Agility

edited May 2014 in General
I tried looking through past threads and couldn't find much on Nihon ken in agility so I guess I'll start one. We just started agility class with Yucca and so far she seems to really enjoy it. I know her brother Raj is doing it as well. Anyone else do agility with their Nihon Ken? If so, how do they do? What obstacles do they prefer?
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  • I know @sandrat888 have done agility with her shiba inu. Not sure on the other Nihon ken breeds, but I'm sure there is some who done it.

    Kai ken probably do wonderful on agility with how agile and athletic they can be.

    Saya does agility, but not in competition I got some set up got jump and weave poles need get a tunnel and few other items.

    Saya loves it and does great her favorite is the tunnel and dog walk.
  • I think I am going to do agility with Nami. She's really easy to motivate and is incredibly athletic. I hope it will challenge her. I've never done it before, thoug, so I don't know what to expect.

    I know Carleen encourages people to enter in agility with her Kishu.l, so there are Kishu doing it. Somewhere.
  • If you are on facebook, we have a Shiba Sports group which welcomes kai and covers agility, barn hunt, lure coursing, flyball, etc... https://www.facebook.com/groups/shibasports/

    Lindsay (handle? ...is it @lindsayt ) is a good resource too.
  • edited May 2014
    Tavi (kai ken) is in agility.
    Shes still a puppy though, so we haven't done much yet. But we've been working on foundation since she was 10 weeks old.
    This is agility lol:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=672828409442007
  • @WrylyBrindle sent a request to join the group :)

    @crispy you should definitely try it. Im new to the sport as well. I've always wanted to get into it but I've never had a dog that wanted to. Yucca so far seems to have the perfect personality for it so I'm hopping she sticks with it
  • edited May 2014
    @omgtain how old is she now?
  • edited May 2014
    I have both of mine in agility and competing.
    With my shiba, I noticed that the normal small window of attention span is even smaller with her. She loves it and gets jealous when she is not running and her 'brother' is. Training took a little longer because of the small window of attention spam before her shiba shineyness took over and wanted to do what she wanted. Competition wise... One day she can be the perfect dog.. Q in all runs and extremely focused. The next day.. its like who is this dog and why is it even on the course? She has completed 3 titles in CPE and runs performance level in USDAA.

    In the summer, she will refuse to work and do jumps. So I will generally leave her home during these months. She will literally walk up to the jump, turn to me to make sure i'm looking at her, walk around the jump to the other side and look back at me like 'im ready to go!'.

    My Kai. He loves agility and has more focus for it. He learned the equipment extremely fast, for example he learned how to do the teeter after going over a full height one once... he by passed any short or smaller teeters.. scared me like crazy. No fear in my boy. He has been doing agility for a year now. He is also extremely food motivated, so that helps alot.
    Ty is also extremely fast so his weak point right now is collection. His favorite is the tunnel. For some reason, no matter how the tunnel is, straight/curved, he will always pick up speed in the tunnel and come flying out.... sometimes he will get the crazies and start his zoomie speed. Hilarious look on his face when he comes flying out. He hates weaves because it slows him down. He has a few Q'd runs in CPE and USDAA. My next USDAA trial with him he will start championship level (Starters). I feel like he will go farther with many Q's and titles in agility than my shiba so he is my main focus on hard core training.

    Training vs trialing are two completely different atmospheres. When i started trialing i was also in the same building where we trained thinking that it is somewhere they are familiar with etc. It is still a different vibe. Ty will do fine and doesn't have many issues but may get stressed with his tail down. He just doesn't like other dogs charging to his face or coming up to his crate (yes it is covered). If I get his focus (ie: food!) then he zooms in on me and all is good. Asako is stressed out like crazy. She doesn't want to be in her crate. She wants to be out by me at all times. She will sit on my lap and not move... something I can rarely if ever get her to do at home. She will cry, paw at the crate and throw a hissy fit. If I can get her to focus on me before we run, she will generally do really good. Other times, it will be a crazy run and she will just do laps and take whatever obstacle she wants... (Gamblers is a good first game to run to get the crazies out!)
  • I do agility with both of my adult Shibas, Koji and Maluko. Koji just earned his second Master Agility Champion (MACH2) last weekend and Maluko is running in the Master class (the most advanced class in AKC, you move from Novice to Open, then Excellent and then Master). Youngster Taiyo is in training, so not competing yet.

