We went over the A frame after a few weeks, when our dogs were confident on the jumps and tunnels and tyre and started with the dog walk. We had two leads, one each side and the trainer took the other one. Some dogs took several weeks to be able to do it on their own. Rufus was a natural climber, and just wasn't too concerned with the contact points. Different trainers have different techniques. Our class has separate trainers for day courses. It helps because you can then find out which is the best command for your dog, and how best to approach the A frame, with different combinations of equipment.