patalina

Now that Louis 7 months old, he can start training in either Agility or Flyball next month. Just wondering which of these two you think is better for an OT poodle (Louis' a poodle-pomeranian mix, but is about the size of an OT)? He's incredibly fast and LOVES to run after rabbits in the yard, so I'm sure he'd love either one.

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PaddleAddict

They both would if you dog likes them. You might want to consider what you would like, too. Agility is more serious and flyball is more fun (from my point of view at least). How much time do you want to devote to training?

WestCoastSpoo

Could you try out both and see which one your dog really takes to (and which one you enjoy most)? Like maybe an intro class for each? We haven't done either with Huxley, but I'd like to try them out and see if he really enjoys one (or both)!

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JE-UK

It's really what you would prefer .... both are exciting and involved running and jumping, so the dog would probably enjoy either.

I do agility. which is great fun, but would really like to try flyball.

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"Yes is so much important than No." Dominique Barbier

Panda

I do Flyball which is amazing and I love it do much, almost as much as panda does. He is do fast our team call him runny poo lol. I think poodles are great at both though, Flyball is more fun and agility is more serious but still fun, agility may help with outside attention span and control too. Try both and see which you prefer, at least in the uk there seem to be way more agility classes than their are Flyball teams.

fjm

Is he keen on chasing and retrieving balls? Or does he love climbing and being up high? Neither of mine are retrievers, and are really not interested in balls at all, so it would be hard work to get them motivated for Flyball. Sophy hates jumping, so we gave up Agility, although she really enjoyed the other equipment and has a special dispensation to skip the jumps if we do go! Poppy liked the close one-on-one interaction of learning the Agility equipment, and it was a great confidence booster for her.

7 months seems a little young for high-impact activities - the usual recommendation is 12 months minimum, unless it is a carefully calibrated puppy class.

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

patalina

Thank you so much for all of the replies! We could try both, but the training center is not offering Flyball until later in the spring. I wish I could say Louis was more of a jumper/climber than retriever, but the truth is he loves to jump, climb up high, run, and retrieve (makes studying easy when all I have to do is toss his ball or squeaky duck).

The agility class is really a pre-agility class, where they work on recall, weave pole introduction, targeting for contacts, plank work, focus, and working off-leash. The flyball class is for beginners and works on teaching the dog how to retrieve the ball and off-leash commands. Although 7 months is young, the flyball class is for dogs 6 months and up while the agility class is for dogs 8 months and up (Louis will be 8 months on the 13th).

If anyone else lives in PA and has a good or bad review of it, please let me know. The training facility is Wagsworth Manor in Malvern...

I think we may start with agility to work on his focus and recall

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CelticKitti

We do both. I like flyball better, but I don't like to sit around and wait for agility runs. Some dogs like one better than the other. Mia loves flyball while lily so far is more into agility. There is a flyball tournament Feb 11 &12th at Y2K9's in Wyndmor, pa you should go check it out.

I know the instructor from tournaments. I'd say go for it if you're interested.

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Kodi FDCh-G aka "little man" Black Mini
Mia- FDX, agility dog in training, Black Standard

patalina

Thank you! Do you know if the event is open to the public? Also, can I bring Louis just to watch?

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CelticKitti

It is open to the public, as well as free of charge.

You can bring Louis to watch if he is well behaved. Flyball is loud, and there are lots of people and dogs moving around. It's a very fast paced environment and the building isn't that big so things move quickly. It can sometimes be a little overwhelming for dogs not accustomed to the environment. Make sure you bring plenty of yummy treats if you bring him.

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Kodi FDCh-G aka "little man" Black Mini
Mia- FDX, agility dog in training, Black Standard