Agility

Agility is about learning good manners and knowing how to play too! It's about gaining confidence and skills using agility equipment. Agility training is a great way to exercise your dog, yourself and to provide your dog with the stimulation that learning something new provides. Dogs will build on their confidence as they learn to traverse agility equipment and you perform new moves. As a result they will become a much happier dog.

 

We offer the following classes:
FOUNDATION CLASS
Foundation agility is for those handlers/dogs new to agility. This class puts the focus of having fun while you and your dog are learning lots of new skills. In this class we will introduce jumps and tunnels and show you some important skills you will need to work on at home.
These include skills your dog will need for the contact obstacles (dog walk, see-saw and A-frame).
Attending Canine Good Basics (CGB) and/or Canine Good Manners at Upper Hutt Dog Training Club, or an equivalent you can discuss with us, is a pre-requisite for this class. 

BEGINNERS CLASS
There are two groups in this class. Your foundation class instructor will let you know when you are ready to advance from foundation to this class. In Beginners class we will work on some handling skills that will enable you to guide your dog around an agility course. We also introduce your dog to other obstacles they will see on a beginner course at a competition (hoops, long jumps and blind jumps). We also progress with the contact skills you learnt in the foundation class. Lots of learning happens in Beginners class where we step up our training. Your dog will start learning to weave and begin contact training on the dog walk. A-frame training begins at Beginners class We also introduce more complex handling moves and longer course sequences. Towards the end of this level you may be at the stage where you could enter a jumpers course at a competition.

STARTERS / NOVICE
This is where it all starts to come together. Weave training progresses to learning to weave 12 poles and your dog will be running the length of the dog walk and sequences increase in length. You will also be given the opportunity to run one or two full length beginner courses towards the end of the term. Your instructor will also be encouraging you to consider entering Elementary, Starters and Novice competition if this is something you would like to try. You and your dog will confidently negotiate courses of varying difficulty.

INTERMEDIATE/SENIOR CLASS
This class is for handlers and dogs competing at Intermediate/Senior level and is self-instructing at this stage.