Yorkie flying through agility course

[LilAnnCamp]

I love the video.

[gaijingirl]

Originally Posted by ironmike86

14" the jump or ht of the dog? I thought it was the jump?. Mokie is ~10 tall and he can jump . He will clear eighteen inches easy

I guess what I am saying is just because they can jump that high, it doesn't mean they should. My 4lb dog stands about 7" at the withers and can definitely jump more than twice his height, but it's not good for them. To be honest, I think my dog looks much cooler jumping 8" than 4" and you loose some opportunities to compete jumping a shorter height, but it is just not worth the possible risk to a dog's health. Plus, a dog that is required to jump higher than they should is going to loose some speed and that puts them at a disadvantage in competition too.

Actually, I had to make the choice about jump heights this weekend at a three day trial where the lowest jump height eligible to compete was 8". I started the first day with that and he did fine, but I thought about it a lot and realized that my desire to have him compete should not outweigh my desire for him to stay feeling well and healthy. I moved him down to 4" and could still run him, but the runs were only allowed for fun and practice at the 4" height, so you couldn't earn ribbons or q's. Doesn't mean I might not jump him at 8" every once and awhile, but it's not good long term and it's not as appropriate for him.
Doesn't really seem fair that a tiny dog should not be able to get ribbons just because he happens to be small. The trial secretary told me they talked about my dog afterwards and the choice I had to make to move him and that there should be some change. I think there may be opportunities to compete with 4" height with other organizations, but, in AKC for example, it still limits the road you choose to take as far as titles and working towards a championship.
Here are some examples of how jump heights are measured in the different major agility associations...
Jump Heights

[gemy]

Thanks for posting that. I do hope they re-visit the heights. The way I see it, I believe the height of jumps should be done like in obedience, for our large breed we have the heights set individually based on 75% of the dogs height at the withers.

Why can t they do that for agility

[ironmike86]

Sure what you are saying is fine. A small Yokie does it for fun. But the Yokie in the Vid can second and then first in the jumps. Was alot bigger. If its coming first he is in a whole different level.

[gaijingirl]

Originally Posted by gemy

Thanks for posting that. I do hope they re-visit the heights. The way I see it, I believe the height of jumps should be done like in obedience, for our large breed we have the heights set individually based on 75% of the dogs height at the withers.

Why can t they do that for agility

Yes, I agree that sounds much more fair to the dog.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by gemy

Thanks for posting that. I do hope they re-visit the heights. The way I see it, I believe the height of jumps should be done like in obedience, for our large breed we have the heights set individually based on 75% of the dogs height at the withers.

Why can t they do that for agility

That would be ideal because an 8 pound Yorkie would look silly jumping 4".

[dawn27]

How cool, I think my Ruby would be great at agility!

[Gillykat]

There's a really good training club just four/five miles from where I live and I'm VERY tempted to take my yorkie along when I get her. Do the Puppy Socialising classes first and basic good manner obedience and work up to doing the Kennel Club Good Citizen Schemes

They also do agility too but in the UK I think the dog has to be 18 months old....unless that's to actually enter a show class? It might be fun and cannot hurt my wee girl to do various things to improve her obedience in life, can it?

Here's the club website. Mmmm *ponders* I wonder if a yorkie has ever done Working Trials training

Northumberland Canine Centre

[yorkiemini]

I am a big proponent of obedience for all dogs. Cali started at 9 months with obedience but had just come out of the confirmation ring so was very quick to learn. We now do agility, however, for those of you with toy breeds I need to be sure you understand that unless the club serves a good number of toy dogs they will not have the toy agility equipment. Cali spent most of the year with "big dog" equipment and only when we got pretty serious about it I had to start investing in toy agility equipment myself. Has really changed how she works the course. round here most of the agility trials do NOT accommodate toys so be sure you check that out if you are going to compete. We have to shop around for toy agility trials as they are not as common as the other agility shows.

For fun you can take the "bit dog" agility classes but the teeter won't work for you and the tire won't be low enough.. You can lay boards on the ground for other jumps. The tunnels will be too big for realistic toy work, but the dog can get the idea.

Whenever you see a Yorkie special show and they Are doing agility they will have the toy equipment.

One trial invited me to compete if I wanted to bring my own equipment, but there would be no toy class for me to compete with. I think they are very interested in seeing a toy run the course.

Agility is a great confidence builder for dogs that have anxiety issues and need lots of action to forget about their fears. It is pretty much the only time Cali is not thinking about hawks coming after her so she just goes all out

[yorkietalkjilly]

Tibbe isn't into agility because I'm not presently up to it but if he were, I would restrict his jumping heights and frequency of practice involving a lot of hard impact on his joints.

[yorkiemini]

All good agility trainers start the dogs on very low jumps regardless of their size. In competition the heights they jump are determined by how tall they are.
They don't allow very young dogs in agility until, certain growth plates in their body have reached maturity.

Dog are required to know sit, down, and stay before starting agility.

Like anything else one does with their pups both the dog and handler should enjoy it. If not, then it is not for them. I had a friend who's dog was great In obedience, but it was clear the dog did not enjoy it and I always wondered why they did it - for the trophies and ribbons I guess!

[OwnedByJezebel]

Judy, I don't know where you are in Houston, or if this is convenient, but J-Canine in Rosenberg has excellent agility classes. Their "trainees" get a lot of awards:

J-Canine Pet Resort Dog Agility

There have to be many more training centers in and around Houston.

[ironmike86]

Think of an athlete. They train run ,jump ect They aren't practicing to the max. So if your dog is jumping 7" during practice or a little more. When its time to go they will jump much higher. And if they are doing it all the time they will develop muscle. Just take it slow. Moki has muscle all over. Doesn't feel like a little stick Yorkie. He goes though a course but gets plenty of rest. In between. Doesn't matter if the the jump is set at 7". He still jumping to clear 12"+ with ease.

[richards6402]

Macy and I took lessons for about a year and we enjoyed ourselves. There are certain ways to enter the weave poles and a certain way to jump the hurdles. I thought the hurdles looked high on the video. Macy's was at the lowest setting possible.

We also ran in Teacup Agility (that's the official name) and the agility equipment was more suited for smaller dogs.

Macy was always afraid of the teeter because she would have to run to the very end and ride it all the way down and she never got comfortable doing that.

It's fun but I always afraid running the A frame would injure her knees and we stopped after a year. You can also run just the weaves and chutes which I enjoyed a little more.

[ironmike86]

Yokies love to stay busy. The smaller ones can just do the easier stuff for fun. I don't make Moki do anything he is afraid of.I make him try it a couple times but if he doesn't really like it I stop. Its more a social thing I like