Guest Anonymous Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 I need some help with my dog. He's a male bully-staff x and I was wondering how old he should be before I start agility training with him. I know that they have to be at least one year old but how long should I wait after he turns one? And what would be the best way to start training him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 I would suggest getting him checked over by your vet first, to make sure he's all fit, and ask your vet if he thinks it's a right time to start your pooch on Agility. There are usually local Agility Training Clubs in most areas (even mine had one, until they were found out to be frods! :evil: But a new one is opening up in the spring! :D ). There are also lots of great websites out there too. I suggest even though your pup is a year old, to still start on some small stuff... I am NOT a pro, but have been teaching my dog agility for almost 4 years now, although I haven't competed with her. There are other people on here who are way more involved in agility then I who can probably help out a bit more though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowlabsrule Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 [quote]even mine had one, until they were found out to be frods[/quote] :o How did that happen? I just joined a agility club and let me tell you it's FUN!!!!! :D :D :D I [u]think[/u] you can start with the things that don't put much strain on their growing bones like the dog walk, teeter, and tunnel, but the ones who know their stuff are Carol, and Nancy B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowlabsrule Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 I don't think the tunnel could hurt, even for a dog under 1 because it doesn't require any straining or anything, just confidence. By the way, any updates? Did you talk to vet? Find a club? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Age requirements regarding agility usually relate to the age a dog is permitted to be entered into a trial. That is not to say that you can take a 5 month old puppy, for instance, and go nuts agility training it. Different breeds mature physically at different times. Specifically, it's very important for the growth plates to have closed prior to any real "impact" training in agility. (Impact, think jumping.) Yes, young dogs do frequently run and jump even higher than they would be required to jump in competition but, there's a difference between behavior being offered freely and a regimented jumping program that a dog, usuallly turning itself inside out to please it's owner, could actually do itself harm for the rest of it's life. Smaller breed dogs usually mature physically long before larger breed dogs. I did not jump my male Dobe higher than about 10 inches until he was 18 months old. Yes, this is a somewhat conservative approach and many of the top agility folks would undoubtedly think i'm nuts but, I'm more interested in Mason having a long, healthy and undamaged by early agility training life than I am in winning titles. There are many things you can train with even a very young pup without worrying about having an adverse impact on their growing bodies. I've been asked about this so frequently that I added a section to the kid's website on it. If you go to the agility page [url]http://www.whitneyandmason.com/agility.htm[/url] scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see what I did with Mason from the time he was a young pup. Everything that's listed there will help any pup get a firm foundation for more agility training later. One thing that I would also recommend is to have your dog's hips and elbows x-rayed prior to getting into any serious training or competition. Agility is very physically demanding and it's a good idea to know if your dog has the correct structure to deal with it. Both of my dog's have been x-rayed although I only sent Mason's into OFA as Whitney is spayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annushka Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I came to Agility when my dog was six months and when he was 15 months we went to the Russian Championship :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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