jumps and tunnels at home once or twice a week.

• How did you teach your dog(s) agility?

I started young with jumping, but just exposing to the agility equipment they picked up quickly.

• How do you reward?

When doing a full run its a treat/ praise at the end. When working on one object its a treat/praise every time.

• What tips/tricks do you have for beginners?

Just start with one thing the easiest is probably jumps. Dont do a half run until they are confident with all equipment in the run. Go slow and on leash this way you can guide them once they learn they will run off leash better.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I dont have any pictures or videos of me running actual course with them. But i do of just doing jumps. I dont have this jump completely dont so im just using 2 x 4s to raise and lower the height.
Ill be building a a frame, dog walk, more jumps and actually weave poles in the spring hopefully!

Denver

Tucker

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Do you do agility with your dogs?
yes, i do aagilitywitg willow and currently am training Oakley too. Oakley will be my main for agility once he's old enough.
What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?
Willow:
Great pyrenees, 80 lbs, 1½ years
Oakley:
Labrador retriever, still groeing but i estimate about 35-40 lbs, 6 months old.
Do you compete, or is it just for fun?
I complete, nothing big though. So far just 4h shows and fairs
What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?
Almost everything, jumps, tunnels, all contacts...pretty much everything except weaves which we are still learning
Do you enjoy agility?
Very much! Its one of my favorite dog sports
How much time do you spend on agility?
a few hours a week training, i need to train more
How did you teach your dog(s) agility?
with positive rreinforcement and patience, willow caught on quick and was very brave on all obstacles so its pretty easy
How do you reward?
Trears, toys and praise
What tips/tricks do you have for beginners?
be patient with the training, it can take some time to get them used to obstacles and rushing is going to make it harder. Teach balance and leg awareness

 

[KtheChickenGal]

This is just a general discussion thread for dog agility!

Try to stay on topic, but it's okay to discuss other (dog) related things.

Questions to contribute:

• Do you do agility with your dogs?
• What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?
• Do you compete, or is it just for fun?
• What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?
• Do you enjoy agility?
• How much time do you spend on agility?
• How did you teach your dog(s) agility?
• How do you reward?
• What tips/tricks do you have for beginners?

This is my answer to the above questions:

• Do you do agility with your dogs?

Yes, a little bit. Only one of them, because the other has back issues.

• What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?

Finley, a toy poodle, is 11 years old. He's just started. (Within the last couple of months)

• Do you compete, or is it just for fun?

Just for fun, for now! I would like to compete sometime, though. It would take many years, though.

• What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?

Only jumping so far.

• Do you enjoy agility?

Yes, I think it's pretty healthy for both me and Finley, plus it's cool to see him flying over those jumps!

• How much time do you spend on agility?

Maybe about half an hour a day.

• How did/do you teach your dog(s) agility?

I started with just walking Finley over a homemade jump, on a leash. I slowly raised the bar, jumping with him (on leash) over it. Right at the start of his jump, I would say 'Jump!' as he hopped over it. I've raised the bar until it's pretty high. Recently, though, I've been (with the bar about a foot off the ground) unclipping his leash and jumping over it with him. Most of the time he follows, so now he's doing it off-leash.

• How do you reward?

He's not a fan of treats (At least the ones I've tried in the past, but I just got some new treats that I need to try out) so right now I've been giving praise and cuddles.







I have a question-which aspect of agility would you start on next?

I do agility with my Australian Cattle Dog/ Smooth Collie mix

This is just a general discussion thread for dog agility!

Try to stay on topic, but it's okay to discuss other (dog) related things.

Questions to contribute:

• Do you do agility with your dogs?
• What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?
• Do you compete, or is it just for fun?
• What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?
• Do you enjoy agility?
• How much time do you spend on agility?
• How did you teach your dog(s) agility?
• How do you reward?
• What tips/tricks do you have for beginners?

This is my answer to the above questions:

• Do you do agility with your dogs?

Yes, a little bit. Only one of them, because the other has back issues.

• What breed(s), age(s), and size(s) of dogs do you have, specifically ones that participate in agility?

Finley, a toy poodle, is 11 years old. He's just started. (Within the last couple of months)

• Do you compete, or is it just for fun?

Just for fun, for now! I would like to compete sometime, though. It would take many years, though.

• What part(s) of agility do you do with your dog(s)?

Only jumping so far.

• Do you enjoy agility?

Yes, I think it's pretty healthy for both me and Finley, plus it's cool to see him flying over those jumps!

• How much time do you spend on agility?

Maybe about half an hour a day.

• How did/do you teach your dog(s) agility?

I started with just walking Finley over a homemade jump, on a leash. I slowly raised the bar, jumping with him (on leash) over it. Right at the start of his jump, I would say 'Jump!' as he hopped over it. I've raised the bar until it's pretty high. Recently, though, I've been (with the bar about a foot off the ground) unclipping his leash and jumping over it with him. Most of the time he follows, so now he's doing it off-leash.

• How do you reward?

He's not a fan of treats (At least the ones I've tried in the past, but I just got some new treats that I need to try out) so right now I've been giving praise and cuddles.







I have a question-which aspect of agility would you start on next?

I do agility with my Australian Cattle Dog/Smooth Collie mix 2-year-old female, mostly for fun and exercise. We have been training for about a month, mostly working on jumps and weave poles. I'm going to try to find some kind of DIY tunnel and maybe a seesaw or something. She is really good at jumping, and has the basic concept of weaving down, we're just trying to get smoother and faster at the weave poles. I trained her mostly using toys because she's a very energetic and play-driven dog. I do use food sometimes, but mostly toys and of course praise. We both really enjoy it. I taught her to jump by getting her to chase me and then going over the jump myself and she would just follow me over. Sometimes I would use a leash to make sure she didn't go around or under it. Once she got the basic concept, I added in the word over, and a hand signal. I started with really, really low jumps, and then once she got more confident, I would guide her over with the hand signal and word, and then throw a toy as a reward and praise her and then play with her. The jumps, mostly pool noodles and sticks resting on patio chairs, are now a lot higher and we've been doing obstacle courses of multiple jumps.
We train at agility multiple times a day with some exceptions, probably about 20 to 30 minutes daily.