Is Your Puppy Suitable for Agility Training ?

 

   Thanks to Expert Village at Youtube for the video.

 

All puppies are different – even brothers and sisters.Some have a happy
temperament and some are just plain nervous.

To choose a puppy to train for agility, you will have to take several things into
consideration.
There is no simple test for all dogs for suitability For instance, a puppy may well
show an ability that makes you think it will be suitable only to totally forget that ability the next day. Puppies are like that – fickle

Unless you are an agility trainer yourself, you should certainly seek the advice of
a trained professional agility trainer. He or she will be far better capable of assessing the abilities of each puppy from the same litter.

 

This will take some time – well you know what puppies are – one moment they
are awake and bouncing around and suddenly they keel over sideways for a quick snooze

The trouble is that one will be wide awake and keen to try any new game while a
sibling is just diving in for a quick snack from mum.

 

You will have to test each puppy with the same degree of alertness,hunger and difficulty in exactly the same testing areas..

 

Why not get the assistance of the breeder and explain that you are looking for a
dog with agility training potential ? The breeder sees the puppies on a daily basis and can assess far better the character and personality of each puppy.

If on the other hand you are trying to assess a puppy from a litter you have bred,
just watch for training potential in their daily actions and routine

Choosing a Puppy for Agility Training

 

 

 

 

For instance there is always one puppy that dashes ahead of all the others to get
food, water or a little cuddle from you – this is the one that will clamber over all the others to get to what they want.. That is one of the better signs.

 

However, you do not want to choose a puppy that is always going to try to assert
itself over you – nor do you want one that is too compliant. It should be easy to groom and preferably of a happy disposition.

 

How does the puppy behave compared to the others – does it jump around all the time ? Jumping is a great ability for agility tests. So is inquisitiveness.
What are the parents of the puppy like - which one does it take after ?
The father of my two Spaniels was called Jumping Jack Flash … and both my puppies can FLY ! (As could their Father).

 

They are both suitable candidates for agility training.

Don’t rush into choosing a puppy for this purpose – you will both be spending a LOT of time in this endeavor and you will need a LOT of treats !

Agility Training is great Fun and the bond between trainer and puppy becomes
amazing – some would say Psychic.

 

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