moofius Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) Hello, I have a female English Cocker Spaniel which is almost 7 months and have been reading up on flyball and agility classes. Which do you think is more fun or prefer, is a cocker spaniel more suited to one or the other? I have attended puppy school which went pretty well and in the last few weeks or so she's been getting more obedient to my commands, well 'come' was the one which she was worst with some distractions but that's been coming along well. It seems that from 6+ months she is becoming more alert to what I am doing and be less distracted, so I was thinking I should wait til 9-12months of age take her to obedience class. Anyway my thoughts are after that I could do some type of flyball or agility classes etc and trying to work out which I would like to do more. Any thoughts?? Edited February 1, 2011 by moofius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) Which one appeals more to you? Have you been to watch a flyball competition or agility trial? Most people I know clearly prefer one or the other Ultimately you are the one who has to have the motivation to keep it up so I think it's more important to choose a sport that interests you. Or you could even give both a go! I would also recommend taking your girl to obedience classes as soon a possible if that's where you want to head in the future :D There's not really a minimum age for obedience training (my girl has been attending since she was 16 weeks old). 9-12 months old can be an adolescent period so she may get better or may get worse during that time Edited February 1, 2011 by wuffles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 With a young dog I would be going down the agility path first before flyball - especially if as a handler you are not totally confident in your ability or that of your dog. I say this because agility is a much calmer environment where it is less likely that you will have dog/dog issues. Flyball on the other hand is VERY full on for a lot of dogs and you need to be on your guard all the time just in case. That said I really enjoy both and find it hard to choose between the two sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Go have a look at both - they are VERY different :D I personally am not interested in flyball - I like the variety of equipment at agility (+ ways to teach it and to improve your performance), as well as the handling challenges that make me think and make the handling integral to the training and the experience, whereas flyball is more the dog doing the same pattern. Also the amount of barking I have seen when watching flyball would do my head in and while I like my dog to be in drive and keen and fast, I don't like them as wound up as I have seen flyball dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moofius Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Hi wuffles, Yeah I think I will look up some flyball and agility videos on youtube later. Flyball seems a bit more running/athleticism and agility more challenging or puzzle oriented sport. Vada was only desexed 3 weeks ago and before then I thought about taking her to the obedience class afterwards, but she seems to be settling down a bit more each week and more receptive to things which is why I thought with a bit more time she might get more out of the class in a few months, I'll probably just wait til 9months rather than 12. At 5-6 months she was a bit rebellious and I wasn't too keen on taking her to the obedience class with that in mind, but she seems to be getting a little better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There is also the team aspect of flyball vs the solo in agility (generally). So if you are looking for a team sport then give flyball a go! Both will mean that you build a great bond with your dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There is also the team aspect of flyball vs the solo in agility (generally). So if you are looking for a team sport then give flyball a go!Both will mean that you build a great bond with your dog :D I've also heard the internal politics in some teams in flyball get quite *interesting* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There is also the team aspect of flyball vs the solo in agility (generally). So if you are looking for a team sport then give flyball a go!Both will mean that you build a great bond with your dog for agility, the team is you and your dog though. I love agility because it is great for building that bond between you and your dog - both of you succeed and fail together. IF you mess up, so do they and vice versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbaudry Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Head to the cocker thread in breeds subforum.... Nicole has just posted a video of her and Lomani at agility , that should inspire you! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...t&p=5118338 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betsy Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Good question - as I have been wondering the same! I spoke to a few of the trainers at the dog school I go to. They all thought that agility or flyball would be possible in the not too distant future (we and still doing general obedience), but they all suggested doing the agility term first. Also, it is often difficult to get into dog clubs - another reason to keep up with the obedience classes (if they are run by the same group) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I would be starting in obedience and then making a decision - look at where your dogs strengths lie in these types of classes. Plus they provide good foundation work for both sports. Personally I look at Flyball and think it seems to be the most boring thing in the world (apart