Go for small classes and keep her on a leash? Actually, in an 8 wk class, that was the only time I had to correct him for not paying attention, which is pretty good, even for him. This dog watches me like I'm the only person in the world, which is nice but kind of creepy (he's a rescue who climbed into my lap the first time I saw him...now if that wasn't a hint, I don't know what was *lol*).

I learned the hard way to not even breath the word 'prong' to anyone who does agility (don't even mention e-collar). It kept me out of agility class for two years as I did not want to expose my dog to an environment where she would learn bad behaviours. I did quit one class because the dogs were so out of control they were scrapping with one another, including my own dog who was quietly training & tugging with me in a corner when she got jumped. The instructor told me the scrapping was NORMAL and not aggression because they didn't draw blood. She didn't get that allowing dogs to run about and scrap teaches dogs to behave that way.
I found another instructor, and as Dynamo is very reliable now, I don't need to worry about corrections in agility (although I worry a bit when she LOOKS at small fast dogs). I would rather have the option, but it's just not allowed, and know that if I she ever starts behaviours that require correction I'll have no option but to quit.
What I do agree with is 'never correct a dog for mistakes'. The purely positive approach is definitely appropriate when it comes to the agility. The dogs are always putting on their best, and trying so hard. Dynamo hates making mistakes anyway, a correction would only add insult to injury. And yes, it's often the handlers (thats me) making the errors, flubbing the signals, etc...
Occassional private lessons plus training on your own are a great compromise. There are tons of things you can train with some pvc jumps, a few lawn chairs and an open field.

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The purely positive approach is definitely appropriate when it comes to the agility.

i really agree with this statement. but it also means that not all dogs are meant to be in agility. dogs that are not motivated by food, or who have other drives that are stronger and override the food motivation are probably not good agility course candidates.

for example, if your dog's drive to get into it with other dogs is his strongest motivator, agiility is probably not going to work well for him. and he won't enjoy it, either.

i spent three years in agility with my older boy who died last year. he adored it! it was never necessary to correct him because he was so into it. he was a major food motivated dog.

my current dog hates agility. all he wants to do is get away from the trainer and get into it with the other dogs. he finds it confining. wierd dog, he actually prefers obedience work instead!

the sad part is the former dog did not have what it takes physically (we had to stop because of his arthritis), and the current dog does. oh, well.

Whatever you do, DON'T correct your dog at an AKC event, becasue no matter how slight the correction is, if one of those AKC people see you, they will come at you with axes & pitchforks!!!

Oh geez. I am having second thoughts about all of this! I think I might just be doing us both a disservice if I start agility now. We are just now starting to have a really good bond, because trust is a tough thing for her. And she is not arguing with me any more finally (even onlong downs) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> But she is hitting the height of distraction phase which is going to absolutely require some corrections.

What are your thoughts on waiting til about 18 mos. or so? I think we should have most things ironed out by then. You can pretty much start a dog on agility at any age can't you? I am excited to start her, but I really need to be careful not to rush this particular dog.

LOL...I can't believe I took her to an agility event on a prong. Shows how much I know about agility. Even tho I never had to correct her in front of them, I may have to find a new club already <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

you certainly can wait until she is older. i my older guy was nearly 3 when we started him.

i wouldn't take my current dog into the ring without a prong on. it has to be there, just in case. if they have a problem with it, too bad. i have to be able to control my dog.

if you can't control your dog without a prong, you may have to forget about agility.

My first agility dog was 7 when we started. It was something I had wanted to try for so long and finally just did it. The hardest thing about starting so late with him was getting him to work away from me, he was always glued to my side. Best part was his obedience was so good and his focus on me. Check out some of the different classes around and try to find one you like, I would think they would let you sit in on classes. The class I go to is really small. Sometimes there will be maybe 7 dogs, others times there have been just 2. Lots of individual attention, lots of time to work your dog. Maybe you can get lucky and find a small class like I did.

I first started using the prong because she honestly did not respond to anything else. She had that stray mentality and I don't think she would have even cared if I had beat her <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> That really seems to be changing now. My hard little dog seems to be getting a bit softer. Anyone ever have that happen? I've never had a dog that had run loose before. In a couple of months I think she will just be an excited little thing that I will have to restrain with a flat collar until she can get a little bit de-sensitized to all the dogs runing around. She's only 35 lbs.

The classes I have seen around claim to be small, but are up to 18 dogs. The puppy classes are smaller but alas...

Sitting in on some of the classes is a great idea. Thanks everyone for the responses. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Christi, I was seriously miffed when I had to quit the first class. In I hindsight, I was sooooo impatient. Waiting until your dog is ready is okay! Gives you plenty of time to get your dog manners under control and work on attention and focus. Yeah, it's really annoying when you just know that if the odd appropriate correction were allowed you'd be able to start right away. But unless you can find a place that allows for that, it's better to wait.
Here's some things I wish I'd done differently while waiting.
Work on working away from you. Reward your dog as much for work away exercises as you do for attention and heeling. If you do that, then when you get to agility, you won't have to deal with sticky dog problem. Build some pvc jumps and practice.
And encourage your dog on all available obstacles, stairs, ramps, playground equipment, culverts (if they are big enough and clean enough), wobbly boards, boardwalks, picnic tables etc. All of this will have your dog super ready for class.
You can add targetting and touch, etc..

I've been working with her at playgrounds and she takes to it like a fish to water. I found some tubes and it took about 30 seconds for her to be bounding trough them for treats. As for the away work, we're just starting on that. Now that she has stay down, I am able to get about 5 feet away for sits and downs. It's a start anyway. Also, I bought a 2'by 2' board and I put a ball underneath it. Doesn't freak her out anymore. Too bad parks don't have teeters anymore. Any suggestions on more kinds of away work? I've been putting treats in 3 different directions away from us to try to get her to follow my point. (sorry, don't know any of the jargon yet). Any other away things I can do? She's not what I would call sticky, but she definitely thinks that she needs to be close to me for commands. Also, I have been doing a "let's go" command where she just stays on either side of me in my general vicinity so she doesn't get used to just the formal left heel. Good right? What's next?