    What I would say to people who are new to the sports is that Agility is a lot more complicated than you think. The foundation work with the dog is critical to both of your enjoyment of the sports down the road. What I mean by foundation is the dog's ability to focus on you when you asked and on the task/equipment ahead as you navigate the course. Most newbies will say they will do agility as long as their dogs enjoy it. What most people don't realize is that YOU have to make agility fun for the dog. No dogs come out of the womb just loving agility. You build it up by starting with foundation - having the dogs to enjoy working with you and focus working with you even under distractions, teaching them skills to properly and safely do all the equipments, training them to understand all the handling moves, so they know where to go next on a course etc. You sure don't need to teach your dog how to eat a piece of steak, but you need to put in a lot of work for the dog to learn to weave 12 poles, make all contacts on teeter, a-frame and dog walk and follow your cues to stay on course vs. doing zoomies by themselves.

    Go to a local trial in your area and watch both the novice teams and the more advanced teams run. Look for teams that seem to enjoy themselves, regardless of qualifying or not. Ask people where they train and that should give you a good start to get proper instructions. There are a lot of "agility instructors" out there who really shouldn't be teaching. Go to someone who has knowledge will save you a lot of time down the road.

    I have to drive 45-50 minutes one way to get to my agility instructor, but it is totally worth it. When I started, I used to go to a place 15 minutes away from my home, thinking we were saving commute time and doing it just for "fun", so no need to go out of our way to a good instructor. Looking back, it was a total waste of time. Without the foundation work, everything falls apart when you no longer has a leash on the dog, no treats/toy on you in the ring or the dogs get too stressed and/or distracted in a new environment when you actually compete.

    I also want to point out that if you compete, it doesn't mean it is not "for fun". You actually have to work really hard to make it fun for your dog to hang in there with you in competition. Agility is only fun for your dog if you make it to be.
  • Also, Rajah the kai is training for agility... trying to remember sarah's handle...
  • @WrylyBrindle Rajah is Yucca's brother. I got Sarah on fb though I don't think I've seen here here on the forum.

    @poinea @sandrat888 thank you for the detail! I'm still learning, reading all the rules for all the different clubs & I agree. It's much more complicated then it looks! I agree it's up to the handler to make it fun but I believe the dog needs to have the will/drive to work or run for agility which is what I meant when I said I've never had a dog to do agility with. The past 10 years I've only been around Amstaffs which are laid back and don't feel there is any reason to run, climb or jump anything. They are my lounge dogs. Yucca has this eagerness to work. She wants me to give her a task & is motivated by my reaction when she completes that task which is why I believe she is enjoying agility so much.
  • I did quite a bit of agility work with my Kai Ken, Leo, but it turned out he just doesn't like the competitive aspect at all. I agree that it is important to find a good teacher: agility is quite complicated, and if you don't have the right foundation (you, the handler I mean!) you'll have to relearn everything. I started with a fun class, saw that Leo loved it, then spent months working with a very good private trainer. He took to it immediately: he also loves the tunnel, but his favorite was the A-frame, which we often used as his "reward" to do other things: he wasn't so keen on the jumps, so if he did a series well, he'd get to run on the A-frame! He also wasn't phased at all by the teeter, even though the first time he did it, he thought it was the A-frame I think, because he joyously ran out of sequence on to it, then looked mildly surprised when it slammed down (NOT how we wanted to introduce him to it!), but was never afraid of it.

