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Agility Class FAQ |
Does my dog need to have obedience training in order to do agility training? While your dog does need to listen and pay attention to you, most of my students have not taken formal obedience classes before agility. Most of the Beginner class is done on leash.The last part, where we begin to do multiple obstacles in sequence can be done on leash or off, depending on the dog. Many students work on obedience skills as they go along, others find that they need some extra help and may schedule a private session or two. Is the training area fenced? Yes. The training area is completely and securely fenced, however the fenced area is much larger than the training ring. If you have a dog who's favorite game is 'You can't catch me!' when he gets away from you ... then you might want to consider obedience classes or a private session first. Can puppies do agility? Puppies are really quick learners. If you don't 'feed' their little brains useful information ... they will take it upon themselves to learn all sorts of things on their own. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff they learn will be things you wished they hadn't! Puppies older than 4 months can do almost all of the agility obstacles at low heights (which is the only height beginners work at anyway). You want to avoid jumping puppies, so we keep the bars set really low. Weaving is to be avoided with puppies too so we keep the channel weaves open. My dog isn't good with other dogs, can he do agility. Sure. But not in a group class. Private classes are best for dogs with 'issues'. Agility looks like fun, but I'm not interested in competing. That's OK! My classes are all about having fun. The majority of my students start out by just wanting to have a fun night out with their dogs. One student is working with her FOURTH dog (she has a big doggie family) because they enjoy it so much she wants to give everyone a turn. Many who start out doing it 'just for fun' get hooked by the bug and do go on to compete. It's a great hobby. Does my dog need a kennel cough shot? No, but you will need to bring proof that his rabies vaccine is up to date. Do you have daytime or week-end classes? At this time I am not offering Group day or week-end classes, but feel free to mention it when you put your name on my mailing list. If I get enough interest in a daytime class I am willing to offer one. For those who would prefer day or week-end classes, I do offer private sessions at those times. You can get a 4 week private session for only $10 more than a group session! Private sessions are all about you. No waiting your turn. All the agility, tricks and obedience you can do in 45 minutes. Now that I have the extra time to offer these, they are becoming extremely popular. Do you offer private sessions in Nottingham? Sorry, private sessions (agility, trick or obedience) are only available at our Rochester location. |