For pups under 6 months:

 

Thurs 9th Sept, 1.00-2.00pm

Thurs 23rd Sept, 1.00-2.00pm

Mon 27th Sept, 7.00-8.00pm

Thurs 7th Oct, 1.00-2.00pm

Mon 11th Oct, 7.00-8.00pm

Thurs 21st Oct, 1.00-2.00pm

Mon 25th Oct, 7.00-8.00pm

Mon 8th Nov, 7.00-8.00pm

 

For dogs over 6 months:

 

Thurs 9th Sept, 2.15-3.15pm

Thurs 23rd Sept, 2.15-3.15pm

Mon 27th Sept, 8.15-9.15pm

Thurs 7th Oct, 2.15-3.15pm

Mon 11th Oct, 8.15-9.15pm

Thurs 21st Oct, 2.15-3.15pm

Mon 25th Oct, 8.15-9.15pm

Mon 8th Nov, 8.15-9.15pm

 

 

Agility is a fantastic activity that can provide fun and exercise for dog and owner, that builds a strong bond and a sense of partnership between the two, and that can provide a valuable outlet for the need to “do something” that many of our pets have. It requires that our dogs learn many athletic skills in order to be able to negotiate the obstacles in a safe and confident manner; it also requires that we learn to communicate with our dogs so that they know what we want them to do and where we want them to go. Pre-agility, or foundation, work helps develop these skills in dog and handler. Much of this can, and indeed should, be learned without recourse to any agility obstacles.

 

We can start the learning process from quite an early age; there are lots of things we can do to prepare puppies for their future agility careers without putting any stress on their young bodies. Even if you don’t have such aspirations, you can have a lot of fun teaching skills that improve and develop balance and co-ordination and build a wonderful bond with your pup. Every activity is introduced in the form of a game, with lots of rewards, and we work only at a pace suitable for each pup – after all, there’s no rush!

 

 

Some of the things we will be working on include:

 

Attention – if a dog can’t pay attention to you he can’t do agility! We work on making it worthwhile for your pup to pay attention to you, to ignore the many distractions that will be found when training around other dogs and people.

 

Moving together, also called groundwork – most of an agility course involves getting from one obstacle to another. We begin to teach you how to move together, how to co-ordinate your movements so that you can execute turns and change which side of you your dog is working.

 

Self control – teaching them to wait on the start line or on a contact, to race to you when released, to watch other dogs working without getting over-excited, to give up a fun toy in order to get it back. Learning self control is an essential part of any dog’s training and a vital life skill.

 

Motivation – finding what each pup finds worth working to earn, how to use treats and toys effectively, learning the rules of play, incorporating toys into our self-control exercises.

 

Proprioception – awareness of where in space their limbs and bodies are, and how to use them efficiently. Most dogs don’t know where their back legs are or what they are doing; learning about this improves balance and co-ordination, essential for negotiating narrow dog walk planks or for jumping at speed. We use eggballs, balance discs, wobble boards, cavaletti, low planks and a few fun tricks to help teach pups how to use their bodies effectively and build confidence.

 

Jumping foundation – pups should not jump any height until their growth plates have closed, at about 12 months of age. However, using tiny “jump bumps” we can teach them to understand the notion of taking a determined path, working out striding, organising their bodies and working away from us.

 

Introduction to safe pieces of low equipment – tunnels, tyre, planks to run over, tables to climb on.

 

Throughout, we are also teaching our dogs to think, to problem-solve, and to enjoy the learning process!

 

 

 

 

The workshops will run on a fortnightly basis, and you can do as many as you would like; each will be tailored to the dogs in the session, and each session will be limited to a maximum of 4 dogs. You work at your own pace and the exercises develop as you and your dog are ready.

 

The workshops cost £8 per dog per workshop, or £28 for four. You must have completed our Puppy Lifeskills course or a similar course elsewhere prior to starting. The workshops are suitable for pups from 14 weeks of age.