New agility course

Susan · 01-02-2005, 04:22 PM

Lucy (sheltie / aussie mix) and I are putting together a little, informal agility course in the back yard. My husband is really handy and has volunteered to make any apparatus we need. I thought this would be fun as Lucy loves to do all the fun events at the dog park. My knees (both need replacement in the next couple of years) will not allow me to run or make quick movements, but I thought I'd make something fun for both Lucy and me. I would really appreciate any suggestions .....and many thanks in advance.
Oh yes, why does it say Yorkshire Terrier after my name and how can I change it??? Thanks.

IceyBlueSibes · 01-02-2005, 05:06 PM

Hello, that sounds like a lot of fun! Hope you all make the best of it!

As for the York. Terrier under your name...

Go to User CP at the top of the page and click on it
After your at that page, on the left there will be a link that says "Edit Profile".. Click that
Then it will bring you to your profile. There is a section titled, "Custom User Title". You can type in whatever you want...
Then of course, go down to the bottom and hit "Save"

Hope that helped or if I explained it well enough!

oc_spirit · 01-02-2005, 06:20 PM

Hey Susan! You're so lucky!!! I want to set one up in my yard but my yard's a tad small so I dunno it that will ever happen...maybe just a few jumps and tunnels....anyway be a VERY careful with agility. Sure it's easy to teach a dog to jump something and most of them love it but it's amazingly easy for them to hurt themselves. Jumping up and down on to bedsor over coffee tables on thier own free wil is one thing, but having them do it on command is something else. Remember to start small and slowly work your way up on height and dogs under 18months shouldn't be jumping anything past their shoulder. Also ground is important, never get your dog to jup over something high or repeatedly if your ground is hard (frozen soil, concrete, pavement, etc) it should be nice ground, or sand, or even mulch, anything soft.

Cheers!

RedHotDobe · 01-02-2005, 07:01 PM

I've always had a longing for a dog that I could get started in agility and flyball, kudos to you for making an informal backyard course. I like watching Duke sail over tree trunk, smalls fences, and such. It makes him seem so graceful.

Here's a website for you to check out:
http://www.cleanrun.com/

His masters voice · 01-02-2005, 09:38 PM

Agility is good fun for both the dog and owner, but can I just stress that because of the growing bone structure it is not recommended that a dog gets involved in agility until one year old. Having said that there are more gentle obstacles suitable for puppy age, which are easy to build and provides a good base for later on. the obvious ones are weave polls and tunnels. A friend of mine always had a 3' sq piece of wood with a ball underneath, which he always scattered treats over. This helped tremendously with confidence building, getting the dog use to balance and preparing the dog for the larger see saw later on.

have fun.

Susan · 01-03-2005, 04:03 AM

Lucy is over 3 and we have no intention of "doing agility" just attempting to have some fun together. Low jumps, a tunnel, a stand table and maybe a tire jump a foot off the ground. We live in sunny South Florida and frost or hard ground is never a consideration. Our yard, although not a large one, will accomodate several pieces of apparatus. I have 3 granddaughters who love to run over anything with Lucy. She loves it. They just grab onto the end of her leash and take off together. They are elementary school age, so as you can see it's just for fun. Thank you all so much for the encouragement.

IceyBlueSibes · 01-03-2005, 07:57 AM

I live in Sunny South Florida too! Where'bouts do you live? I'm in Northern Palm Beach County...

***Carrie*** · 01-03-2005, 08:07 AM

You can use PVC piping to make some of these things. The weave poles are a lot of fun and a real challenge. Lyric knows the names of all the equipment and you go along behind and beside and point to the obstacles as you say the name of it. Treats are a must! LOL.

You can make a low bridge, a teeter totter, (low) a set of weave poles, a tunnel, a shute, just to name some.

I say to Lyric, "go jump, go weave, go tunnel." He loves the tunnel. He'll go back and forth a million times if it's up to him. He likes to do 3 jumps in a row, "jump, jump, jump...go tunnel, go shute." LOL. It is a blast.

There is absolutely never one negative word uttered. It is all fun and excitement. If they screw up, so what.....(it's normally my fault if he screws up. I've turned my shoulders the wrong way and caused him to get mixed up) We go back and try again.

The speed at which they run the course will be wrecked if there's any negativity. It's all exciting exuberance. Even if you're not doing it for competition, it's still fun to watch them go through those weave poles quickly, turn to go for a jump, turn again and run through the tunnel.

You might enjoy a few classes to learn how to teach it. Have fun.

