Hi everyone.

My daughter who is 6 would love to know more about agility. Do you think she's too young to get into this or would she be ok? Should have seen it coming really because when she is riding the faster she can go or bigger she can jump the better so should have realised it would follow on into the dogs!! Does anybody know of any agility classes in North Yorkshire? Preferably close to Scarborough. Although she is only 6 she is a very mature 6. She has been taking the latest puppy to puppy class and has done all her training with her. So please don't think it is a fad from a 6 year old!! She has been on and on about it for ages and I hung fire to see if she grew out of it and if she would just be happy showing my lot.

Also what breed would anybody recommend for a child doing agility. I'm not going to jump into anything would just like to collect as much information as possible and if there was a class nearby was going to contact them to see if I could take her along to watch.

Thanks in advance for any replies. Like i say, am just collecting as much information as I can at this point as although we show ours have never had alot to do with agility.

have a look on the agility net (http://www.agilitynet.com/frontpage.htm) and you should be able to find a club close to you or try asking the YKC for some details. Some clubs may say that she is a bit young as if they are like the one that I attend we train of an evening between 7.30 - 10 so see wouldn't be able to attend.

my daughter was 5 when she started training, and competed at her 7th birthday , but i am sure they can compete at 6 years old in agility,
have a look at the agilitynet site and the list of clubs that are where you live, also ask on the forum they will give you loads of advice.
carolann

Thank you very much. Have looked on agility net a couple of times. Find it all really interesting but there are no clubs listed in my area.:-(

Obviously she would be older than 6 when she started competing if we went ahead with it. There is just so much to learn about it. It is a totally new discipline to me!!

What breed would anybody recommend as a good breed for a child for agility?

Just trying to collect as much info as possible but I will also post on the agilty net forum!!

Miniature poodle, Papillon, Border Terrier etc etc.

What breed do you have?  Is there any reason she can't train one of yours?

The main problem with getting a child a dog to train is that the interest may not last, and then you have a dog that you might not have wanted for yourself.

It is a good idea to start looking now and going to watch.

I don't think there is much for kids in Yorkshire...agility seems to be taken very very seriously...it is rather a highly competitive  life or death activity!  My son is in YKC and he enjoyed having a go at the YKC camp last year and was very good ....  I took him to agility last night for the first time and within 5 mins he was distraught and crying because it was too difficult and the trainer had no patience at all for him.  After my son said he was told what to do but not how to do it and the dog was so fast his mind didn't work fast enough to plan what to do for the next thing so he got it all wrong and the trainer didn't explain how to do it...and my lad is 14!

Most trainers find it hard to train people to train dogs and do not go that extra mile for kids..they do not all understand kids at all..it is a totally different specialism.  For a child you need a trainer who is gifted with kids and gifted in agility because they can think it through calmly and clearly and explain correctly...this is essential with kids because they pick up things so easily.

I have had the same in conformation..I took him to a ring craft club last year and they were all much older people with little dogs and he was not taught what to do and they all ended up yelling at him that he was getting it wrong and both the dog and my son were shaking. So any activity can be bad for kids with the wrong people.

I don't think many of the clubs are good with kids at all.   The pet clubs are better they are not bothered about correcteness so you won't get the right teaching for advanced competition but I don't think thst matters until you get to that point and  they won't put the kid off.   My experience of Yorkshire is most clubs use old school training, scuffing, yelling , and choke chains. A child will get into trouble for doing these things at a show! Also many clubs are volunteer trainers so the trainers can change month to month and even rotate each week so you get a lot of confusion in the advice you get.

Okay that is just my warning because I'd not like to see your daughter loose the wonderful spirit she has! My lad was like your daughter and trained our pup up to Gold good citizen level in a pet based club  but we find competition clubs are not good with kids. Also many are at night and run too late for school nights... out beginner class I did with my daughter finished at 10.30 and then we had to get home. It really was too late for school...   Your daughter is not too young for agility at all..she is a great age...it is just the clubs might be too old for her!  But you are experienced in the dog world? so you should find your feet easier than us.

