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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN lang=EN><SPAN class=484342200-02022009>Original
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<P><SPAN class=484342200-02022009></SPAN><SPAN
class=484342200-02022009>"</SPAN>I would like to get Sterling and Jace started
with dog agility. </P>
<P>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? <SPAN class=484342200-02022009>"</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=484342200-02022009><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=484342200-02022009><FONT face=Arial size=2>Denise and the
Houndarosa Hounds</FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>