***Carrie*** · 01-03-2005, 08:09 AM

If your dog is still under a year old, you can still do agility. Just make the jumps very low and have him go slowly through the weave poles....get the accuracy and forget the quick turns and high speed. Don't do excessive jumping....a few jumps won't hurt him, especially if they're low. It gives him the idea and he has fun.

Susan · 01-08-2005, 04:25 PM

My husband made Lucy's first jump today. To get her used to it we're just using the bottom pole set at 8 inches. She just gives a little "hop" and goes right over it. Roy set it to have another bar added later just 6 inches higher. Like I mentioned, we're just doing this to have fun. I know our neighbors will start stopping by to see the growing course in our backyard. If nothing else, it'll be a good reason to talk across the fence and make new friends. We have a great neighborhood.
You mentioned about taking a few classes to learn how to teach agility??? Lucy can't be taken off leash in public. She must remember the "streets" because she is off like a shot. She is a sheltie/aussie mix and absolutely loves to run. Because we live in the city suburbs this is just not a option for her. I would like to hear more though. Thanks to everyone!!!

oc_spirit · 01-08-2005, 08:49 PM

Susan there are a lot of indoor training places as well as fenced ones. Not all are out in a big open field. They'll also be able to help you train her to respect you more in order to trust her offleash

Cheers!

01-02-2005, 04:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Susan Sheltie mix Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 10 Rep Power: 75	New agility course Lucy (sheltie / aussie mix) and I are putting together a little, informal agility course in the back yard. My husband is really handy and has volunteered to make any apparatus we need. I thought this would be fun as Lucy loves to do all the fun events at the dog park. My knees (both need replacement in the next couple of years) will not allow me to run or make quick movements, but I thought I'd make something fun for both Lucy and me. I would really appreciate any suggestions .....and many thanks in advance. Oh yes, why does it say Yorkshire Terrier after my name and how can I change it??? Thanks.

01-02-2005, 05:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
IceyBlueSibes Eyes = Mirror to the soul Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Jupiter, Fla. Posts: 7,601 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 263	Hello, that sounds like a lot of fun! Hope you all make the best of it! As for the York. Terrier under your name... Go to User CP at the top of the page and click on it After your at that page, on the left there will be a link that says "Edit Profile".. Click that Then it will bring you to your profile. There is a section titled, "Custom User Title". You can type in whatever you want... Then of course, go down to the bottom and hit "Save" Hope that helped or if I explained it well enough!
	__________________ Sheiba, Denali, Ike, Nitro (Siberian Husky), Kelso (GSD x), Lugar (Boxer/Pit x), Willah (Shepherd/Husky x), Tibby, Cheech, Chong (Chihuahua), and any foster we have in the house! 9 Kitty cats!

01-02-2005, 06:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
oc_spirit Snow Girl Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,612 Rep Power: 140	Hey Susan! You're so lucky!!! I want to set one up in my yard but my yard's a tad small so I dunno it that will ever happen...maybe just a few jumps and tunnels....anyway be a VERY careful with agility. Sure it's easy to teach a dog to jump something and most of them love it but it's amazingly easy for them to hurt themselves. Jumping up and down on to bedsor over coffee tables on thier own free wil is one thing, but having them do it on command is something else. Remember to start small and slowly work your way up on height and dogs under 18months shouldn't be jumping anything past their shoulder. Also ground is important, never get your dog to jup over something high or repeatedly if your ground is hard (frozen soil, concrete, pavement, etc) it should be nice ground, or sand, or even mulch, anything soft. Cheers!
	__________________ My dogs WORK, what do yours do? Even the quietest whisper can be heard over the loudest gunshot. When? When it speaks the truth! I shall stand by your side and fight! Together we shall prevail through all life's adversities!

01-02-2005, 07:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
RedHotDobe <-official IM supervisor Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 743 Rep Power: 91	I've always had a longing for a dog that I could get started in agility and flyball, kudos to you for making an informal backyard course. I like watching Duke sail over tree trunk, smalls fences, and such. It makes him seem so graceful. Here's a website for you to check out: http://www.cleanrun.com/
	__________________ -Caitlin (\ /) (O.o) (> <) Copy this little bunny into your signature, help him take over the world

01-03-2005, 04:03 AM	#6 (permalink)
Susan Sheltie mix Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 10 Rep Power: 75	Thanks to all! Lucy is over 3 and we have no intention of "doing agility" just attempting to have some fun together. Low jumps, a tunnel, a stand table and maybe a tire jump a foot off the ground. We live in sunny South Florida and frost or hard ground is never a consideration. Our yard, although not a large one, will accomodate several pieces of apparatus. I have 3 granddaughters who love to run over anything with Lucy. She loves it. They just grab onto the end of her leash and take off together. They are elementary school age, so as you can see it's just for fun. Thank you all so much for the encouragement.