Try a very small calm slow breed of dog...  mine I thought would be quite steady really but are a crazy  powerful and super fast and to learn with them even as an adult is a total  nightmare.

You can do agility with any breed, cross, any size of dog. So choose on who will firstly make a great pet. You don't want an excitable breed that will get all wound up and nip at your daughter. Do not get a Border Collie! But ignoring my advice if your daughter can cope with something with a decent speed and enthusiasm and on the demanding side then what about a Sheltie?  Two just started at club and they are fine to cope with...well anything that's not my dogs is fine to cope with! lol!  But best to ask people who know the breeds.

The YKC do some training events if you can travel to them.....they have trainers who are great with kids... they will build her confidence and teach her correctly and make it fun.  You will already be into the YKC with showing.

For agility you might need to travel a little distance...  but there are an increasing number of private trainers offering pet level agility and less cut throat competitive agility classes and more and more are setting up all the time.  My advice also for a child would be to find a pet/fun agility club where the facilities are nice and clean and the people more relaxed and the pace easier to get a grounding, then try some YKC events.

Also try: Debbie Berriman - Fun agility training in Scarborough. She looks good.

There is a guy at Thirsk Called Ron who trains competitive agility ...look him up on the web and give him a ring..he might know what is available and might know what clubs are best. ... he uses positive methods and trains outside which is good experience for the dogs.

>I don't think many of the clubs are good with kids at all.   The pet clubs are better they are not bothered about correcteness so you won't get the right teaching for advanced competition but I don't think thst matters until you get to that point and  they won't put the kid off.   My experience of Yorkshire is most clubs use old school training, scuffing, yelling , and choke chains. A child will get into trouble for doing these things at a show! Also many clubs are volunteer trainers so the trainers can change month to month and even rotate each week so you get a lot of confusion in the advice you get.

Are you speaking of Obedience Clubs here ? I seriously doubt that the majority of clubs use the methods you describe, as for clubs not being good for kids I presume you are writing of agility clubs as most obedience clubs welcome youngsters.

What is wrong with volunteer trainers ? I know of a "professional"training club & wouldn't let them within miles of any of my dogs because they do use force instead of motivational methods to get results quicker

just going by what I see..I think in an type of dog training activity...but way less so in conformation. 

What is wrong with volunteer trainers ?
Noting....it is just worth realising that most clubs are run by volunteers who give up their time unpaid and they can be great for adults but dreadful for kids.   I mentioned this because this is difficult for children to get a different trainer each week and get totally different instructions. They do better with one trainer who can get to know them and their dog and who is talented and patient with children and can make training fun and rewarding for them and not a test of their endurance.   It is worth finding out how a club operated regarding this from my experiences.

Well perhaps you have been to the few clubs that still use old methods, I can't think of one that still allows the use of chokers or who uses punishment as part of training

Our club which is part pet part competitive has a good record with kids getting them through the KCGC etc & into competitive obedience or conformation & yes we rotate trainers but like most good clubs they all sing from the same hymn sheet

your club sounds wonderful.. do let me know where it is....  I carried tis conversation on in a PM to you because I do not want to detract from the origional intentions of this thread. Thanks.

Thank you everyone for all your ideas. Also thank you for carrying on your discussion elsewhere lol!! Didn't mean for it to get into an argument!!

In answer to what breed I have now and to why she couldn't do it with one of my dogs is that we have mastiffs. Much as I love all of them I could not see them doing agility.

Everybody who has replied has given me lots to think about which was the intention of this post so thank you very much.

I do agree that some clubs I have been to have not been particularly helpful towards children. I am NOT saying all clubs are like that it is just an experience I had. It was quite sad when she is so keen and was basically dismissed and ignored, she came home that night in tears. Obviously I understand that children are more time consuming but she isn't a difficult child and at the end of the day the children are the next generation who will be carrying on for us. I have always believed that they should be encouraged as much as possible both in the dogs and the horses. But like I say....all clubs are different and I have also had some very good experiences.:-D