Hi All, Gaston is going to start training in April, basically : obedience classes, once a week, and also freestyle, tricks and dog frisbee, once a week too. Whilst the obedience is group class, the last are individual classes. I am wondering how does the training fit in with the rule of thumb of 5 minutes walk or exercise per month of age (so that would be 20 minutes a day at 5 months) if the classes are between 45 till 60 minutes ? Or arent they correlated and am I thinking wrongly ? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Hi, I would say group classes in obedience and tricks are fine, but you should not start agility so early, and personally I would never do dog frisbee as I think it can be very damaging to the shoulders and back (leaping, twisting, coming down with a thump). Group classes are fine, as you spend a lot of time waiting while the others have a go (very good for learning self-control!), but one-on-ones would be an awful lot for such a young pup, in my opinion.
I absolutely love agility and so does Pongo - it is a great activity. But our agility trainer was very clear that she would not start any dog on it until they were at least 12 months, because of the potential strain on the joints - and that this was especially important for Labradors (because their joints are so vulnerable). I don't know anything about dog Frisbee but I guess the same issues would apply. Obedience classes will be great, both for stimulation and socialisation (I wish we had done more with Pongo when he was younger). But could you perhaps hold off on the agility-type work until he is a bit older?
Puppy agility is fine, as long as it's just that - no jumping whatsoever, none of the big pieces of equipment. You can still teach the basics to a puppy, though; things like turns, wrapping posts, going "through" the jumps without actually going over anything etc, following body language etc. There's actually a huge amount that you can do without putting undue strain on the joints. I'm with Karen, I would definitely avoid dog frisbee. I play with soft frisbees with my dogs, but they never jump to catch them - I use them as tuggers, to use for retrieving, as chase toys etc rather than the "traditional" way of using frisbees which is quite terrifying! Group classes should be fine as there will be a lot of standing around watching and learning to take turns - very important skills for a young Labrador
I can only echo what others have said here. Personally i wouldnt stsrt agility or frisbee until at least a year old and probably would avoid frisbee altogether. In regards to fitting in classes alongside exercise i would probably just not walk your pup on the days you have classes. The classes themselves will be tiring mentally as well as physically and you may find your pup is more worn out after a class than they would be after a walk.
Ah, that's interesting! I didn't know that. And I think that would be great fun, and have the same benefits in building the bond with your dog, getting him to focus on you etc. There is also the fact that agility training is at least as much about the handler learning how to go round a course as it is about the dog learning - so you'd be ahead of the game there too. So, "puppy agility" sounds like a great idea - as long as it is zero impact. Go for it - you are going to have great fun!!
Thanks very much all, so glad I put this through to you. Yes, I am thinking the agility will be a "puppy" fit, as per @snowbunny, as Gaston has an evaluation booked at the school first, on the 26th March, and I am thinking the evaluation will be for them to adapt the "student" to the "class"/program. Lets' see what comes out of that evaluation, and I will keep in mind your contributions as they are indeed valuable. True, well said, and yes I won't walk him on those days. @Karen and @snowbunny The dog frisbee caught me a bit by surprise honestly, I guess it is not reasonable for a puppy under a year old, but not doing it at all, though was not something I would think of on my own. Probably as I find it fascinating to watch, but "hindsight", I do see the terrifying part of it. Yes, the fun and the bond is really something I am looking forward to, me and the dog enjoying ourselves together, sounds really good. And him being nicely obedient and learning to take turns and just watching the others sounds lovely too I will let you all know whats proposed and decided, considering all that was said, thanks very much again, this was very helpful indeed.
It's great that you have so many options for classes nearby - can't wait to hear how you and Gaston get on. And we need more photos PLEEEEEAAASE.
If the obedience classes are for a limited period, eg a beginners’s course, you could look at the possibilty of continuing through higher level classes. You could then investigate agility classes later when Gaston is old enough, if that’s something you still want to pursue. Good luck with the classes - and yes, more photos please!
The 5 minute rule I found said TWICE a day. So we did a little poop outing before class and as others said above in class itself there was not much action. Maybe that day we went a little over, I took it as a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. You absolutely CAN do puppy agility. There are special classes to get pups used to different objects, low boards and different surfaces. No credible trainer is going to have puppies jumping or weaving but there are lots of other things to do. For puppies it's often called Puppy Agility Foundation Training. You can find youtubes to watch.
Hey there @Emily_BabbelHund , we do have plenty to choose from in Cascais in what regards dog trainers and schools. Gaston is going to do his training in a school very close to my house actually. The trainer and who is also the owner of the school seems lovely, they are positive reinforcement trainers which is what I am looking for. The trainer told me they are for the North American school of thought for dogs, I am not quite sure what that means, but I will have the chance of understanding better when I am with him on the 26th March. Hi @Granca, the obedience training is not for a limited period of time, so Gaston will start beginner obedience and go from there, till whenever we want to keep him there. I would like to go far with him, I just find the mental stimulation and the physical training and fun is an important part of the dogs well being, and something I will enjoy doing too. @Snowshoe, hi there, I understand the agility concerns mentionned along the discussion, still I do agree with you in principle that no credible trainer would proceed with agility that would be extreme for a puppy, and I truly believe I have found ourselves a credible trainer/school. This is really something I am looking forward to doing with Gaston, the obedience and the agility. I am quite sure the meeting/evaluation on the 26th will clear any doubt we may have, and see if there is anything I feel uncomfortable about. I don't expect anything though, they have just a too good a reputation for that. Out of curiosity I would like to share a video I found from the trainer on youtube He seems like a sweety not so sure about the taste in music though The trainer also mentionned that they work with a holistic veterinarian who promotes barf, and as this is something I would like to understand better, I am considering having an appointment with her too. @Emily and @Granca, yesterday I went for a walk without lead with Gaston. The first day without heavy rain I can remember in 3 weeks..and counting..It went really really well. He keeps close to me even though there were major distractions that I was not expecting (and I was looking forward to some alone time for training), 2 dogs without lead and a couple. Gaston played with the dogs but basically did not leave my side, so he would go play and come back to me every couple of minutes. Really good. I was thinking it would be a great time to take photos but then realized that I had left my mobile phone in the car. That was a pity, it would have been great to get some videos of the walk yesterday. Will post photos as soon as I have new ones..
Hi all, just to get some "closure" on this topic, letting you know that the trainer is not really into having a dog as young as Gaston doing agility, because of the joints. As @Karen, @Rosie, @Penny+Me and maybe some others, his preference would be to do (the training school type) agility later on, when Gaston is older, at least a year old. Thanks everyone.
I’m not a fan of Frisbee either. Labs are strong top heavy dogs designed for swimming not jumping. My TPLO Surgery bill will also attest to this opinion. If I could go back I’d do more over water training and less over ground fetches. Teaching them to use their noses is another great pastime for them.
I did an agility class that was called foundations we worked on teaching the dog to put both front feet on a contact. walking through hula la hoops to give them a since of a jump and tunnels and weave poles. It was a 6 week course once a week for an 1hr. My girl Waase was just a 1yr old at the time. She loved the class.
Thanks for your experience @Valkyrie. Yes, I think that would be our trainers idea for Gaston when he's a year old. He is now 4 months old, today actually
