Labradors And Agility

[Alfie02]

Hello everyone

I was just wondering, can Labradors do agility? Can their hips handle all the jumping? I love labradors and am hoping to get one at the end of the year, but I am also interested in doing agility, would this be possible with a lab?

Thanks

[Kavik]

There are a couple of Labs that do agility at the clubs I am with. My pointer would be to keep them lean and make sure they do not get overweight, as extra weight puts strain on their joints when jumping. The ones that I see competing are kept very lean. Maybe also check out your lines and pick dogs with parents who are athletic and an athletic build.

[poodlefan]

Hello everyone

I was just wondering, can Labradors do agility? Can their hips handle all the jumping? I love labradors and am hoping to get one at the end of the year, but I am also interested in doing agility, would this be possible with a lab?

Thanks

Depends a lot on the Labrador. There are two types in Australia - the "field" or working type and the "bench" or show type. The field dogs tend to be leaner, leggier and more high drive. If I wanted to do agility, that's the type I'd be looking for but it would come with higher exercise and training requirements.

I've seen stockier Labs do agility and do it well but you want them very lean and they are required to jump high for their build.

Despite what many people think, agility places a lot more strain on the front end of a dog than the rear. It's landing that places the full dogs weight on one leg at a time - I'd be as much if not more concerned with elbows as hips.

My advice is to look high and wide for a breeder that has some runs on the board breeding dogs for agility. Asking in the Labrador Retriever thread would be a good start.

[Alfie02]

Thanks, I will post this question in the Lab thread too. Thank you for your answers

[poodlefan]

Thanks, I will post this question in the Lab thread too. Thank you for your answers

Alfie I'll add a note of caution. There are people who will tell you that any breed can do agility and to an extent they are right. However what they don't tell you is that its a big ask for heavy breeds to continuously jump high obstacles. They also don't tell you that some dogs struggle to be competitive and to remain sound.

When someone says "of course Labs can do agility".. ask them if they know of any that are.

There are certainly gundog breeds I'd rate as having greater potential for the sport. However if its a Labrador you have your heart set on, then a careful search will produce more likely candidates than others. Don't forget that there is a sport that Labradors with the right drives are bred to excell at and that's retrieving. Working gundog folk are always keen to welcome newcomers to their ranks. And once again, some lines of Labs will do better at field trials than others.

[Alfie02]

Thats a really good point poodlefan, as I have been researching this for a while now and alot of people say that any breed can do agility. And while that may be true, how good is it for the dogs health to be doing agility if the dogs breed makes it harder for it to compete due to body size, weight, shape etc.

I wasnt aware that there are clubs for retrieving, I will look into that as this might be a more sensible option for a lab

[GoldenGirl85]

Another option is for you to get into an agility club now, Im sure there would be a lab or two, see where they got their pups from

Ive just started agility with my JRT, I love it, so far we are just doing really basic stuff but its still fun, I cant wait for my GR to be old enough to train

[poodlefan]

Thats a really good point poodlefan, as I have been researching this for a while now and alot of people say that any breed can do agility. And while that may be true, how good is it for the dogs health to be doing agility if the dogs breed makes it harder for it to compete due to body size, weight, shape etc.

I wasnt aware that there are clubs for retrieving, I will look into that as this might be a more sensible option for a lab

If you are serious about doing some field work, PM Lablover or FHRP. They will be able to guide you towards the right breeders.

Seeing a few trials will give you a good idea of what's involved too.

Where are you?

Edited March 30, 2010 by poodlefan

[Alfie02]

Thats a good idea, there is an agility club near by where I live so I will go check it out and look for any labs there and have a chat to the owners

[Alfie02]

I am in NSW, I wont be getting my Lab puppy untill hopefully at the start of next year, but i thought I better start finding these things out now so I can be organised and prepared. There are quite a few dog clubs around where I live so I should be able to find something that suits my Lab, like retrieving. But thanks you heaps for your help, I will keep this in mind when it comes to selecting a breeder and I might just end up PMing Lablover or FHRP when it comes closer to choosing my puppy

[GoldenGirl85]

If you are definitely going to do agility with the pup keep in mind that they cant start training until 11 or 12 months, but my club offers classes for younger dogs, like puppy preschool, obedience and motivation and control (lots of off lead control), I know these classes are the same as a lot of obedience clubs, but because my club is strictly agility they introduce exercises that help the dog with the beginnings of agility that dont actually cause any harm to their joints, such as walking across a ladder to teach them about foot placement and body awareness

[poodlefan]

If you are definitely going to do agility with the pup keep in mind that they cant start training until 11 or 12 months, but my club offers classes for younger dogs, like puppy preschool, obedience and motivation and control (lots of off lead control), I know these classes are the same as a lot of obedience clubs, but because my club is strictly agility they introduce exercises that help the dog with the beginnings of agility that dont actually cause any harm to their joints, such as walking across a ladder to teach them about foot placement and body awareness

For a Lab, I'd be delaying any jumping until 18 months or when growth plates have closed.