01-02-2005, 09:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
His masters voice German Shepherd Dog Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: In the dogs kennel avoiding the wife and kids. Posts: 199 Rep Power: 84	Agility is good fun for both the dog and owner, but can I just stress that because of the growing bone structure it is not recommended that a dog gets involved in agility until one year old. Having said that there are more gentle obstacles suitable for puppy age, which are easy to build and provides a good base for later on. the obvious ones are weave polls and tunnels. A friend of mine always had a 3' sq piece of wood with a ball underneath, which he always scattered treats over. This helped tremendously with confidence building, getting the dog use to balance and preparing the dog for the larger see saw later on. have fun.

01-03-2005, 07:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
IceyBlueSibes Eyes = Mirror to the soul Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Jupiter, Fla. Posts: 7,601 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 263	I live in Sunny South Florida too! Where'bouts do you live? I'm in Northern Palm Beach County...
	__________________ Sheiba, Denali, Ike, Nitro (Siberian Husky), Kelso (GSD x), Lugar (Boxer/Pit x), Willah (Shepherd/Husky x), Tibby, Cheech, Chong (Chihuahua), and any foster we have in the house! 9 Kitty cats!

01-03-2005, 08:07 AM	#8 (permalink)
*Carrie* Super Moderator Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: north panhandle of Idaho Posts: 7,391 Rep Power: 278	You can use PVC piping to make some of these things. The weave poles are a lot of fun and a real challenge. Lyric knows the names of all the equipment and you go along behind and beside and point to the obstacles as you say the name of it. Treats are a must! LOL. You can make a low bridge, a teeter totter, (low) a set of weave poles, a tunnel, a shute, just to name some. I say to Lyric, "go jump, go weave, go tunnel." He loves the tunnel. He'll go back and forth a million times if it's up to him. He likes to do 3 jumps in a row, "jump, jump, jump...go tunnel, go shute." LOL. It is a blast. There is absolutely never one negative word uttered. It is all fun and excitement. If they screw up, so what.....(it's normally my fault if he screws up. I've turned my shoulders the wrong way and caused him to get mixed up) We go back and try again. The speed at which they run the course will be wrecked if there's any negativity. It's all exciting exuberance. Even if you're not doing it for competition, it's still fun to watch them go through those weave poles quickly, turn to go for a jump, turn again and run through the tunnel. You might enjoy a few classes to learn how to teach it. Have fun.

01-03-2005, 08:09 AM	#9 (permalink)
*Carrie* Super Moderator Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: north panhandle of Idaho Posts: 7,391 Rep Power: 278	If your dog is still under a year old, you can still do agility. Just make the jumps very low and have him go slowly through the weave poles....get the accuracy and forget the quick turns and high speed. Don't do excessive jumping....a few jumps won't hurt him, especially if they're low. It gives him the idea and he has fun.

01-08-2005, 04:25 PM	#10 (permalink)
Susan Sheltie mix Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 10 Rep Power: 75	My husband made Lucy's first jump today. To get her used to it we're just using the bottom pole set at 8 inches. She just gives a little "hop" and goes right over it. Roy set it to have another bar added later just 6 inches higher. Like I mentioned, we're just doing this to have fun. I know our neighbors will start stopping by to see the growing course in our backyard. If nothing else, it'll be a good reason to talk across the fence and make new friends. We have a great neighborhood. You mentioned about taking a few classes to learn how to teach agility??? Lucy can't be taken off leash in public. She must remember the "streets" because she is off like a shot. She is a sheltie/aussie mix and absolutely loves to run. Because we live in the city suburbs this is just not a option for her. I would like to hear more though. Thanks to everyone!!!

01-08-2005, 08:49 PM	#11 (permalink)
oc_spirit Snow Girl Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,612 Rep Power: 140	Susan there are a lot of indoor training places as well as fenced ones. Not all are out in a big open field. They'll also be able to help you train her to respect you more in order to trust her offleash Cheers!
	__________________ My dogs WORK, what do yours do? Even the quietest whisper can be heard over the loudest gunshot. When? When it speaks the truth! I shall stand by your side and fight! Together we shall prevail through all life's adversities!

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