I have a nine month old Border Collie or should i say he has me i was wondering what are the requirements for an agility dog i have heard that you should wait till he is over a year old but i know nothing ablot it but would like to try somthing with chase hard to find sheep in Newport thank you Noel
ooh, yes do consider it. You're right that he is too young to do full agility just yet, but you should start looking for a club now as there is often a waiting list. Some clubs will do a nursery type class where you learn how to do certain things -e.g. the tunnel and getting used to going through the jump wings (with the pole on the ground). If you try any club who tells you that your dog can do jumps and weaves before at least 12 months old, walk away as I'd say they aren't a good club. In terms of what are the requirements...ultimately all you need is for you and your dog to both enjoy it. Two out of three of mine will never compete for different reasons, but we still enjoy going to a fun club. Its funny that everyone tells you how good it is to work the dog's mind etc..but they forget to tell you that you have to think too and sometimes its a real struggle for me There's a list of various clubs on agilitynet http://agilitynet.co.uk/activepages/clubs.asp?fldName=TrainVenueCounty or you can do a google/yell search. Good luck in finding somewhere - agility can be really addictive
