How fit do you need to be to do agility?

[Patchworkpony]

How fit do you need to be to do dog agility? Do you need to really run fast or can you make it that the dog does most of the work? Only asking because I'm so much older now and less fit and agile than when I was young. Love the idea though of doing these competitions as I have the space and facilities. It is just my hips etc. that could let me down. Should I forget it or do the whole thing on a mobility scooter - hate getting old and stiff!!!! Do older ladies do this or is it a sport confined to younger people?

 

[Antw23uk]

This is a sport for everyone so you have no excuses Its all in the training so find a good club to join and there are loads of technique's and training methods you can teach your dog so you don't have to run as much as they do Its great fun for everyone, its certainly not just for young people ... actually you will find its predominantly older people who do it.

I'm unfit but I love doing agility with my pooch and she is pretty awesome even if I do say so myself

 

[Antw23uk]

These were taken on a nice but REALLY cold day a few months ago. She has had her lightbulb moment now and is a pleasure and so much fun to work. Now I just need to enter some competitions

And for good measure my little princess

 

[Patchworkpony]

These were taken on a nice but REALLY cold day a few months ago. She has had her lightbulb moment now and is a pleasure and so much fun to work. Now I just need to enter some competitions

And for good measure my little princess

Wow fantastic pics. Did you train her yourself or go to agility training classes?

 

[Antw23uk]

We train at a club (we should train at home but im lazy!) but I had the advantage of doing agility many years ago to a fairly high standard so remembered a lot of it although the club has been invaluable as a lot has changed since I last did it.

I thoroughly recommend joining a local club and going on a starters course When we move I will have some equipment at home as well as still going to training but that's only because I want to compete. Pretty much everyone in my class just go for fun once a week which is crazy as a couple of them are so ready for competition, lol

 

[Patchworkpony]

We train at a club (we should train at home but im lazy!) but I had the advantage of doing agility many years ago to a fairly high standard so remembered a lot of it although the club has been invaluable as a lot has changed since I last did it.

I thoroughly recommend joining a local club and going on a starters course When we move I will have some equipment at home as well as still going to training but that's only because I want to compete. Pretty much everyone in my class just go for fun once a week which is crazy as a couple of them are so ready for competition, lol

A club sounds a great idea. Which one are you in the picture?

 

[Antw23uk]

A club sounds a great idea. Which one are you in the picture?

I'm the one running (hidden behind the A frame, lol) The lady in the jacket with sunglasses on is my instructor

 

[Mistletoeandawine]

She will hate me for typing this, but ...

My mum is 66, a double breast cancer survivor and a stubborn old goat

She reguarly complains she is not as fit as the youngsters and she will never win again

But at the weekend she won 2 classes and had a second in another. One win was on a course with a course time of 60 seconds!

So of course, like anything in life the fitter you are the faster you could be, but sometimes precision is the key, and you can train that at any age.

Give it a go, get to a club and notice the variety, and with regular training you will find your fitness improve. And if you really need to, there are people who compete in a mobility scooter.

 

[blackcob]

I queued for a class this weekend with 7 year old girl and a 75 year old lady, agility really is for everyone. There are a huge variety of handling techniques including distance handling, use of mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs etc., I will dig out some videos later when not at work.

 

[Antw23uk]

Agreed, its for everyone

I've got a collie ... there is no way I can keep up so I don't even try, I just make sure her training is in place so I can work her whilst trailing behind gasping for breath, lol We are getting consistent clears at training now but I've raised a few eyebrows with my jump training methods when im putting poles down and setting up grid work ... cant help it, its the horse owner in me but its working

 

[dollyanna]

Several of my friends are disabled enough to be unable to run, some of them can't even walk round the course. One of these is so successful she is in hgh demand for training days for distance handling. Anyone can do it, you work with what you have, some methods might take a bit more training to be reliable but running is by no means necessary
Oh, and almost all my local club are retired or nearly retired. If anything in my experience there are more mature competitors than young ones - they have the time and money to gad about every weekend competing!

 

[Patchworkpony]

Thank you SO much everyone for all your encouragement. I thought I was past it as my days of running a welsh cob round the main arena at Hickstead are long gone. However it looks like I could give it a go! I have a spaniel pup in my sights at the moment so a year down the line who knows?

 

[MurphysMinder]

I agree with everyone above, you certainly don't have to be superfit to do agility. I am 60 and started back competing again 2 years ago, yes I'm not the fastest and sometimes oxygen on the line wouldn't be a bad idea, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I walk quite a bit but other than that don't exercise and I cope !

 

[Cahill]

just go to watch a show-it really is for everyone.all ages and all shapes and sizes.
i dont compare my results to other people, i just try and better myself each run and if i get a clear round i am over the moon

 

[blackcob]

[video=youtube_share;u_fkZOTMu4Y]https://youtu.be/u_fkZOTMu4Y[/video]

These clips couldn't be any further from my experience of dog agility, which is me running round like a nutter trying to motivate the bloody dog to chase me but just goes to show what is possible.

 

[Patchworkpony]

[video=youtube_share;u_fkZOTMu4Y]https://youtu.be/u_fkZOTMu4Y[/video]

These clips couldn't be any further from my experience of dog agility, which is me running round like a nutter trying to motivate the bloody dog to chase me

Love it!!! Made my OH laugh. Thanks so much for finding the video - very inspiring.