    My trainer thought he was perfect for agility: super fast, motivated with lots of drive but not obssessive like a BC. But as it turned out, he absolutely refused to play in groups. We tried several group classes, (and got pitying looks from the Aussie people who didn't believe how good he could be!), but most of the time, he just turned his head away and wouldn't do anything (but try to run to the A-frame). If we were alone or with only one dog on the field, he'd work beautifully, but if there were more, or strangers, he refused to do anything at all, so I've decided to respect his discomfort and not to try to make him into an agility dog when clearly he is not willing to work on what he finds stressful.

    Anyway, all this to say I think Kai could be WONDERFUl agility dogs, but know your dog: if your dog finds new places/people stressful they may not enjoy aspects of it. And also, to me at least, it's all about the dog. I do dog activities to have fun with my dog, and if that ever went to a competition level that would be great, but if I see that my dog is really not enjoying it after multiple attempts (like Leo), then I don't try to make them do it. We can have fun with agility equipment without competition, and I go back to my private trainer just as an activity, rather than with an eye for competition.
  • I have started agility with Navi (shiba) two months ago. Only doing the foundations now. Teaching the obstacles and a tiny bit of movements for me. Luckily Navi has been training (learning, playing, obedience) all her life in different places and with different dogs with me. So we basically don't have any concern on what other dogs are doing there and Navi is really good concentrating on working with me. (Mostly without leash when she can do things faster). Sadly we are now on a break because Navi came into a heat. I hope she still remembers something when we get back to training.
  • edited May 2014


    I agree it's up to the handler to make it fun but I believe the dog needs to have the will/drive to work or run for agility which is what I meant when I said I've never had a dog to do agility with. The past 10 years I've only been around Amstaffs which are laid back and don't feel there is any reason to run, climb or jump anything. They are my lounge dogs. Yucca has this eagerness to work. She wants me to give her a task & is motivated by my reaction when she completes that task which is why I believe she is enjoying agility so much.
    I don't believe having the will or drive to work or run for agility is a per-requisite to start a dog's agility training. My girl Maluko was almost 5 years old when I got her and she never had any formal training prior. She is very laid back and probably would be content doing nothing at home. I still decide to do all kinds of activities with her because the will/drive to work with you is something you can build on. And while you are in the process of doing that, you really establish a deep bond/interactions with your dog.

    Dogs come with whatever genetics they inherit from their sire/dam and there are a great varieties of possibilities for many different traits. How they manifest in a dog is a combination of nature (genetics) and nurture (training). By providing the appropriate motivator and putting in solid training, you can maximize the range of that dog's potential.

    No dog is perfect for one particular sports. Even if a dog that has the talents/instincts for certain work or sports, it still need proper training to get more out of it.

  • That's where I gotta disagree. My Amstaffs were well trained & I had a great bond with them . They loved hiking off leash with me but it didn't matter how fun made agility, frisbee or fetch, they don't care for it. They are excellent obedience dogs and can learn any trick you want to teach them but they didbt have drive or the willingness to work so if you wanted to do agility you would have to lead them through with a steak & even then they will probably decide it's not worth the effort. So I think a dog has to have at least some kind of drive to work. I've learned that from working with hunting dogs
  • That's where I gotta disagree. My Amstaffs were well trained & I had a great bond with them . They loved hiking off leash with me but it didn't matter how fun made agility, frisbee or fetch, they don't care for it. They are excellent obedience dogs and can learn any trick you want to teach them but they didbt have drive or the willingness to work so if you wanted to do agility you would have to lead them through with a steak & even then they will probably decide it's not worth the effort. So I think a dog has to have at least some kind of drive to work. I've learned that from working with hunting dogs
    There is a concept callled "transfer of value" and with proper pairing/timing and training, you can increase a dog's drive and excitement to do stuff that previously they do not like or care for. If all dogs are just willing to play, it will not be as much fun to train as it is. I will also argue that no dogs are prefect. They all come with more problematic areas, just like us. What I like about competing and training is you work through your problems, rather than give in and say "there is nothing I can do about it". However, you do need to pick and choose your battle depending on your time/resources and skills.

