Yorkie flying through agility course
 

I love the way the dog easily handles the tall teeter totter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-YGzXBI-ypA#!

I have a large boy that I think would excell at agility....and I am clueless how to develop this skill in him....I got a book on how to make agility course obsticles, but I just do not have the time in the day to teach him this. Hopefully, when I retire in October, maybe starting out 2014, I will be able to work with him and teach him how to do this....I just know he would do great! He is soooo smart and catches on to new stuff at warp speed....you that are familiar with agility....do they get "too old" to learn how to run these courses? Cowboy is just a year old now....

Cute!! I want to put Thalia in agility - I think she would like it. I love seeing this little guy run with his tail wooshing behind :D

Great Video

loved that Video!
 

Thanks Kristen what a great dog that is:)

Wow - great run! The handler did so well too, perfectly telling the yorkie where to go. That's the problem I run into, I am SO not that coordinated or smooth, hahah. If *I* could get it together, I know Jax would be amazing. I get so flustered trying to remember which direction is which, haha. They did a great run! Thx for posting!

Nope, never too old. Agility lessons don't even officially start until 1 year old. They are not allowed except for puppy classes with no jumping to let growth plates close.

That is awesome!!

GREAT!!! Now, can a handler do the course with them? I am on a walker...can you see the old woman on a walker, trying to scoot around that course with a dog running circles around her???!!!!!!!!

Get an All-Terrain walker with those fat wheels....:D

I think so Judy. Go to www.akc.org they will have the agility rules posted. I have seen a couple of women in wheelchairs compete in obedience. Both electric wheel chairs. In obedience you for sure can have someone do the trials for you. But I have found most judges really compassionate, if you say to them, hey I have this condition, and I will try to show change of pace, but there is a limit on how fast I can go. I know at one of our trials, I tripped over my own feet and landed flat on my front. Magic stopped (as he is trained to do), then came over to me, and lifted me up to my feet. We were not penalized for this, in fact the judge came over to us after and said you would have gotten first in class, but you repeated a down command so I had to penalize you for this. Unfortunately I could not reward you for the exemplary actions of your service dog.

In conformation you can hire a handler to do the whole thing, or have one just to do the gaiting portion for you, and you are there to do the physical examination and stacking part.

You know an all terrain vehicle is not a bad idea at all. You could take your pups to the lake or beach, and go into the water with them.

Also for practicing you can shorten up the distances between equipment. THis way you can make it easier to train with them.

that is so cool

I'll have to watch on my pc. It won't let me on my iPad. Can't wait to see it!

If you want to learn to run a course, I really think it's probably absolutely necessary to take classes...like Brister said, it's quite difficult for the human. It is, in my opinion, really complicated for the human! There is so much skill involved...and not just for the dog... to learn as far as footwork and a lot that goes on with body language that hugely affects what the dog does. You really need an experienced instructor to guide in this, because a lot of the time you end up telling your dog to do things with your body that you would otherwise have no idea you were doing! (I think the humans probably make it much more difficult fo the dog sometimes....we are so confusing!)

If you aren't physically able to run a course, you could definitely get a professional handler (or I guess, anyone, really) to run your dog. One of the dogs that comes to my class trains with a professional handler and his parents just sit and watch.

Some people in my class were talking once about a guy that comes to trials who is in a wheelchair and sits in the middle of the ring and gives his dogs the commands all by voice from where he sits. So, it can be done with a handler unable to run...although I'm sure there would be a lot of training that would have to happen before that point with someone who could teach the dog to properly use the equipment.

Neat! I would love to see that. He and his dog must be extra talented.

I think I would trip over myself in these agility courses. Why aren't they laid out in a straight line like the challenges on Survivor? :p

That is amazing. Bentley will be six months soon. I know he's too young yet, but I think he would love agility. But I have not idea where to even start.

Go to www.akc.org. Look up agility I think they will list trials and classes for the same.

Look up your local obedience club for same.

cleanrun.com also has a page where you can search for a place to take classes. Looks to be worldwide.

Clean Run: Search for Agility Clubs and Schools

They don't train agility till one years old. And there are requirement classes before you can train agility. They need to take them and pass or take a test and pass. You can also train yourself but imo classes teach you how to train correctly. If it's just for fun set up a course in your yard and look up advice on You tube really helps. JME

The poor dog is being asked to jump a jump height that's way to high. Notice how he practice lands on his nose after every jump? Looks like the video is from Europe. Yorkies have to jump 14 inches over there!!! That's twice the height of most yorkies and nearly double what yorkies have to jump in the US.

Little guy is a trooper though -he's giving it all he's got.

I've never heard of any test that is a required before taking an agility class. Of course, there are some obvious, basic obedience commands you would need to have (such as: come, sit, stay, down and they should be reliable off lead within a closed in or fenced area), but there is no special test that is required. If you wanted to train with a specific teacher or school they might personally require you to have some pre-agility class or testing, but generally speaking, I would not say that is a requirement for taking agility classes.

AKC has these rules because they cannot do the jumps until certain plates have matured so the jumps will not harm the dog.

That would be absolutely ridiculous. If you were running a Yorkie (who was within the breed standard size) at that 14", there is no way they would not sustain some kind of injury eventually. Definitely would not be in the dog's best interest because of all the wear and tear on their joints.

Well maybe classes near you but near me it's a requirement. They need to be able to do certain things before taking agility. Otherwise its a waste of class time and money

I believe 7 inches is on the small side for Yorkies even in North America for conformation. I know of at least 2 grand champions here who are 10 - 11 inches. I can't see the video right now, but I will re-watch it tomorrow. Don't recall the dog landing on its nose.

I don't have any experience in agility, but I do have jumpers in the house. So far, strong joints, but I understand it is not advisable to let them jump on furniture. Max jumps straight up and down almost level with our kitchen counter. Not sure how I could stop that behavior.

I thought the dog in the video was larger and that European Yorkies in general tend to be larger. Maybe that is part of the reason for the height of the jumps.

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

14" for the height of the jump.

She contends most Yorkies are 7" tall. I think that is on the small side.

I didn't see the 7" tall? But also they when I take Mokie to Obedience the facility there competes in agility and they host= "Proud host for the 2011 and 2012 AKC Agility World Team practice" They have a lady trainer there that won Nationals 2xs. So maybe there requirements are higher then else where? In all training classes if you don't start in the beginning and get a class pass. You must take a test to get placed. Otherwise the instructor will spend to much time with the dog lagging and it's not fair to the other dogs and owners. At the same time is the instructors don't spend time with the lagging dog the owners think they are being left behind and feel they aren't getting enough attention. So IMO testing is good. You don't go straight to the deep end and drown. Mokie can do everything he learns at home easily. But when in class the "distractions" make it tough. Its alot to make a "high prey" dog like Mokie listen or sit still. usually ppl who want dogs for agility they pick them. they like the Pack drive dogs. Because they listen.

Sounds like you have a great training facility.

That musta been a test? I was looking for 7" Not an Algebra test ;)
Yeah I'm looking for another Train place. That one is really nice but its for serious dogs or more for serious PPL. But it has everything even 24-7 vet. I go there for emergency'$ only. I bet that Yorkie in the Vid was tall?? He looked on the large size probably why he was pretty fast for a Yorkie?? Lots of endurance.

:D
Emergency'$, I like that. So true!

I think the Yorkie in the video is a little taller and larger.