Learning how to train a dog for Agility?

Agility Man says:

You’ve got it backwards. Go to an agility course, take the 6-8 sessions first. You’ll learn so much. Even if you never take another course, you’ll know enough not to scare your dog away from agility.

You see, the primary issues initially with agility training for novices are with the HUMAN side of the team, not the dog. So you learn about flatwork, front crosses, rear crosses, setting a line, distance handling, clicker training (what is invaluable for agility), identifying value-level of treats, establishing drive and focus with your dog.

Also, there are a lot of agility websites and blogs out there. But I can’t think of a single one aimed at novices. All assume a basic experience with agility. The Clean Run website has a great bookstore but you won’t find anything on the site (other than books or DVDs for purchase) that will help you.

Probably the best agility website out there is Steve Schwarz’s website agilitynerd.com but even that isn’t for novices.

As far as books, there are 3 good intro books in agility. You can get them from the Clean Run website or Dogpatch. The authors are: Laurie Leach, Barbara Bauman, and Margaret Bonham. All of them are good intros, any of the 3 would give you a good start. That said, trying to learn agility from a book is like trying to learn martial arts or how to dance from a book.

As far as constructing equipment, first all of the major agility organizations have specs on their website for the equipment (ie: how high and wide the A-frame is, etc.). The best book out there on constructing equipment is by Jim Hutchins: Do it yourself agility equipment (I used it to make my A-frame). That said, do yourself a favor and buy “Agility in a Bag” from Affordable Agility. For about $150, you’ll get 2 adjustable jumps, a worthless pause box, a decent chute, a tire, and 6 PVC weaves. You can use those as examples to make other jumps or 6 more weaves.

You sound very set on doing it yourself first and then taking a course. Seriously, take the course first. There are plenty of people I know who train by themself or take courses and never compete. But beginners make a gazillion mistakes that discourage their dog from doing the sport. Get started on the right foot–take a class from a reputable instructor. You won’t regret it. And then do it on your own. Compete or don’t compete, that’s your call. But the training really isn’t for the dog (because as you discovered, this comes natural to most dogs), the training is for the human so we don’t drive our dogs away from the sport.