    Some dogs do have more drive to get what they want, but you can kill that drive by always helping them, so they never have to learn or figure things out. Other times, dogs have a lot of drive, but they only care for themselves, so you can not really take advantage of that drive (I suppose if given to the right trainer, you can channel that drive to something you want, as the "transfer of value" concept works everywhere.) We all have something we care for, that motivates us. And by recognizing those motivators and use them properly and timely in training, you can get better performance/work out of any dog.

  • And then there is the time. Dogs can also chance their opinion. Ganon decided at the age of 4 tha he likes balls. Even more if they squak. Before that I could throw a ball and there it went. Thats about it.
    At one seminar the speaker was talking about playing with the dog. She told us that she took the dog on to the field to only play every few months. Because when she did that she noticed that the dogs favorite way of playing / favorite toy was actually chanced. And because she used the playing as a reward when training she got new plays/toys that worked better because she had asked the dog about it.

    So if the dog doesn't like something very much today, it may next week.
  • We will just have to agree to disagree. Yes I believe you can build drive in some dogs but not all. Some dogs just have no interest no matter the reward. My dog cayenne loves to jump and climb but has absolutely no interest in agility. I made it as fun as possible but it wasn't her thing. I didn't make her change her interests. If she doesn't like it, I'm not going to make her just because I want to do it. I simply waited til I had a pup that likes challenges.
  • edited May 2014
    I have to agree with @sandrat888. If the goals are small enough and everything is consistently reinforced, you can build on what the dog has. You just have to be patient.

    I started Agility training with my first Shibas Beebe and Ike in a very casual NADAC style class. They loved it, although I had some trouble with focus with my intact boy. He loves equipment, he loves to play, although I lacked the skills to help coach along his desire to play, and we were both insecure doing this new activity. I gave up a little too easily with him regarding expectations, and Sandra knows I make excuses about getting him back into Fun and Focus classes saying he will lose interest in the "boring" foundations ;) In reality, he would really benefit from them.

    I still give up early with him and am soft on him, and need to work harder to be more interesting and increase my rewards to compete for his attention. I know he can do it if I put more effort into it. Seeing how well Maluko is doing in the hands of a great trainer is very inspiring, as she and Ike share a lot in common!

    My time with doggy sports has been more focused on my girls. My first Agility dog I competed with is my Shiba girl Farrah. I have to space out her training and trials around heats and puppies. She has her Novice Agility titles in AKC and a leg in Open. Just as I was getting ready to send in entries for some summer trials, she went in heat and is bred again. She took time off for a few months between litters, but I got her back in Beginner and Intermediate level class for a refresher and she did even better than when we left off.

    The exciting thing for me is Ike and Farrah's son, Ivan, is starting his Agility Foundations classes this week. It feels like I will be able to do with him what I didn't get the chance to do with Ike at the same age.
  • I would LOVE to get Nero into agility for fun, not necessarily for competition. I'm having a hard time finding a class/instructor on weekends though since weeknights aren't really an option. I'm on hold anyhow thanks to my recent hospital visit but still trying to find an agility outlet.
  • @Valkyrii, I had the same problem. There are a couple training facillities in my area but all of them only did week days. The only way to get a class on a weekend is by doing private classes. I ended up doing Monday nights since I'm back at school for a bit.
  • I would LOVE to get Nero into agility for fun, not necessarily for competition. I'm having a hard time finding a class/instructor on weekends though since weeknights aren't really an option. I'm on hold anyhow thanks to my recent hospital visit but still trying to find an agility outlet.
    I constantly hear people say they want to do agility "for fun" with their dogs, implying that if you do it and compete, you are not doing it "for fun". I just want to make it clear that unless you make it fun for the dog, there will be no competition whatsoever. Agility is a game about speed and accuracy. Without motivation and fun, the dog will do it slowly (fast or slow is context with that specific dog) to avoid punishment or run away and do zoomies. Maybe we should change it to say "doing it properly" vs. "doing it for fun". Agility has to be fun for the dogs for the teams to continue even in class and maybe eventually move onto competition.

