Northern Suburbs Training & Obedience Dog Club
Perth, Western Australia
Northern Suburbs Training & Obedience Dog Club

Agility

General Information

  • Agility training is held on a Wednesday night at Carine Open Space. Junior classes start at 6:30pm, followed by the advanced classes at 8pm. Training is according to the school term calender. Training does not take place if the temperature is over 35 degrees or in wet weather. dog pic
  • Anyone wishing to participate in Agility at NST & ODC is required to be a member of the Club. You are required to purchase both a General Club Membership and the Agility Membership. You can do this online.
  • You may begin basic agility training with your dog once it has reached 14 months of age (or older) and in good general health.
  • There is a Facebook page that you might wish to join for agility-related information.
  • Dog’s that show aggressiveness towards either people or other dogs will not be tolerated.
  • Bitches in season should not attend training. It is not fair to other club members to bring a bitch in season onto the training grounds.

    • Assessment Criteria

    Please check the Club Calendar for the start of the next agility training term, at which time your dog can be assessed by a senior agility instructor.

    You must pass all of the following criteria to be eligible. dog pic

    1. Attention – You will be asked to get and maintain your dog’s attention whilst moving through other dogs. It is up to you how you keep your dog’s attention, be it using food, a toy or simply talking to your dog. This exercise is done on lead.
    2. Distraction work –You will be expected to maintain your dogs attention in a stimulating and distracting environment. You will be asked to walk around some equipment (approximately 15 meters away) whilst other dogs are using it.
    3. Recall – You will need to be able to do an off lead recall with your dog. Again there will be the distraction of other dogs working on equipment near by. Your dog must come straight to you without disrupting the dogs that are working. If you do not think your dog will wait you may ask the instructor to hold your dog until you call it.
    4. Moving off lead – You will be asked to remove your dog’s lead and run around with your dog. Your dog is expected to stay with you at all times. Again this will be done approximately 15 meters from other dogs working on a course.

    What To Bring To Class

    1. A Crate or stake – This is a must have. There are many times during training when you will be asked to leave your dog on its own.
    2. A flat buckle or quick release collar
    3. A lead – Preferably 2 meters in length and made from fabric (no chain leads)
    4. Toys – Your dog’s favourite toy that it finds extremely rewarding (tug toys are great as are squeaky toys)
    5. Water and bowl – This is especially important during the summer months. Don’t forget water for yourself either.
    6. Treats – Bring LOTS of treats. You will be surprised how many you will use, especially during beginner classes. Make sure your treats are highly valuable to the dog.
    7. A hungry dog – If you normally feed your dog in the evening we recommend that you delay its dinner until after training. A hungry dog will generally be more eager to work and you also lessen the likelihood of your dog suffering from bloat.