Questions About Agility For A Pug

[littlesquashyguys]

Hi,

I have some questions about Agility for my Pug who is four-and-a-half.

I'm taking him to obedience classes soon...once he has recovered from surgery to shorten his palate.

He has only been to puppy classes. How long does it usually take to reach the level where you can do Agility?

Is it possible to do Agility 'just for fun', without being competitive or serious? And is the Agility scene bitchy like the show scene?

I think he would get a real kick out of it. He loves to zoom around like Speedy Gonzales and he is superfast!

[koalathebear]

Hi

Your dog is old enough to do agility. Generally you just have to pass certain 'tests' to see if your dog is suitable. These vary per club but can include:

- dog can't be overweight

- dog needs to be able to jump

- dog needs to be able to be in close proximity to other dogs without freaking out/becoming aggressive - in our test we had several dogs sitting next to each other inside a small circle while another dog worked around them

- dog needs to have good recall (informal recall, not the formal recall needed for obedience)

We have a Sheltie and a Japanese Spitz in our class and at one point we had a JRT/Pug which was about the size of a pug. I've also seen Frenchies doing agility.

I'm not sure about other clubs, but at ours - it's definitely fine to just do agility 'for fun'. We are all taught on the basis that we are going to trial but while some people definitely want to trial, others definitely do not and then there people like me who aren't sure yet If you wanted to just train the way we're doing, it's a lot of fun for the dog and there's definitely no bitchiness. If you wanted to actually trial, I think that people would expect that you had a certain degree of commitment and that your dog was well-behaved etc I can't answer about the bitchiness thing because I haven't trialled and I don't really know the agility scene

There is a lot of off-lead work which is why it's important that your dog gets on all right with other dogs and you have a degree of control. To my distress, my dog still does zoomies but I am hoping that one day he will stop :p

Edited August 28, 2011 by koalathebear

[Kavik]

Yes you can do agility just for fun

After the operation, will your Pug be able to do vigorous types of exercise? Agility can be quite strenuous. With a Pug I would be careful with exercise as temperatures increase.

Agility people are generally quite friendly and helpful

[huski]

As long as your dog is fit and healthy and you are committed to doing some training I don't see a reason why you couldn't give agility a go. There are beginners classes around that are suitable for dogs who haven't had that much previous training, although some places require you to have basic obedience first.

My dog is four years old and we have only just started agility this year, we come from an obedience background though so that made it easier in some ways because I'd already done a lot of drive building, shaping (so my dog had learnt how to learn) and she already works very reliably off leash.

Edited August 28, 2011 by huski

[littlesquashyguys]

My Pug is great with other dogs, he comes when called, and walks close by me off-lead.

My vet said he will be able to exercise normally once he has recovered from his surgery. I can ask the vet (and the surgeon) about Agility in particular.

I don't exercise him in weather above 19 C, which could limit us.

At the moment, he is 500g overweight but he is now on a diet and that will soon change.

Also, I should have mentioned earlier - I'm looking at buying a Schipperke early next year. If Grover isn't suitable for Agility, I could always try it out with my Schipperke. I would prefer a black Schip. I'm wondering if they are sensitive to heat. They seem to have such dense coats. Perhaps, I should consider a cream one for Agility?

[Weasels]

The clubs in Vic are probably big enough that this isn't a problem, but I'd check first that there are other small dogs training at your preferred club so you can set up your own equipment and aren't constantly re-adjusting the jump heights

BTW I love Schipperkes! We were considering getting one for a while :D

Edited August 28, 2011 by Weasels

[Kavik]

Sounds like you have it sorted re his health and agility which is good.

I love Schipps - a black one should be fine