    The problem with those instructors who only talk about "doing it for fun" is they don't teach you the basics to be successful long term. Instead, they focus on getting you to feel like you are running around with your dog on agility equipments. Everything is taught without taking baby-steps to get you where you should be eventually. It's like learning to play pianos - you need to learn to read notes, be familiar with the piano keys, playing Do-Re-Mi, playing easier songs, learning music notes and timing, connecting the notes and finally review and practice. These are baby steps to get you to being able to play piano. It doesn't mean you will be a famous piano performer traveling worldwide, following these steps, but it will get you on the right track to learn to enjoy and appreciate playing piano and listening to piano. And with talents and hard work, some may become a world-class piano player. Many of the "for fun" agility instructors don't take the time to teach you the basics and you end up playing on the equipment (piano in the analogy) way too early. Because you don't have the basics down (focus/attention, dog's understanding of learning to earn), body awareness exercises and flatwork etc), you learn many bad habits along the way and you do not enjoy the sports because you are frustrated with yourself and the dog and just chalk it up to "my dog is not interested in agility, so we are not doing it anymore.", I am not saying every dog will enjoy agility, but if you want to try the sports, find someone that is capable of giving you proper instructions to get you started. Otherwise, you are really wasting your money and time without scratching the surface of what the sport is all about.

    If you are in the US, definitely look up local agility trials and go check them out. You will see many teams at different levels competing. Talk to people. Ask them where they train if you like the team work they show. Many of the knowledgeable agility instructors may not be easily searchable through Google or established dog training schools in your area. You can find out AKC Agility trials nationwide using AKC's event search.
    http://www.apps.akc.org/apps/events/search/index.cfm?action=refresh_index&active_tab_row=3&active_tab_col=4&fixed_tab=14

    There are many people that don't have access to quality instructors in their local region. Thanks to the internet, there are many online resources available to teach the basics. Here are some that I have heard good words about.

    Agility University http://agility-u.com/
    Fenzi Dog Sports Academy http://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/
    Susan Garrett's Recaller course (only offered once or twice a year) http://www.susangarrett.com/the-five-minute-formula-to-a-brilliant-recall/

    I took Susan Garrett's recaller class about 2 years ago and it was very helpful in our journey to learn the basics/fun games from her. It is not necessarily geared toward agility, but it teaches you how to be the most interesting thing to your dogs and play/work with your pup, so you have more values to your dog when you call them off distractions. It teaches you all the basics to establish a strong working relationship with your dog, so you are much more than a cookie dispenser. I would definitely recommend Recaller online courses for anyone that wants to learn more about dog training and motivation.

    I took some Nosework classes with Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and really like them too. Denzi Fenzi is a great instructor that is very good at using personal play (without treats/toys eventually) to motivate a dog to offer outstanding work. I attended her seminar once and is impressed with her knowledge. So that's another option for people who want to learn and can be disciplined enough to learn through online classes.
  • I get what @Valkyrii is saying...I don't think he means competition isn't fun...I do the same thing, and maybe I should phrase it differently...i think the point of agility is precision and fun... The whole point (in my opinion) is to mentally and physically challenge and stimulate your dog in a positive and fun way, whether you compete or not is up to the individual (I chose not to because I have literally no time on my hands to do that, but I can manage a class here and there), so I do classes at a local place to do something "fun" with my dog. We challenge each other, we get better and move on to more advanced classes, and I think it's fun learning the proper technique, and seeing your dog smile and succeed, and then crash out the rest of the day hapily! Our instructor can be a bit pushy about trying to get us to get better quicker in order to compete, which irks me (because if I had the time I would!), but the point isn't to rush as you said, the point is to really GET it and then advance.

