Agility Training

[bridgie_cat]

Heya :D

I would be very interested to know how different clubs run agility training.

I am part of a small club - where instructors are still learning etc - we do well with little experience - but some feel it would run better and attract more people if it was more organised (atm, we set up a random course, sit down and chat while people take turns running their dogs over it :D )

Would love to hear: what sort of stuff is set up (ie a course, small sequences, single bits of equip or training drill type stuff), how groups are divided, what the instructors do... actually would love to hear what an avg agility training session is for ppl - ie do you have a drill or course explained and then take turns going over it? is it free-for-all (as it is at my club :D )? is there always someone recommending how to improve what you just did?

How do they teach contacts? at what level? any baby equip used?

Very importantly - what do the newbies do? and how are their training sessions run? (would love to hear any recounts from newbies that enjoyed their agility training!!!)

Thanks!

Bridget

[FHRP]

A brief run down how our classes are run. We have Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, Novice, Excellent and Masters, run as seperate classes (sometimes two levels may combine due to dog numbers or instructor numbers). In Levels 1 & 2 it's basically equipment training. We have a baby dog walk and baby see saw and the ability to break apart and completely lower the A-frame. Levels 3 & 4 introduce sequencing and courses. Novice, Excellent and Masters are run at the trialing level and Novice and Excellent have a good mixture of sets and courses. Masters is mostly courses, with some sets. You can break a course up when it's your turn though and train what you like.

As the classes progress more and more peer instruction and feedback is encouraged. Our instructors are volunteers that go through a club set course, and many attend outside seminars, however we aren't professionals and instruction at high level comes from expereince etc. and at Masters level the instructor is basically there to open the shed and provide courses. Feedback comes from other class members. Other people are happy to provide feedback on particular issues and questions. You do learn though who will actually listen......

[DeltaCharlie]

I train at 2 different clubs but are pretty similar. I have only started going to the second one so I am not really sure how it all works. Also, Delta isn't really in a class there. She is too good for the beginners but too young to be running full height courses (she is 13mnths). There are a few dogs about the same level as her so someone is taking them as a separate class for the moment. Usually they have a beginner, intermediate and advanced class. They also run a clicker class every so often. The beginners work with wobble boards and individual obstacles, they also have a smaller dog walk. The intermediate and advanced seem to just run courses or set up a box to work on handling skills.

They teach contacts with a hoop at the end to get the speed. If you want to do 2-on 2-off then you teach that separately at first. Once you have a dog that will run across an obstacle and also knows the 2-on 2-off then we combine the two skills. It seems to work.

My main club

The beginners do a 6-8 week introductory course where a new piece of equipment is added each week. The first week they do 3 weave poles and it increases each week until they are doing the full 12. At the start of it they use modified contact equipment (a-frame isn't very steep, low dog-walk, baby teeter) but by the end the idea is that they are doing the full sized equipment. A few people have gone back and redone the beginners course to really reinforce the basics.

Next is the intermediate class. It is usually focussed more on handler skills. You work on front/rear crosses, pull throughs etc. A lot of the time there is only a few pieces of equipment (eg 3 jumps) and the whole lesson is conducted using that equipment. Or we might set up a box and work on calling the dog in close and sending it out, doing 180s and 270s etc. This class also looks at doing obstacle discrimination. So we might set up a tunnel and a tyre next to each other and work on being able to send the dog through the correct one with a command and body language. We also work on sending dogs to obstacles from a distance or an odd position. For example, the idea is that when a dog hears the word "tunnel" it knows to look around for a big circular opening, even if it isnt visible from where you are (ie you might be standing next to the tunnel so the dog cant see the opening).

The advanced class were just setting up courses each week although the new chief instructor has made it so that as of next year they will be doing a similar program to the intermediate and only running a course once a month. Most of those dogs are competing every week, therefore, already running courses every week so she doesn't feel they really need to be doing it at training as well. The dogs in the advanced class started before the structured program was implemented so none of them have done the handler work and specific teaching that is done in intermediate anyway.

As for teaching contacts. They explain the different options to you at the start of beginners and give you the pros and cons of each. Then they leave it up to you what one you want to do. Most people choose the 2-on 2-off method and they show you the steps to take to learn it.

[JulesP]

My club does it a bit differently. First you do a 4 week prep class which involves teaching some contact stuff, getting the dog to work on your right side, backing up etc. Then you go on to the obstacles, you do half an hour on one obstacle and then half an hour on another obstacle. You do that for 3 weeks and are then tested on the 4th week, then on to another 2 obstacles. After passing all the obstacles you go on to sequencing. They are very big on the contacts, probably putting too much emphasis on that and prefer the 2 on 2 off. I have to say it is very boring! And is too much of a one way only sort of training, rather than looking at the individual dog. Whether in the end this method produces great dogs, I don't know.

[bridgie_cat]

I have to say it is very boring! And is too much of a one way only sort of training, rather than looking at the individual dog. Whether in the end this method produces great dogs, I don't know.

yup - ours seems to be the opposite to this - in that there are perhaps too many ideas presented at random to newbies and no organisation... I would imagine it would seem a bit overwhelming to them

THANKS for the replies!!! - sounds like some wonderful training setups

hmmm - think that may give me some ideas to take to club