[Dailydrool] FW: Basset Agility

[Bob and Denise Rushworth]

Original Message:  

"I would like to get Sterling and Jace started with dog agility. 

Does anyone have any plans for building some of the jumps/weave poles, etc
that involve this or know of a website where the cost to buy them prebuilt
isn't alot? Also, Is there a good instruction video that someone would
recommend? "

Jan, that is a great idea to get your hounds involved in agility!  I do
agility with Barney and Chewy and it is great exercise and confidence
builder.  You can get some good deals on agility equipment on e-bay or
google "agility equipment" and you will get a bunch of hits so you can
comparison shop.  But before you go out and spend money on equipment or DVDs
I highly recommend you invest in a training course with an agility
instructor who is familiar with training the "non-traditional agility
breeds" and uses operant behavior training techniques (i.e. clicker
training).  I train with a woman who specializes in the "non-traditional
agility breeds".  She tailors her training methods to the breed and it's
physical requirements.  For instance she had me teach my bassets to slow
down on the contacts rather than stop because if they are running down the A
frame, coming to a complete stop coming down a steep incline can cause a
back injury in a long backed breed like the basset hound.  She also has us
work on a lot of strength building exercises long before we incorporate any
speed.  Also there is a Basset Agility group on Yahoo groups that I highly
recommend.  Many people in the group have a lot of experience and can give
advice on conditioning, training techniques, competition, preventing and
treating injuries, etc.

Denise and the Houndarosa Hounds

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