When is a dog ready for agility?

[ALDuke]

I did try a search and didn't pull this up (if you know of a thread to link..by all means please do). Duke is 1 year 2 months old and I am looking to start him in agility. Do I need advanced obedience for him first or will they teach this in beginners agility normally? He listens pretty well but I did not teach him to heel yet. Any advice?

[wildo]

This one is right along those lines: How to start?

Personally- I can't think of anything more frustrating for non-obedient dogs to be in the same agility class as me. I personally feel the dog should have a very reliable recall, and should be more/less interested in hanging out with you. In my beginner level class, there were dogs that didn't seem to want anything to do with their owners. They wouldn't come when called. They would run off often and jump the gates. It was, in general, a major waste of class time and very annoying.

You will not learn basic obedience skills in a beginner level agility class. Your dog should have those skills prior.

[ALDuke]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.

[Cassidy's Mom]

You definitely do not need a perfect heel for agility as you'll learn how to send your dog away from you to take the obstacles. Check with whatever facility you'd like to use - every agility or other sport class I've taken has had prerequisites prior to signing up. Sometimes that's a class at that facility, sometimes they're flexible and will allow comparable classes taken elsewhere as an alternate, or in some cases they may allow you to "test in" by demonstrating that your dog has the required skills, even if you've taught them on your own and have never taken a class anywhere before. Having a solid recall is good, as Willy mentioned, and also if your dog will tug with you around distractions and is generally engaged and willing to work with you in a variety of situations, that's very important.

At the place I took agility classes with Dena, the prerequisite was Family Dog 2 (level 2 obedience), but she did so well in Agility Basics (a level 1 obedience class using modified, puppy safe obstacles while teaching basic OB skills) that we got instructor approval to skip FD2. There are often age restrictions too, but that shouldn't be a factor for you - I had to wait until Dena turned a year old to sign her up for agility classes because she was still underage after we finished AB.

With Halo, I took her first 4 OB classes at 4 different places with 3 different trainers, and one time I did have to test in because she hadn't taken the prerequisite classes there. It was no problem, we made an appointment and in 10 minutes we got the go ahead to sign up for the class. She started flyball a month and a half ago, and it just happened that her Basic Manners 2 class was taught by the same instructor that does flyball, so I was able to ask her if she thought Halo was ready or there was anything else we needed to work on first. (She's kicking butt in flyball, BTW, and we're having a blast!)

[MaggieRoseLee]

I'm with the others that you do NOT need anything like 'advanced' obedience to start up agility.

Find a great agility class to find out their prerequisites, some have a BASIC obedience class requirement that can frequently be waived if they meet you and your dog and see you have control.

Most of agility we all learn once we start class. Ground work for between obstacles and then working on the equipment safely.

Important your dog is well socialized and not dog or person reactive, clicker training and using treats as a reward (and a tug toy) are helpful. Along with a 'sit/down' and a 'stay/wait' command that doesn't have to be PERFECT and fast. Off leash control comes up pretty quickly but that just means your dog stays with you instead of instantly tearing off to visit when the leash unclicks.

Find some classes in your area and talk to the trainer. Heck, I started Glory B at 9 weeks! Here's my training place with a puppy class:

YouTube - ‪Puppy Agility - First Class‬‏

YouTube - ‪Puppy Agility - First Class‬‏