Mediocrity is pretty much the norm everywhere in life. It shouldn't surprise you that it is the case in agility too.

No reason for you not to enter. It is just a game we play with our dogs, not life and death. 

I can remember thinking some of the same things when I first started. Especially when I would see trial after trial the same dogs running out of the ring.

That said, there is only one place to test if all your practice and training has paid off and that is the  trial atmosphere. The real challange IMO is not when to start but when to stop to practice and train some more. You have trained for 8 months but dont say if you have entered a trial yet.

Expect the unexpected and be prepared to laugh a lot. Like your well trained dog with the auto down on the table doing a perfect down in front of the table. Or after 2 years of perfect start line stays, decides its too boring to wait for a release. Then my 2 year old, 65 pound lab in his 2nt outing, decided to turn around and try to jump in my arms instead of taking the last jump. (VBG)

Its too bad you are not learning from others at trials. Are you  are not being too judgemental?

Cheers, Jean

Oh I suppose its possible that I have higher expectations than some but I don't think I am being judgemental LOL But you've given me something to think about, perhaps I am being too judgemental...I don't deny that I have learned a lot from speaking with handlers 1 on 1 but not from observing at trials. I think fun matches are a great place to test your dog (and for the right reasons!). Dodger and I have only participated in fun matches so far (starters, advanced and masters) and I do not intend to begin trialing until Dodger and I have refined handling and distance work.   I agree that agility has to be fun and sure, most of the dogs do have fun as the make up their own course or fly off the contact obstacles much too soon - but to me that's dangerous. Accidents, miscommunication, zoomies, sniffies etc are to be expected and I fully understand that but I do think a dog should know the basics and start later rather than sooner. I also totally accept that dogs are individual's and will have off-days and silly moments but I have seen the same starters do the same things at numerous trials and I don't understand it. If they are just doing it for fun (which I sometimes doubt given the "tantrums") why does it have to be done in a trial situation when your dog is leaving the ring, marking the ring, not hitting the contacts etc...??  I find it slows down the trials and on many occasions, the loose dog has started a fight with another dog (and in the case of marking, distracts the following dogs).  Agility has to be fun - learning the basics doesn't make it any less fun IMO. I'm sorry if I came across as judgemental, I was still in shock! I do have fun watching the starters doing the less dangerous parts of the course but I think for my own piece of mind, I will watch the advanced/masters next time!  I never meant to imply that I think agility is a must win, do or die sport - I don't think I'd be training with my scenthound if that was the case! =) Thank-you for your comments, they have helped!

Very good point about taking time to train between levels. Courses do get longer and more difficult. As a Beginner/Novice you train sequences of between 6 to 8 obstacles, trial at 14 to 16, with only a couple of side changes, a couple of descriminations. It gets harder. People seem to think that they should move up right away, because they think they are training at a higher level than the competitions. But they aren't really. In obedience, you can train through UD...all skills, then start entering starting at Novice. Most people unfamiliar with how to train each level, take a break between each level and train for the skills needed to earn the CDX and UD. But you see in agility, Novice/Starters moving up right away. Instead of training new skills for 6 months or so, then entering the higher level. With all the venues out there, it makes more sence to me, to get Novice titles in many venues..getting ring experience and more titles, and start training for more complex courses. Then move up to the next level. I am doing this myself. I did very few AKC trials this year, and did a lateral shift to CPE starting at L1. I want to get through L2 (=AKC Novice), before I move on, maybe to USDAA. I've been taking a class this summer for people starting to compete at Open level. So when I start getting L3 q's in CPE, I'll know it's ok time to try for AKC open legs. My 2c Kathy Hildreth Ithaca, NY Meadow CGC NAJ NA TBAD TG2 CL2-F CL1-R, CL1-H(picture) Beauty CGC NAJP Jessie CGC CD NA CL1 CL2F

Wow. this seems a little harsh for me. Perhaps it is the agility instructors who should be under the gun, not the novice participants. Some people don't have fun runs to attend in their area or get bad advice about when to enter a trial. It also seems that we should just be happy people are out there having fun with their dogs, not chaining them up in the back yard. Some dogs aren't meant for agility, but if they are getting quality time with their owners in training and trialing, I see no problem with it. This sport is taken too seriously anyway and makes us all appear snotty. Just have fun with your dog and welcome other people who want to do the same!

The difference between obedience and agility is that in obedience you have new exercises at the different levels, where in agility you have the same 'exercises' only the difficulty increases.  The way most people I know in agility do it is train up to the Exc/Masters level before begining to compete at novice.  That way there is no need to stop to train up to the correct level.  Of course, there is always the possibility that you'll need to stop to re-train for the bad habits learned in competition.

I do think it's very sad when I see people out there who's dog is terrified of the teeter or appears to not know how to weave.  HOWEVER, I think the OP is being very harsh to the poor novices at this trial.  Being at a trial is a whole new can of beans than going to class or even a fun match.  These dogs which she is speaking so condescending of most likely perform all obstacles perfectly in a class setting. 

I will be very curious to hear about this individuals first trial experience. 

I think the OP is being very harsh to the poor novices at this trial.  Being at a trial is a whole new can of beans than going to class or even a fun match.  These dogs which she is speaking so condescending of most likely perform all obstacles perfectly in a class setting. 

