Question about when to start.....

I was wondering, and I have read and heard different things, about what age one should start conditioning your dog for weight pull, conformation, agility, etc.? Also, what are some good tips/techniques yall would be willing to share with someone just getting started? Thanx in advance for your help....

 

i am under teh impression that you really want to give them time for their joints and body to mature , so i would say post 1 year old.....someone can probably give more exact timing

 

for weight pull you have to wait until they are at least a year old, then you get their hips xrayed to see if they have hip displacia, then you start out very very slowly if not with a harness and light weights just dragging around. you must let the bones an joints mature or you could do damage.

conformation is mostly standing in the ring, so you want to get your dog used to being stacked for the judge and have proper obedience manners.

agility, you can play around with it now but do not do any hard agility work like jumps and stuff until the dog is at least a year, and again, you have to start slowly...

 

Yeah, I know at 6 months it's too early. They do play really hard though. I'm thinking at this age I could start getting them used to wearing harnesses, which they actually have been, and get a cart and just let them get used to the site and sound of it when it rolls. I'm more focused on the basic obedience at this point. They've got 3 weeks of puppy kindergarten left, then they'll be in basic obedience a couple weeks after that. But I'll gather and take in as much info as I can when I can. So if anyone has advice they'd like to share.....

 

they are 6 months old or 3 months old? at 6 months old they should be in a regular basic obedience class, not puppy kindergarten.. just for the next time, i always enroll 3 month old pups in basic obedience classes as they pick up quicker and it keeps their mind working..

you can let them bounce around, but dont let them make flying leaps landing on hard surfaces... you can put a harness on if 6 months old, but dont attach anything just let them get used to the harness.

 

This puppy kindergarten isn't just a bunch of dogs running wild in a pen, lol. Most of the dogs in the class are about their age actually. It's nice though, all the basic commands, plus exposure to agility equipment, they learn to stack and get checked over by a judge, and of course socialization.

 

dam!! thats not puppy kindergarten ,that is an awesome class!! the kindergarten classes by me are just puppies having a blast for socialization.. thats more like a basic class yours are in, which is excellent!!!