    You are 100% right though @sandrat88, without fun, there is no competition, your dog won't be motivated. Agility all around is FUN! :)
  • Just vouching for Fenzi academy, I've taken some classes and they were fun and easy to follow.
  • I get what @Valkyrii is saying...I don't think he means competition isn't fun...I do the same thing, and maybe I should phrase it differently...i think the point of agility is precision and fun... The whole point (in my opinion) is to mentally and physically challenge and stimulate your dog in a positive and fun way, whether you compete or not is up to the individual (I chose not to because I have literally no time on my hands to do that, but I can manage a class here and there), so I do classes at a local place to do something "fun" with my dog. We challenge each other, we get better and move on to more advanced classes, and I think it's fun learning the proper technique, and seeing your dog smile and succeed, and then crash out the rest of the day hapily! Our instructor can be a bit pushy about trying to get us to get better quicker in order to compete, which irks me (because if I had the time I would!), but the point isn't to rush as you said, the point is to really GET it and then advance.

    You are 100% right though @sandrat88, without fun, there is no competition, your dog won't be motivated. Agility all around is FUN! :)
    Yeah, that's how I see it too. I don't mean competition is not fun, but it might not be, depending on your dog, the group of people you're working with, etc, and if you, as a handler, tend not to be competitive anyway, then that aspect can take away some of the fun. I absolutely think it's way better to start with a good foundation--honestly, when I took a "for fun" class that didn't really explain things, it wasn't that fun anyway--it was much better to start with the good trainer who did it right.

    But once we got beyond that into the group class and I was in a class with a bunch of aussies, a border collie, and GSD, it was way less fun for us. Our trainer never stopped helping us and believing in us (she was great!), but the rest of the group wasn't fun, because other people were a bit dismissive of Leo and has abilities because they were used to dogs they got specifically for competition. We also didn't go further because my favorite trainer cut back her training schedule dramatically (she got a new full time job!) and I would have had to take classes taught by people who had aussies and expected all dogs to react like herding dogs. That would not be fun for me--I get tired of having to explain my dog and his reactions to people. And we also discovered Leo was exceptionally hard to motivate when he felt stressed by the other dogs/people. He just did not want to do it in a group.

    So sometimes the difference between competitive vs. fun is just that: a handler may not find the competitive aspect appealing either. I did not--I didn't like my dog being compared to the herding breeds (esp. when I knew he could do it just as well if he wanted to), nor did I enjoy the impatience with of these other people (cuz you know, I got it: they didn't want a Kai. Well, I don't like Aussies, either, so there you go) that I found as we worked our way into the classes for people who were serious about competition. Leo made it abundantly clear that he did not enjoy having to work in bigger groups, and I didn't like the atmosphere that much either, and that was that.

  • @sandrat88 Thank you for the information. It's a challenge just to find a good instructor, let alone one in my area and available the days I am. We would much rather have a trainer who will teach us correctly and as if we were going to compete.

    "Fun' is a relative term. What is fun for one person may not be fun for another. While I certainly agree it should be fun to compete, for some competing is not fun. My motives are simply to find a quality instructor and involve myself, my dog and my family in agility to give Nero a productive energy outlet and build a closer bond between us all.

    @Mdokic and @Shibamistress you guys nailed it spot on! :)
  • And even for instructors who say they are teaching it for both fun and competition, don't just take their words for it. See for yourself how their dogs run in competition.How their students run in competition. It will tell you a lot about the instructor and his or her ability both as a handler/trainer of his or her own dogs, but also how well he or she is able to communicate and transfer knowledge to students. That's why I highly suggest people to go to a real trial. Watch and observe. Talk to people there. You will learn a lot more.

