When is the appropriate age to start Agility Training? Timber is now 4 months old, he sits perfect, downs perfect, stays perfects, comes perfect (I am expecting this to change as hormones kick in) we are working on heeling, but I would like to get him started on the Agility side of things, I have been told to start on the Weave Poles, and I have been told to start on the Table and I have been told do not to anything until he is 100% obedience trained and does every command perfect everytime. He is very smart and learns things very very quickly, but I also don’t want to push him too much, and then it isn’t fun for him. Does anyone have any ideas on what to start him with on Agility or any books or links that would be helpful?

[mightymite]

Originally Posted by Timber's Mom

When is the appropriate age to start Agility Training? Timber is now 4 months old, he sits perfect, downs perfect, stays perfects, comes perfect (I am expecting this to change as hormones kick in) we are working on heeling, but I would like to get him started on the Agility side of things, I have been told to start on the Weave Poles, and I have been told to start on the Table and I have been told do not to anything until he is 100% obedience trained and does every command perfect everytime. He is very smart and learns things very very quickly, but I also don’t want to push him too much, and then it isn’t fun for him. Does anyone have any ideas on what to start him with on Agility or any books or links that would be helpful?

You can start foundation training right from the start. There's skills a dog needs to know to do agility that have nothing to do with jumping. You can teach a puppy to target, to follow your body language to follow your directional hand signals, to run ahead of you with a "go" command to move away from you with a "get out" command, to change leads with a "switch" command, to turn left and turn right on command. There are a number of books and videos available on agility puppy training now. Check out gt agility home page and also Clean Run Productions LLC and Welcome to Dogwise.com - Dog Books My own website is Mighty Mite Dog Gear - Agility Tents, Trialing Equipment, Small Dog Training Books and Videos - click on books for more info on the foundation training tapes and books I offer. Good luck!

[rlang]

Agility training is something you can do right away. It is always never to early to start training. Here is a great site to look at Agility | www.americansportdog.com

[mightymite]

In regard to rlang's post - just be careful - there are certain things you do have to wait on. I would strongly advise NO jumping above the ankle bone for dogs under 12 months of age! If anyone reading this has a giant breed - make that 16 months at the least. If a dog has an injury while the growth plates are still open, it can mean stunted or abnormal bone growth. So be careful!

Also, it is important to give your dog a complete conditioning program which includes cross -training. I use physio-balls to increase my dog's abdominal strength which provides some protection to them from spinal injuries. My dogs also jog on a treadmill with an incline to increase hind end strength and I have them stand on wobble boards to teach propreception.

[millsandbones]

It's a good start that our dog knows obedience training. Start on the easy ones until he completed his obedience training.

[aussies.agility]

Dogs can start agility at any age but the class/training must be tailored to the age of the dog. Young puppies can learn many important skills for agility without being introduced to any of the obstacles. Your dog needs to be physically developed to jump & weave and mentally developed to understand the obedience skills – age will be different for every dog. Older dogs need to be physically healthy. Yes, an old dog can learn new tricks too!!

My friends and I started a website...downcontact.com
We discuss our dogs, events, etc. It's been nice to relate with others who love dog agility!