RememberMia
Boxer Pal
I have a 4 year old boxer with lots of energy. Do you know how i could get her started in agility.
How do I start working toward agility
- Thread starter RememberMia
- Start date
- Status
IluvLucy
Boxer Insane
Well, a class would be the best. 
Are there any places that teach it near you? There are things you can teach on your own but to really train you need access to the equipment. You can build equipment to practice with but some of the bigger items can be quite a project and take up a lot of room when completed. There's also something to be said for having someone who has competed and knows what they are doing help you get started. How much do you know about agility? You can go to www.akc.org , they have a lot of info on agility. Keep in mind that AKC is only one venue. There are others too. Do you know which ones are in your area? If you can tell me more of what you already know, I can be more help to you.
Are there any places that teach it near you? There are things you can teach on your own but to really train you need access to the equipment. You can build equipment to practice with but some of the bigger items can be quite a project and take up a lot of room when completed. There's also something to be said for having someone who has competed and knows what they are doing help you get started. How much do you know about agility? You can go to www.akc.org , they have a lot of info on agility. Keep in mind that AKC is only one venue. There are others too. Do you know which ones are in your area? If you can tell me more of what you already know, I can be more help to you.
RememberMia
Boxer Pal
What do you think of starting off with clicker training? Is there any conditioning that should be done first?
kpowell
Boxer Insane
I started my lab with obedience classes, then a class that introduces each piece of agility equipment, then a class that gradually puts the pieces together, and finally a class that teaches you as a handler how to start thinking about running an agility course. Without these classes, I can't imagine how one would start agility. I suppose it would be possible to read books and try, but you would definitely need to go to a lot of shows and watch how it looks in the real world. We aren't going to show because my lab is too old and really too fat to jump as high as he'd have to, but we go to little informal get-togethers, and my training facility has an agility league that they are going to let us particpate in.
Good luck, and don't let anything I've said or anyone else says discourage you. Just have fun!!!!!
Good luck, and don't let anything I've said or anyone else says discourage you. Just have fun!!!!!
IluvLucy
Boxer Insane
Clicker training works for some and not for others, you will have to decide if it is something that works for you.
If by conditioning you mean physical exercise to get her in shape before you do agility, I had the same concerns when we started. The thing is, when you start, you are just introducing them to each obstacle and then move on from there. It is a gradual process and they get "conditioned" as they learn.
I would recomend taking some basic obedience first, if you haven't already done so. It makes it so much easier to do agility when you have a dog that listens to you. Remember, they will be off leash when running a course.
- Status