Can someone provide me with some reliable information,please. We just got a female gsd pup. I already promised my wife she can use her to run agility. Can the dog also be trained in schutzhund? If so, which one do you start with? Will the cross-training hurt the performance in either catagory? Any information I receive will be greatly appreciated. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I am not aware of anyone who does both Schutzhund and Agility with the same dog. Although this may be the case it is not something that I would try with the same dog.

No one should start Aguility training until a dog is at least 12 to 14 months old. Jumping puppies is the best way I know of to to damage a young dogs hips.

My advice would be to get your wife a different pup of the opposite sex. Do not let them live together - they need to be kept separate.

amatofma,

It depends on the level of compition you are looking for. If you are looking to be a top level compitator in either sport, you probably wouldn't be able to do both. If you want to do credible work in both you probably could. Both would require too much training time to compete on the top levels to do both.

I appreciate the help. I'm not looking for the top of the line performance in either catagory. This dog is more of a get your feet wet dog. She's an inexpensive GSD that we got, and my theory is it's less expensive to learn a training regime with a less than elite dog, than to spend $1800.00 and up for an outstanding dog and turn him into a house pet,or worse, by beginner mistakes.

My friend is starting her SchH titled bitch in agility. I see no reason at all why you couldn't do both. The only hard part would be fitting it all in. But that's hard whether you are doing SAR and agility, agility and obedience, SchH and herding, whatever. Good luck and have fun. Agility is a blast! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Just as an aside, one can do a LOT of agility training with young puppies. You don't have to jump to train agility excercises. You can teach them to go between the standards, through the tunnels, across boards on the ground, across slightly raised boards, left and right, out and here, etc. I've been working my male in agility since he was maybe 3 months old (he's now 16 months old). He is doing wonderfully! (ah, just writing about it makes me want to go out and run a course with him. It's SO fun!)

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My friend is starting her SchH titled bitch in agility.

Tara,
How is your friend's dog working out in agility so far?
Thanks,
Karin

The part I don't like about agility for GSD is it disigned around the small shepherd dogs. My Max can hit all the obsticals but there is no way he'll have the same times. spread the course out a bit and you'd have a more level playing field. I guess they kept it tight so they can have more indoor events.

Hi Ed,
I am wondering why you would not recommend training a dog in both agility and shutzhund.
I currently train both my dogs in agility. I find training my dogs extremely interesting and was planning on starting some basic shutzhund training.
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In response to the people who stated they won't go to agility trials because the dogs are out of control... well, you are partially correct. There are ALL levels of trainers out there and ALL levels of trained dogs out there. Some owners are completely unaware of what their dogs are doing. These people have been failed by their own trainers by not teaching them to teach their dogs "manners".
But I don't worry about what OTHER peoples' dogs are doing so much as what MINE is doing. I am always aware of what is happening at the end of the leash. Other out of control dogs are only another training opportunity for me to show my dog that I am in charge of how we behave and who we interct with. I think if my dog was very reactive in that environment and to the dogs then I needed more work on handling my dog in a distracting environment....
Carole

this thread is 6 years old, and I think maybe Ed's views have changed a bit on agility training along with biting sports, because as we all know it depends on how you train, not what venue you are training.

I am going to be cross training my youngest dog, Rush , for agility and ringsport (hopefully)

Like one of the other posters commented, the hard part is finding the time to do it all.