Agillity Training

[Lisa {Zoe's Mom]]

Has anyone tried agility training for their labradoodle? I would really like to try it.
At what age should you introduce it?
Should it be incorporated with puppy training? I tell Zoe commands for everything. Up, down, jump, turn, in, out etc. Is this overwhelming for her? I only say it as she is doing it, not actually making her do it.
Where could I learn this and do I need any special equipment? All those neat things I see them do on TV, could I make my own, us kiddy tubes to run through etc?
Thanks for any help!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Hi! There is actually a group on DK for people doing agility with their doodles! We haven't done it with Timbow, we're focusing more on therapy work with him right now, but I know a lot of people on here do it or have done it before. Here's the link. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/agilitydoodles

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am planning to do agility for fun with Peri in the spring. I think it will be very helpful that we have had two rounds of obedience training prior to that. We did puppy lessons and Basic Family Manners. I would probably do a formal class if you haven't already. They just react differently around other dogs and humans. Then move on to agility!

[Julie B.]

I tried agility with my first doodle Luah. She is very athletic and I thought she'd be good at it. Unfortunately she didn't really like it. She went through all of the equipment but did it at a trot which wasn't really fast enough (even though she is fast as greased lightening when she wants to be). I have my second pup now and I'm going to try it again with her. Its great fun and is usually fun for your dog. It is important that you have the general obedience done which is sounds like you do and an additional thing you can start training on is targeting. Most people use the command "touch" and you start small by having the dog touch your hand and once that is going well you ask the dog to touch a paper plate or plastic lid that you place on the floor and move further and further away. This is used to get your dog to "touch" at the bottom of the ramp and other more dangerous equipment. It is required in the trials so it would be another skill to work on before you start class! You'll be the teacher's pet!!

[Lisa {Zoe's Mom]]

Thanks for all the info! I will check out the links, and btw where did you take your obedience and family manners training classes? Unfortunately, the kennel club here is running the pupy classes late in the spring, so she will be to old for puppy and to young for there obedience classes......

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I used a local trainer in Nashville - our daycare recommended her and she is really fabulous. She is a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator and studied animal phsycology in school.
We did puppy class at 17 weeks for 6 weeks total. Then took a month off and enrolled her in the Basic Family Manners at about 6 months. Is that too young for your kennel club?
My trainer just requires that dogs be over 6 months for any level above puppy class. When researching, make sure you ask their approach to training. I happen to prefer the positive reinforcement technique - repeated behaviors receive positive results (clickers and treats in our case). But you may prefer another - it is up to you.
And Julie B's post on the use of TOUCH is very important. We learned that in our last class - Peri loves it and thinks it is a game. Our trainer thinks the obvious next step is agility for Peri because she is a fast learner and did so well in Basic Obedience. Trainer recommended we do this class even before we do the Canine Good Citizen - she will be older at that point and, most important, trainer says agility really creates a special bond between owner and pup. She claims it creates a trust in a fun atmosphere, while also honing in on obedience.

[Julie B.]

Just be careful with the jumps and extra athletic maneuvers in agility with your puppy. Any dog under a year should be kept from high jumping etc. Its hard on their growing joints.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness and I did Agility in this same order. He went to Beginner Obedience first. Then we did an 8 week agility class. He loved it, but he kind of "marched to his own drummer". He would do the jumps and tunnels all day long...it was so cool to watch him. He avoided some of the other obstacles that he didn't like (or maybe he just wasn't ready for yet). Because this was a basic class and he was only 6 and a half months the trainer felt we should not push it. This class was more about having fun, gaining trust, and bonding in a different way! Now we're in Canine Good Citizen and he's doing really well. We have three more weeks before the test. When that is over he'll go back to agility and we'll get more serious about it. Based on my experience, I think your Trainer makes a good point. The other advantage to the Agility class was that it gave me a great opportunity to reinforce all my obedience work. There were several dogs in the class which was very structured. Guinness had to learn to be calm and wait for his turn, and that really helped with his puppy impulsiveness.

[Beverly A. & Breeze]

i took a couple of agility classes with my labradoodle girl. she loved it and took to it like a duck to water. if i remember correctly, she was about 8 months old when we started on an indoor course. the facility required that she know the basic obedience commands because they are required as you teach her the obstacles. i say give it a try and let us know how it goes. good luck!