Guest Anonymous Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 i was wondering how old a dog should be before starting to train for things like agility and things like that. i would love to train tyson to do this but not sure where to start. my hubby thinks that hes to small and should try the dirt dog compatitions. we saw this on tv the other day and just fell in love with it. i dont think tyson will be very big. right now hes 7 pounds and shoulder to rump 10 inches long and about 8 inches high i think. if i remember right lol hes almost 9 weeks old. he loves to be trained. hes already got to the point that i dont have to tell him to sit when he comes to me he just comes right to me and sits down and waits to be told to do the next thing. the greatest thing i think he has learned is if someone isnt paying attention when he has to go potty he barks and waits at the door. he rarely barks other than that. unles he wants someone to make daisy stop biteing his tail LOL. i with he could sleep in my bed with me but our bed is so high off the ground im afraid he would get hurt. its high enough i need alittle footstool lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 You CAN start his agility training now. The key now is that everything is low low low. Start with bars on the ground to simulate jumps, he just walks/trots over them. You can get a childrens play tunnel from places like JC Penney, Toys R Us etc. Or get creative and make your own. You can put a plank on the ground on on two bricks to simulate the dog walk. Another plank can rest on a 2 inch diameter piece of pvc to simulate the teeter totter. You get down on the ground so you can control the action. Puppy does NOT jump anything higher than his elbow til growth plates close. If you have a training site nearby that has equipment, once your pup has learned some basics, perhaps you can rent their ring for more training. Puppy stays on lead so again you control the action. If you can have another person to help, all the better. When you graduate to a full size dogwalk, have one person on each side to ensure puppy CANNOT JUMP OFF. Same with the A-Frame. The A-Frame would need to be lowered way down at first til puppy gets some growth on him and understands the concept. Take it slow, have lots of fun, get creative and see whats around the house to improvise with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 how can i help train him so that he isnt afraid of walking on a leash? when i put one on him all he does is back up lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbunch Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 Before beginning agility start with another basic. Heel is detrimental to an agility dog. Use some sandwich meat or a biscuit and tempt the puppy. With the puppy sitting beside you (outdoors) on the right. Slap your right leg to get his attention and then step out with the right leg first. Saying Heel while you do all this. If you meet with resistance put pressure on the lead and show the puppy the cookie (don't give him any yet). Tempt him to step forward to release pressure and once you have slack in the lead praise the dog. Our pup did the same thing about 9 weeks. She is now 13 weeks and will heel on and off leash. The biggest part; make it a routine to spend at least 20 minutes a day of good fun work. Make sure your puppy works on a lead before trying any agility. Teach the puppy to constantly look at you and perk up to awailt commands. I plan on beginning this new pup on agility at around 6 months. Her bones will have developed a little better and she won't be so clumsy (great dane) For our other dogs I have built a course in my backyard just using things I could find around the house. Did have to go to lumber store for jump parts though. Good luck to you and let us know how its going with the heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 [quote name='nearstorm']how can i help train him so that he isnt afraid of walking on a leash? when i put one on him all he does is back up lol[/quote] Put a very lightweight one on him in the house and let him drag it around a bit, just be nearby at all times in case he decides its a chewie. Also, put it on him, follow him a bit, then get happy and see if you can lure him your way, then follow him again briefly, then lure him your way. It will come, his little puppy brain is not sure about this leash thing yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 [quote]Before beginning agility start with another basic. Heel is detrimental to an agility dog. [/quote] I must disagree with this, basic obedience (I feel) is a MUST before beginning agility. All 3 of my dogs are trained in obedience, they easily transition from heeling or other obedience work to running agility. [quote]With the puppy sitting beside you (outdoors) on the right. Slap your right leg to get his attention and then step out with the right leg first. Saying Heel while you do all this. [/quote] If you are planning on agility, it is important to teach your dog to work on BOTH sides of you. [quote]The biggest part; make it a routine to spend at least 20 minutes a day of good fun work. [/quote] I would amend this just to say break up the time into at least two sessions, puppy brains do not have such a long attention span. Even 3-4 5 minute sessions can be effective as opposed to one longer session that bores or frustrates the puppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 thanks. i have tried letting him walk around in the house with the leash on but the other puppies take this as an invitation to drag poor tyson around lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 sounds like some one on one time with tyson is in order! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 i do alot of one on one with tyson and i think daisy is alittle uptight about that lol. shes my sons dog and tyson is kinda like my shadow now and while my sons at school i think she might feel left out. today they are getting reaquainted with just having them around since we found a new home for jd last nite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbunch Posted November 19, 2002 Share Posted November 19, 2002 When I started agility with Willow this is the way the trainer taught me. She wanted him to know that listening, watching is very important. When we started Willow had sit, down and stay down pat but still dragged me around on the leash. He also hated the leash thing and thought I was a mean mommy for trying to direct him. She told me that starting with heel bonds the dog to you and tells him/her that you are in control at all times. We started Willow on the right as an ice breaker, he had to move when my leg leads off. He now works both sides by my stepping out with the foot I want him to heel on. Starting with right heel helped us alot. Also the heel helped willow focus on my voice. Basically he now knows where the his focus should lay. I agree this method of training is not for all, but this is how we accomplished agility with a very stubborn dog. He is bull headed. All dogs have a very distinct personality and not all can be trained the same way. (If I were to do it again I would have started Willow alot earlier on heel) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheetah Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Well I don't know much about agility (although I am thinking about starting it with Roxie soon even though she's 4); however, with all puppies in training, eye contact is important for communication. If your dog doesn't already make good eye contact, the "watch me" command is helpful. All you have to do is take a treat and bring it up next to your eye, saying "watch me" or "look" or something to that effect. Let the puppy stare at the treat for a couple of seconds and then give it to him. Praise, Praise, Praise, as always. Continue doing this frequently and gradually extend the periods of time that the dog has to stare into your eyes , eventually taking away the treat once the dog understands the command. You'll find it helpful to use this command to get your dog into training mode or to get him to pay more attention to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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