from the 12 seconds your dog is running), but that's just me and tI think I will have to try it eventually because my girl would like it. Agility however, I love!!!! Offers variety, lots of different skills, course is always different, and I think great to watch. We have been training agility and Kenzie LURVES it!!! But she is a bit tunnel, A-frame, dog-walk crazy. Maybe look for a club where you can give both a try in a semi-social environment and then make a decision on which (or both!!) to stick with and train seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I would be starting in obedience and then making a decision - look at where your dogs strengths lie in these types of classes. Plus they provide good foundation work for both sports.Personally I look at Flyball and think it seems to be the most boring thing in the world (apart from the 12 seconds your dog is running), but that's just me and tI think I will have to try it eventually because my girl would like it. Agility however, I love!!!! Offers variety, lots of different skills, course is always different, and I think great to watch. We have been training agility and Kenzie LURVES it!!! But she is a bit tunnel, A-frame, dog-walk crazy. Maybe look for a club where you can give both a try in a semi-social environment and then make a decision on which (or both!!) to stick with and train seriously. Or for a lot of dogs the 4-5 seconds it gets to run per heat ;). I would go with what ever your dog enjoys better & at the end of the day what you enjoy. I know dogs who do and excel in both sports, so it is possible to do both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 When I had April it was not recommended to do agility until a dog had reached 2 yrs old. Which I did. April was a bit of a Jeckyl & Hyde. J at obedience & H at agility. I love watching agility. Flyball is very noisy & if you suffer headaches, I'd give that a miss. Also back in April's time people that were having trouble training their dogs in obedience went to agiliity, something that the older, traditional instructor saw as a cop out. Since being on forums I now know how technical agility can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 When I had April it was not recommended to do agility until a dog had reached 2 yrs old. Which I did. April was a bit of a Jeckyl & Hyde. J at obedience & H at agility. I love watching agility. Flyball is very noisy & if you suffer headaches, I'd give that a miss.Also back in April's time people that were having trouble training their dogs in obedience went to agiliity, something that the older, traditional instructor saw as a cop out. Since being on forums I now know how technical agility can be. LOL. Another forum member suggested to me that agility is just directed jumping really. I think it was kind of tounge in cheek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gspsplease Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 My GSP adores both flyball and agility. Flyball is more of a pattern without the great variations that you find in an agility course, but for a ball fanatic that hardly matters. When you trial at agility, you are active for 30-40 seconds each time in each of the 2 or 3 classes you have entered, and then it's over. At flyball you are competing every half hour or so for the whole day, for 5-10 minutes at a time, so a full day competition is exactly that. Plus the flyball club/team atmosphere is very different to other dog sports, but then agility people are very friendly and you can always find people to sit with and talk to. In my opinion agilty requires more control and skill from the handler and a real partnership, and more mental effort from the handler to memorise a course and plot the best route for his/her dog. Flyball requires more control of your dog around other dogs, especially when you consider they are running flat out towards each other to pass through a metre wide gap at the same time as the other dog. Both sports enhance your relationship with your dog, and give both of you a good physical workout -- so why not try both? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 This is a bit like holden v's ford, and though some people do both, its generally one or the other My dogs do flyball, they love it, I love it (most of the time lol) and it is far from boring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monah Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 We love both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I'm having a similar battle at the moment... I think my boy would have better focus at flyball but I'm not sure.. and we have an agility workshop next week to see how we go. I always wanted to do agility with him but now I'm not so sure. He's turning into a ball crazy fiend the older he gets I just don't know anywhere near me that does flyball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monah Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 bundy's mum, we chould have a viz only flyball team, give those pesky BCs a run for their money He would probably love both.. you don't really have to 'choose', I'm sure he'd be very good at both too. They are very different, Monah loves going flat out at flyball and being encouraged to go for it she also loves really using her brain in agility etc. I am not good at agility though, I'm a bit of a fumbler... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Apologies if this is off topic, but the main thing that puts me off flyball and sends me in the agility direction is the barking. Is the barking avoidable?? Are there teams out there that DON'T encourage barking?? I think it's an awesome sport so it's a pity the barking puts me off it so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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