Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, just wondering what u guys think is a good age to start agility. I have a sheperd/husky who is like a border collie on speed! hahha I'd like to chanel some of that energy and athletisism. Also can anyone recomend clubs in the province of ontario? specifically the toronto or hamilton area? thanx

oh forgot to mention he's about 13months old now

It depends on the dog, first let me say, there are alot of really low impact things you can do with young puppies, however, I do like to get a really SOLID obedience foundation on them before I start any agility..That includes sit, down, stay and a ROCK solid recall..
I also never do full height jumping until around 18mths-2years of age and only after I have my dog xrayed from stem to stern, including, hips, knees, elbows, shoulder, spine,,I want a dog who is in excellent phsyical condition structurally..I swim my dogs ALOT, good way to keep up muscle tone..
I would start a dog your age in a beginner class, only with good those basics of obedience solid and after a full physical checkup ..
Diane

On clubs in your area, depending on whether you have obedience you may want to enroll in obedience class first and would recommend Hamilton Dog Obedience Club (I believe they are in Ancaster) and/or McCann's Dog Training they are near Waterdown. I know McCann's offers Agiilty classes and not sure about Hamilton Dog Obedience (they are on the web) but any place you decide to take them will require that your dog has basic obedience and that you have good off leash control.
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Carol, Siren and Ford