    When I first got Maluko (my first dog), I went to a training school 15 minutes away from me, based on recommendations of others and the fact that the owner of the school competes in obedience and agility. We only did basic pet obedience classes there and never took their agility or other more advanced classes. Luckily, I got exposure to other instructors that are farther away from me, but have way more knowledge than the one that I started with. I read and learn on my own. Looking back, I was glad that I did not continue classes with this instructor or her facility (she is the owner). I saw her dog ran a couple times in both Agility and Obedience and he looks miserable. Obedience is her main thing, so her dog does better there, but still compared with others, her dog looks worried and confused in the ring. She hardly competes in Agility and the only time I saw her in the ring, the dog is slow as hell. It is a Belgium Sheepdog and most of them have pretty good drive and willingness to work. This tells you a lot about how motivated she is to get her dogs going.

    I was a Seattle Kennel Club show a year ago, competing with Maluko and Koji in Agility. It was held in a big convention center in downtown, so a lot of general public were there watching. A woman approached me and asked me about doing Agility with a Northern Breed. She has an American Eskimo Dog. When I learned that she was taking classes at the training school I started way back, I was not sure if I should tell her that is not a good place to train. This woman is a stranger and should I even bother telling her the truth of that place? I eventually did and referred her to a few instructors in the area. I never thought twice about it again. Fast forward to this Feb at a local agility trial. The same woman approached me outside of the ring (I did not recognize her then) and she thanked me for giving her the best advice ever. She told me about our conversation and she said she went to an instructor that is much farther away from her and noticed a world of differences in the knowledge she learned. She was at the Feb trial competing with her American Eskimo Dog at the Novice level and she thanked me for being honest with her.

    What I want to say to newbies is that most of us started out as not seriously about competing. We started out because we wanted a deeper bond with our dogs and to mentally and physically challenge our dogs (well, you will learn that the human gets challenged mentally and physically in the process too as you move along.)

    As you learn with your dogs, there are sure to be hurdles and obstacles to your training. Some choose to give up, while others press on and figure it out how to move forward. To even have fun at any level, you definitely need a good instructor to guide you through the process. I strongly encourage you to go to a real trial in your area on a weekend and see for yourself. Talk to people that seem to have a blast with their dogs regardless of qualifying or not. Talk to people that have fun and are nice to their dogs. It is really a fun experience if you think of it as an outing event to learn more about what you can do with your dog.
  • The way we found our trainer was by talking to an agility club in our area. They recommended this trainer because most of them have worked with her before. She also hosts NADAC and AKC trials at her facility
  • The way we found our trainer was by talking to an agility club in our area. They recommended this trainer because most of them have worked with her before. She also hosts NADAC and AKC trials at her facility
    @NavyDog

    I would still suggest you to go to a real trial and see the team work there. There is no substitute for that. By going and talking to competitors there that show great team work you aspire to have with your dogs, you will not be limited to whoever the agility club referred you to.

    I would also like to point out that even with an instructor that has knowledge to share and do well with their own dogs, some just don't really care that much about helping you. You do not necessarily need to find an instructor who runs a non-traditional breed, but you want one that cares enough to help you with your non-traditional breed, so you can learn and improve. My instructor had no prior experience teaching a Shiba, but she has done wonders for us because she cares about us as long as I showed some motivation to learn and try harder. She was not amused with me when I first started and did not practice outside of class. :)
  • Ive been to a trial. Thats how I found out about the club. Ive been to agility trials many times since, like I said, Ive always wanted to get into it.
  • @sandrat888
    I constantly hear people say they want to do agility "for fun" with their dogs, implying that if you do it and compete, you are not doing it "for fun". I just want to make it clear that unless you make it fun for the dog, there will be no competition whatsoever
    I agree with this. It has to be fun no matter what. I learned the hard way with Ty. During one run at a trial he had a hard time collecting after a jump to turn quick enough. When I called his name, i was way to stern and frustrated. He gave me the middle paw and walked off the course. What could I do? I wasn't making it fun for him. He did a quick sharp turn with his tail up and literally trotted straight off the course. It needs to be fun for the dogs and you cant get frustrated with them or they will let you know. Next run I was up beat and relax with him, he q'd and had a huge smile the whole run.
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