[Alfie02]

Yes, good point, the club that I am near does obedience for younger dogs up to high levels before you can graduate into their agility classes which is really good i think That means I will still be out and about with my dog socializing and learning basic obedience untill I can saftley train my dog in agility. And I will definately wait untill the dog is fully grown before even considering entering him/her in agility

[GoldenGirl85]

For a Lab, I'd be delaying any jumping until 18 months or when growth plates have closed.

Good point there, I think a reputable agility club would tell the owner if their pup wasnt ready

[poodlefan]

For a Lab, I'd be delaying any jumping until 18 months or when growth plates have closed.

Good point there, I think a reputable agility club would tell the owner if their pup wasnt ready

Don't bank on it.

[Mas1981]

I have a lab who is now 12 months old and I was keen to do agility ( at our club they can only start training at 14 months and only then if they can behave off lead) but now I have watched all the kelpies and the collies etc compete and in my mind my boy isnt cut out for that, he may have fun doing it BUT he will never achieve much if we compete, he isnt as quick as other breeds. Its just my opinion and i dont like to compete in things unless I can do fairly well.

[poodlefan]

I have a lab who is now 12 months old and I was keen to do agility ( at our club they can only start training at 14 months and only then if they can behave off lead) but now I have watched all the kelpies and the collies etc compete and in my mind my boy isnt cut out for that, he may have fun doing it BUT he will never achieve much if we compete, he isnt as quick as other breeds. Its just my opinion and i dont like to compete in things unless I can do fairly well.

You may not be able to beat the fast dogs for speed but if your boy can leave the bars up and do a reasonable clip you'll do just fine. In agility, the race isn't just about speed but about accuracy and consistency. :D

There have been some great dogs who weren't working dogs over the years. At our club we had a Bernese Mountain Dog get his Masters Agility and Jumping titles.

There's a lot to enjoy about the sport other than winning. Watching your dog have fun and improving your skills as a team is immensely rewarding.

[pie]

MM - I know Kyzer has no chance of ever beating BCs, Kelpies, etc, but we still have a lot of fun and he loves it which makes it worth it.

You don't have to come first to get titles, you just have to get clear rounds within the set course time.

As PF said, it's about accuracy and consistency, if the fastest dog isn't going where he is told to go then his speed isn't worth much!

[luvsdogs]

Hello everyone

I was just wondering, can Labradors do agility? Can their hips handle all the jumping? I love labradors and am hoping to get one at the end of the year, but I am also interested in doing agility, would this be possible with a lab?

Thanks

Depends a lot on the Labrador. There are two types in Australia - the "field" or working type and the "bench" or show type. The field dogs tend to be leaner, leggier and more high drive. If I wanted to do agility, that's the type I'd be looking for but it would come with higher exercise and training requirements.

I've seen stockier Labs do agility and do it well but you want them very lean and they are required to jump high for their build.

Despite what many people think, agility places a lot more strain on the front end of a dog than the rear. It's landing that places the full dogs weight on one leg at a time - I'd be as much if not more concerned with elbows as hips.

My advice is to look high and wide for a breeder that has some runs on the board breeding dogs for agility. Asking in the Labrador Retriever thread would be a good start.

If I were getting a lab, I'd definitely get a field lab. They look much leaner & healthier than the bench labs imo.

My cousin & I used to go to agility training over 10 yrs ago. She at the time had a small lab & was only doing agility as a fun thing & not for competition. She didn't like labs doing agility because she said they land heavily when jumping. At that time we couldn't start agility training until the dog was 2 y/o.

Edited March 30, 2010 by luvsdogs

[poodlefan]

MM - I know Kyzer has no chance of ever beating BCs, Kelpies, etc, but we still have a lot of fun and he loves it which makes it worth it.

I've seen it happen! Lil my Toy Poodle has won classes... she was never fast but she was consistent.