The Ace Dog Sports Skills Assessment Barometer

This “barometer” was designed to give you some goals to achieve while you pursue the sport of agility. If you are waiting for your class to begin you can start working on these skills. These skills can be mastered while you pursue agility. They do not have to be mastered before enrolling in class

OBEDIENCE SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Can you call your dog to you reliably when he or she is off leash and:

• Playing with other dogs
• In a new location, like a park or the beach
• Playing with other people
• Eating something
• Chasing something

If you answered yes to four out of five your recall is great, congratulations! Three out of five is good you are ready to start agility class, but keeping working on the other two. If you had less then two yes answers your recall needs more work and you might want to book a private lesson.

Can your dog do a down and sit stay:

• With you 20 feet away
• With food being tossed near him
• With toys being tossed near him
• With other dogs playing in sight
• With his favorite person coming into the room.

If you answered yes to four out of five your dog's stay behavior is great, congratulations! Three out of five is good, but keeping working on the others. If you had less then two yes answers your dog's stay might need an instructors help, book a private lesson.

Healing off leash

Your dog will need to be able to run with you, on both sides without a leash. You do not need this skill perfected to start agility but you will need it soon and you will have a great advantage if you have it before you start agility training.

STRENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP SELF EVALUATION

It is important that you and your dog have a bond that will enable you to work as a team. Agility will take this bond to new heights but you will need some relationship foundation skills with your dog to get started. Here are some simple ways to evaluate your relationship with your dog.

When you call your dog:

• Does he want to come to you?
• Does he spin and race to you?
• Does he speed up as he gets closer?

Does your dog prefer you to:

• Other dogs?
• Other people?
• Himself?
  

When you play with your dog:

• Does he bring the ball back?
• Will he play tug with you and let you have the toy when you want it?
• Will he play in any environment?

If you currently do not feel that you cannot answer yes to at least four of the nine questions above we suggest you consider some private lessons at ACE to help you get your bond with your dog on track before you start agility.

TIME COMMITMENT

Do you currently spend time training your dog…
Every day?
Every week?
When you train do you enjoy it?
Do you have 15 to 30 minutes five times a week to train your dog for agility, plus the time that class takes?

We don't want to scare you away with words like commitment, but our classes do require that some training homework get accomplished each week. Agility is for folks that enjoy spending time training their dogs and in most cases already do spend time training on a regular basis. Some folks consider doing agility for the fun and excersise it can provide the dog once a week but aren’t necessarily “into” training. These dogs would benefit more from spending an hour hiking or playing at the beach than in an agility class where lack of success from not doing training homework can frustrate dog and handler.

As you can see off leash obedience skills and a relationship with your dog are needed to pursue agility as well as some time to devote to training. If you are anxious to get started but have determined that your dog is not quite ready, drop us a line, your skills may be close enough for you to begin agility class while you work on your obedience skills.

Thank you for contacting ACE Dog Sports, we looking forward to meeting you and your agility partner.

Please let us via email if you have any questions - best way to communicate with us!

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