Does anyone work and Agility train the same dog?

[JohnW]

I have been agility training for a few months now with Bailey and Bramble and started taking Raven who is 6 months to a gamepkeeper trainer for the last few weeks to be trained in the field, To which I can now see why some on here rave about the gundog training side as Raven seems to be thriving on this activity, and alot seems to come down to instinct on his part, I had thought about taking him to Agility training also, but the 2 IMO are quite different and I don't want to start and confuse him Plus as a trainer I need more experience on the agility field and alot more experience in the working field. Do any other members do both activities with the same dog? I have come to the conclusion I won't be taking him to agility as for the time being at least I want to focus on his GD training. I do however enjoy both myself and have no preference on either as yet.  

[Nicola]

All my dogs work and I tried agility with Tilly and Alfie a while back just to see if they might like it. Tilly hated it, she thought it was utterly pointless and hated all the dogs barking and getting worked up around her; I took her twice and then didn't inflict it on her again after she all but shut down completely the second time. Alfie was quite good at it, he's very fast and athletic, but it didn't get him going or focus him the way working does, the bit at agility he got most excited about was when I got out a tennis ball to use as a reward and he was more excited about the prospect of getting to retrieve it than doing any of the agility stuff. He was fixated on the ball and the jumps and stuff were just incidental   I completed the beginner's course with him but didn't take it any further than that.

I've never tried it with Rodaidh, it would have been impossible last year with him having had an operation on his leg shortly after turning 1 but I don't think I would anyway, he doesn't do so well with lots of other dogs going nuts in close proximity around him, he's much better on shoots where the dogs are all quiet and although they're all enthusiastic about what they're doing they're all getting on with the job at hand.

All that said, I quite enjoyed the agility myself, it was a good laugh and if I ever get a dog who I'm not going to work and who I think would like it I'd definitely give it a shot again.

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

Im glad you asked that. I really fancy doing some agility. It would have to be with Brie though as Jack wouldnt do agility for all the livercake in the world.
I did think of doing some fly ball with Jack though but im also concerned how it would effect there gundog training and steadyness.
I hope you get some more replies because i will be watching this with interest.

[JohnW]

I think I will persue both as bailey is now beginning to excel on agility and Barmble is also showing promise and yeh Nicola its a great laugh and a very relaxed cheery atmosphere with all the sog owners,and i find a great buzz when your dog completes the course perfectly and we both get a cheer and  a round of applause from the other dog owners but thats just my ego .  Ravens training is alot calmer and quieter and I must admit when out in the field with the gamekeeper and his dogs its amazing how they react to pips of the whistle and hand signals,  raven got told off from his aunt who funny enough is owned by the trainer a when she is out in the field she deos not tolerate any other dog trying to sniff her when she is working, she gave him a sharp growl like don't bother me and raven got the message :005:Raven is only 6 months old and never been a pup to chase after toys in the house but when he is out in the field he is very much the different dog to what he is in the house and is tuned in when commanded to search and retreive the dummy bags. We tried Bailey last week but Bailey showed little interest and i got the impression he was bored which is very different as when he is in agility he loves this but Bailey is a more flighty excitable character than Raven And the gamekeeper suggested I just focus on one dog Raven.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I'm watching this with interest too. I've done a little bit of both with my Weim (my cocker's great at indoor obedience but not really up to much else ). However, as others have mentioned, the busy atmosphere of agility did stress her out a bit. She was amazing at it, but after she'd mastered everything in three sessions including jump weaving and that high walkway thingy - no mean feat when you're her size and your paws barely fit on the plank She got bored and I got some serious looks from her - she's done the same with me at obedience classes when she can't understand why anyone would want to stand around in a hall doing doing 'silly' things again and again. I'm planning to go back to some more classes with her later this year when my baby is a bit older and I'm trying to decide what to do with her. I can't see us actually going on shoots as my lifestyle doesn't lend itself to that, but I think the calmer steady activity suits her better and I'm lucky to have some really great classes run near me by Weimaraner rescue. I'm glad we tried agility though we both learnt some fun stuff from it and it interested her... for a little bit!

I guess it might just depend on the dog as to whether both activities suit them and if they have the ability to be crazy and steady in different situations! You won't be able to do agility with your pup until he's over a year though so you have a while to think about it

Hannah

[milly]

I went to an agility class with my daughter and her dog (who is a working lab), we thought it would be another avenue to channel her energy and enthusiasm. Although she was good at it and seemed to enjoy it we both agreed it wasn't for us. I can only judge the class we went to but it was a very noisy environment, dogs hyped up and barking constantly and pulling on their leads.
We felt it went against her steadiness training and wasn't the right environment so only went the once. I personally wouldn't take my working cocker for similar reasons, I want him to be quiet and under control and a lot of the dogs there were neither. Guess you'll have to judge it for yourself