 

[Mince Pie]

With my dog you need to be Mo Farrah! :biggrin3:

 

[PucciNPoni]

There is a lot to be said for agility partnerships - if you get the right dog and put in the work you actually might not be sprinting around THAT much. However there is a degree of fitness required for a higher level of competition. The folk I train with do a lot of extra fitness work as they're all doing teams and compete WAO (or at least aiming to) and like any sport, fitness counts as an advantage.

However, if you're like me...you do it to get yourself moving a bit more, want to increase your dog's fitness, want to improve the bond between dog and person and all that, then being fit isn't a prerequisite. It's a bit like horse riding IMO. A basic level of fitness to hack about is all that's required (meaning you probably aren't bed bound). But if you want to compete the higher you go the more fit you and your horse need to be.

 

[Cherryblossom]

This is a timely thread for me! Does anyone know what level of obedience is needed to join clubs? I know obviously the more the better! I've posted before about my headstrong terrier, but we've been doing agility at home and he LOVES it. But when I emailed the local training place, they wouldn't even do private lessons until he passes his KC bronze obedience.... Which is unlikely to happen in this lifetime! Should I try other places, or just abandon hope? I took him to a fun place, and even with 20 other dogs running round he listened to me, and did all the basic bits.... He just seems to find obedience too slow paced and goes looking for trouble!

Sorry to jump in on your thread OP!

 

[Patchworkpony]

Sorry to jump in on your thread OP!

Not at all - in fact I didn't know about this KC bronze obedience lark. I thought you just went along with your dog and had fun. Think I'll just do a bit of agility at home like you, when she's old enough, to give her and me some entertainment

 

[Antw23uk]

This is a timely thread for me! Does anyone know what level of obedience is needed to join clubs? I know obviously the more the better! I've posted before about my headstrong terrier, but we've been doing agility at home and he LOVES it. But when I emailed the local training place, they wouldn't even do private lessons until he passes his KC bronze obedience.... Which is unlikely to happen in this lifetime! Should I try other places, or just abandon hope? I took him to a fun place, and even with 20 other dogs running round he listened to me, and did all the basic bits.... He just seems to find obedience too slow paced and goes looking for trouble!

Sorry to jump in on your thread OP!

Tell them to jog on and find another club. Blimey some of the grade 7 dogs I know haven't got much obedience training at all lol!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Tell them to jog on and find another club. Blimey some of the grade 7 dogs I know haven't got much obedience training at all lol!

This. A friend was told she had to get her bronze with the club who was running the agility classes before she could start training, even though her dog is actually trained to a higher level than bronze. She just found another club. Pickle has his KC Gold but the club I train with doesn't ask for anything more than basic obedience.

 

[Antw23uk]

Depending on the club you will only really have one, possibly two dogs running at the same time (our class is split into two between two instructors, one doing agility and one doing jump training) so as long as your dog doesn't bomb off and interrupt the other dog then you only really need good recall and the 'wait' command if you ask me. Everything else is training your left and right, what equipment is called ... shouting tunnel when there is no way your going to make it up that end is a godsend when they look for the tunnel and bomb through it, lol. It does annoy me when clubs do this, its very off putting and bullyish!

 

[blackcob]

The GCDS Bronze is essentially a short distance recall and a 'wait' though, so I can kind of see their point. It should be enough to just demonstrate those skills though rather than have to take a formal test.

I was turned away from one club because of my dog's breed, that was an interesting phone call...

 

[Patchworkpony]

I was turned away from one club because of my dog's breed, that was an interesting phone call...

You can't say that and not fill in the details!

 

[samlf]

We take pretty much anyone and any dog, we would like basic recall and wait but many people dont even have that initially.

 

[blackcob]

Maybe I read too much into it but we'd got as far as booking a day and time to attend when she asked "by the way, what breed is the dog?" and when the reply was "Siberian husky" suddenly they were overbooked that week and she would need to get back to me with a date. I called back a few times, never did hear from them again.

Worked out for the best in the end, our current club are proud to have her.

 

[Patchworkpony]

Maybe I read too much into it but we'd got as far as booking a day and time to attend when she asked "by the way, what breed is the dog?" and when the reply was "Siberian husky" suddenly they were overbooked that week and she would need to get back to me with a date. I called back a few times, never did hear from them again.

Worked out for the best in the end, our current club are proud to have her.

I don't think you missed much. Sometimes I think 'doggy' people are worse than horse people. They can be a tad precious at times, especially if they are townies and are not used to handling large wilful animals.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Maybe I read too much into it but we'd got as far as booking a day and time to attend when she asked "by the way, what breed is the dog?" and when the reply was "Siberian husky" suddenly they were overbooked that week and she would need to get back to me with a date. I called back a few times, never did hear from them again.

Worked out for the best in the end, our current club are proud to have her.

oh dear.

My friend was turned away from one club who is run by someone who is serious about her agility to the point that she turned my pal away because she has a show poodle. Meanwhile I have the littermate to friend's dog and we go to an equally serious training club who run both collies AND (gasp) poodles. We're doing out first comp in a month.

I once enquired with a club that is literally walking distance to my house. They told me they wouldn't take me unless we had obedience first. So now I drive an hour each way to train once a week with the folks I go to now.

 

[sam-b]

I am not as fit as I would like to be, to a degree it makes a difference (depending on which of my dogs I am running). My young dog is very very fast and has a lot of potential, (a few top trainers have wanted to nab him!) there is no way I can get where I can with my collie even, and she isn't slow - so I just have to be smarter in my handling.

With regards to obedience, basic obedience in place makes life easier for you and the others in your class, but I know my young dog is wild at agility where as anywhere else isn't , so now bronze award would help us!!!