I am sorry if that's how I sound! I am just so bewildered that starting before your dog is ready appears to be normal/accepted.  If you read my 2nd post you know I am not just talking about 1 trial - I am seeing the same people over again at dozens of trials -  a few who have been trialing at the Starters level for years trying to get a Q.  Since Dodger and I train at numerous places, I do know many of the teams and unfortunately no, many of the dogs do not perform the obstacles perfectly outside of a trial situation.  My rant was not targeting all novices, only those that are clearly pushing their dogs too soon. I understand that agility is fun and addictive - that's no reason to endanger your dog.

I will be very curious to hear about this individuals first trial experience

In my 2nd post, I explained that Dodger and I will not be trialing until I get the handling right and our distance work improves.  We have been to a variety of fun matches, some in the city where so many people arrive that it lasts 4 hours longer than expected, others on farms with all manner of barn animals, others that are in the country with PREY which is a huge distraction for my hunting dog. I am not being a hypocrite, I am trying to solidify everything before I expect him to perform in a high stress environment where he (any dog!) is likely to be less focused. Contrary to what I may sound like, I do not expect perfection and have already stated that sniffies, zoomies, bad days etc... are a part of agility - dogs are individuals and will do what they want on occasion (which definately happens to Dodger and I!!).  My issues are with the dogs who I have seen repeatedly leave or mark in the ring, fly off contact obstacls, display calming signals, bark/nip at their owners, want nothing to do with the course, dogs that are clearly not enjoying themselves, owners that freak out on their dogs when they don't listen and dogs that get loose and unintentionally start fights. 

Wow. this seems a little harsh for me. Perhaps it is the agility instructors who should be under the gun, not the novice participants. Some people don't have fun runs to attend in their area or get bad advice about when to enter a trial.

2 excellent points that I hadn't thought of. I do train with many of the same instructors and my area does have fun matches/green fees available.  I think that many starters do get bad advice or perhaps none at all but it shouldn't stop you from doing a little research or realizing that your dog just isn't ready.  You need to be honest with yourself about your dog's capabilities/limitations too, not just your trainer.

It also seems that we should just be happy people are out there having fun with their dogs, not chaining them up in the back yard. Some dogs aren't meant for agility, but if they are getting quality time with their owners in training and trialing, I see no problem with it. This sport is taken too seriously anyway and makes us all appear snotty. Just have fun with your dog and welcome other people who want to do the same!

I certainly don't think that people with slower dogs or dogs that aren't always consistent should stop agility.  I enjoy participating in and watching agility because its fun but mostly because of the bond between dog and handler.  Dogs/handlers that make the occasional mistake but have fun anyway is what agility is about.  Dog/handlers that are reckless on the course, when the handler has no control is what makes me nervous. These teams would have just as much if not more learning and practicing at home, green fees, fun matches or in class.   I wouldn't have any issues with these teams trialing if their dogs were safe - unfortunately, I have seen dogs belly flop off of the dog walk, get tangled in the tire, injure themselves as the leap off the a-frame, start a fight with another dog off course  - not to mention the dogs who are fearful or in pain/overweight who do not want to be on course.

I agree agility is great at getting dogs more active and increasing the bond with their human but I do think you have to walk before you can run. My concern is safety not perfection. Again, I am sorry I came across snotty and harsh - I want to see dogs/handlers enjoying the sport safely and fairly!  I was deliberately choosing to watch the Starters because I thought that's where I would see fun rather than serious competitiveness. It just didn't work out that way. 

I started my 1st dog too early. I was too new to know better and he was too enthusiastic (to be kind about it). But once we started, it took a long time for me to get it through my head that we needed to stop and regroup. To really put a strong foundation on him and to be totally consistent in my performance criteria.  It was hard to do, but we did it and when we returned 6 months later we were better for it. 

 

I started my 2nd dog at 18 months in USDAA entering her only in 1 class each day at 2 trials at the end of the spring season. My rational at the time was that I wanted to see what she had in her contacts and general ring focus.  Well, she qualified every one of the 4 runs she was entered in and had her Novice Standard title before I could say boo. And so when fall came around, we started to trial full bore. At this point she had been training in agility for a full year and was almost 2 years old. We  had taken the summer to insure her foundation was solid.  But she was still a baby. And when we returned she was still pretty solid, but as the courses got longer, her confidence and drive kicked in as it hadn't when we started (she was fast, but not ballistic) and I had a completely different dog on my hands.

I should have stopped showing her right then. I wasn't experienced enough to work out the problems we were encountering in the ring.   I hope I know better now. She's not yet 3 years old. So I am not worried. We can work it out now and we're taking the time this year to do it. We finish our AAD in the spring when I returned to competition after 6 months off for open heart surgery. But this fall we're laying low and working out some kinks. Trialing very little and staying close to home to take some of the pressure off. 

It's really more about knowing when to stop than when to start. 

 

Amy, Ray the coach and Flirt and baby Punch 

"I was deliberately choosing to watch the Starters because I thought that's where I would see fun rather than serious competitiveness. It just didn't work out that way. "

 Hi Lissa,

Oh, my, it's the Starters/Novice handlers who are sooooo concerned with getting around the course cleanly (and are just plan nervous to begin with) that they really stress out their dogs and DON'T appear to be having fun at all! It's probably the main reason why the poor novice dogs run off, sniff, walk on course, etc. 

Masters handlers are competitive for sure but most have also learned how to keep agility fun for their dogs. When their dogs fault on course they usually relax and go into training mode- sometimes whooping it up, sometimes working on contacts- or whatever they feel their dogs need to run better the next time. 

It's definitely more instructive to watch the Masters classes.  After all, if you wanted to learn to paint you wouldn't study the works of a high school student, you'd study Monet or Rembrandt......

-Kathleen