# How to determine what training/sport



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Charleeann67, sounds like Rudy would love agility. Don't rule out therapy dog - he may still be a great therapy dog - some dogs need more time to settle down before they can do therapy and others can start younger.

Have you taken any classes? The place to start is puppy class.

Do you have any dog training clubs near you where they train for various sports? Some are privately owned and others are member's owned. If you plan to train in a dog sport, it's best to look for a puppy or beginner class in a club where they help prepare you for dog sports rather than places where they just teach basic commands for pets. 

I highly recommend taking a puppy class, then work your way through to take the class that prepares you for the AKC Canine Good Citizen and therapy dog tests. Those will give you a good foundation for other sports. 

You can start agility and introduce your dog to the apparatuses before your dog is a year old, but your dog shouldn't be jumping jumps and weaving poles etc. until physically mature. What a lot of people don't realize is agility isn't just jumping and running - it's impulse control and following your direction. Classes in obedience and rally are wonderful for teaching those important skills.


----------



## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

Thanks Skylar! Rudy is in a puppy kindergarten, 2nd class is on Sunday and then 4 more weeks. I plan on doing the next puppy class up from that also. There are different classes offered by different clubs etc. Fungility, Attention/Drive as well as Companion Dog, Canine Good Citizen etc. Trouble is, some of them are at least an hour one way if not more from my home and on weekdays. I truly like the weekends for this. Certainly true that we need to work on attention or "look" which I've been doing.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Where I live I train at two different clubs - one is a 45 minute drive and the other is over an hour - and even longer right now during construction season. I also take seminars and classes in places that are an hour and a half away. There are people in my classes who are traveling two hours including a wonder teacher I had for 4 months at one club. I prefer weekday classes yet I find I have a lot of evening and weekend classes. If you are lucky you will find something close on the weekends. I have found it's good to take classes in different places - they have slightly different focuses and it prepares your dog to work in different environments. 

As to exactly which class to take - ask the club or teacher if your dog is a good candidate for the class. Based on the classes you listed the Fungility and Attention/Drive both sound like good choices. Your dog will need more training before taking the Canine Good Citizen - most dogs are a year or older by the time they are ready for this class. 

I'm not sure about the Companion Dog class. If this is a training class to prepare you to compete for titles in AKC Obedience, then this is a class you would take after you had completed the Canine Good Citizen and perhaps after some other preparatory obedience classes. If this is a class for teaching pets to be well behaved pets, then this might be a course you're interested it. You would need clarity as to what are they teaching, what is the goal with this class.


----------



## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

Thank you for the insight Skylar! This Sunday will be the first puppy class with the lead instructor so I'm going to be interested in how different she is from the sub we had for the first class. The sub had been an animal trainer at an aquatic facility! You are so right spot on about different classes being offered at different places. Construction is crazy here in Minneapolis. There is a major project that won't be done for 3-5 years that has the entire downtown area a mess to get to.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

We recently went through a multiyear major highway project that caused major delays daily - and we were thrilled when it finally ended and made a huge difference to the flow of traffic - so much better. However it now causes a huge blockage on a bridge near me that will be a future multiple year solution. In the meantime I'm dealing with a 4 month closure of a bridge that blocks me from where most of the shopping is - and the alternative route is a winding hilly narrow road where they have done paving, fixing fencing, cutting weeds, massive tree trimming project to avoid downed power lines in heavy storms, reworking drainage and putting in new posts for power lines. Just when you think they have finished one project there is a new one that you couldn't predict. You can expect a 5-10 minute delay. So I know road construction season - I'm stuck in the middle of it. I can't wait till fall and that bridge is open. And the highway going to our small doggie social is in year two of it's project - you never know what lane you will be shunted onto or whether your exit is open to use or you what you should take to get to your destination. I can't complain too much - it's good things are getting fixed.

How interesting that the trainer came from an aquatic facility - I have had many, many teachers - most of them are volunteers - and I've learned something from all of them. Some are better than others, some suited my dogs learning style better - but I had discovered that variety in training is good.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would do the attention class and try the fungility. Attention foundations will help with anything you want to do including therapy visits.


I personally adore obedience since it is like a beautifully choreographed with a great partner once you get each other figured out. You might also like to give rally a try. You can do a lot with rally training on your own since most of it really is about you knowing the signs and teaching Rudy some tricks. You can download the signs for free from the AKC site and there is even an iPhone app that a lot of people use. You can practice at home and will just need a few props like some cones and a couple of toys and a jump.


I also agree with Skylar that you shouldn't rule out the idea that Rudy will become a good therapy dog when he is more mature. Poodles are very versatile dogs.


Most important, have run!


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Above all, remember to be patient. Noelle was insane at dog class and a huge embarrassment because she was so immature compared to the other dogs. Having Noelle in class felt like bringing, well, this!






She didn't settle down and really learn to focus her attention until much later. My last service dog got her CGC at 9 months. Noelle was 20 months. But they both got where they needed to go.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Kit was also the most embarrassing dog in her first CGC class at 7 months. Now, she is the best behaved dog next to the newcomers, who are all teenagers. Age matters a lot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

UKC agility signs can also be downloaded from the site and there are some differences between the two. I think some of the things in rally can also translate to agility as you get to teach your dog at a walk that he and you don't always have to go in the same direction (thinking of the one about turn where you pivot left and the dog goes around you to the right... ) and of course that all important focus since you are always doing something different.


----------



## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

thank you everyone! He is such a joy and so full of the love for life! Enjoying every minute with him!


----------



## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

Found the signs but have a question. What do the designations "I. A.X.M." on each sign mean? Are they novice, intermediate etc.?


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

N.I.A.X.M signs could appear on any level of course. AXM would not be in novice. Intermediate uses advanced signs but is on leash. XM would be on excellent and masters courses only and M signs are only for masters. Advance, excellent and Masters are off leash. Novice and Intermediate are on leash. Intermediate is an optional level between novice and advanced.


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

This may be controversial advice, but I would highly recommend mastering the Novice signs before you do any of the more advanced signs. In Frosty's first class we were doing a lot of Advanced signs and it was just frustrating because we didn't have the foundation to do them correctly. So I would recommend starting with the easiest signs and work your way up. Do this in a class because you need someone to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly. When I'm not in training, I video myself and am surprised at the body language mistakes I make! Frosty and I have completed 4 or 5 Rally classes and look forward to picking it up again after a summer break.


----------

