pie Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Hmmm, well we're not very consistent :D We might get there one day It would be an awesome day if my 300 dog beat the bigger dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Never say never amypie - my average speed 500 dog has managed to win classes before - when all the super fast dogs have failed . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 MM - I know Kyzer has no chance of ever beating BCs, Kelpies, etc, but we still have a lot of fun and he loves it which makes it worth it.You don't have to come first to get titles, you just have to get clear rounds within the set course time. As PF said, it's about accuracy and consistency, if the fastest dog isn't going where he is told to go then his speed isn't worth much! I bet you though your little dogs would be way faster than Mason I just dont think Mason would be cut out for it, he is very heavy in front and I dont know if he would manage the jumping, probably would for awhile but it could damage his joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I have a lab who is now 12 months old and I was keen to do agility ( at our club they can only start training at 14 months and only then if they can behave off lead) but now I have watched all the kelpies and the collies etc compete and in my mind my boy isnt cut out for that, he may have fun doing it BUT he will never achieve much if we compete, he isnt as quick as other breeds. Its just my opinion and i dont like to compete in things unless I can do fairly well. You may not be able to beat the fast dogs for speed but if your boy can leave the bars up and do a reasonable clip you'll do just fine. In agility, the race isn't just about speed but about accuracy and consistency. There have been some great dogs who weren't working dogs over the years. At our club we had a Bernese Mountain Dog get his Masters Agility and Jumping titles. There's a lot to enjoy about the sport other than winning. Watching your dog have fun and improving your skills as a team is immensely rewarding. I am sure there is more to it than winning but its just not for my dog, we have already been told by some instructors that he is not built for it, he eats hardly anything as it is, he isnt fat at all but just doesnt have the right build IMO to jump etc. What I should have written is I would like to do a sport where he COULD compete successfully and have fun, which is why I am tacking him to tracking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I am sure there is more to it than winning but its just not for my dog, we have already been told by some instructors that he is not built for it, he eats hardly anything as it is, he isnt fat at all but just doesnt have the right build IMO to jump etc. What I should have written is I would like to do a sport where he COULD compete successfully and have fun, which is why I am tacking him to tracking. Fair enough. Good luck with tracking! Gundog working tests are another thing you could look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 If I wanted a lab for agility I would see if I could get hold of a "failed" Customs dog. They are adopted out to families from time to time and are lean labs bred for an active working life. The only thing to watch is that the breeding program aims for a pretty full on working temperament, but on the other hand, sometimes the ones that flunk flunk because they don't have that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 If I wanted a lab for agility I would see if I could get hold of a "failed" Customs dog. They are adopted out to families from time to time and are lean labs bred for an active working life. The only thing to watch is that the breeding program aims for a pretty full on working temperament, but on the other hand, sometimes the ones that flunk flunk because they don't have that. Customs sourced their foundation stock from one of Australia's top field line kennels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 If you are definitely going to do agility with the pup keep in mind that they cant start training until 11 or 12 months For my Chesapeake his agility training will commence at 2 and I will take over 6 months to have him jumping full height. In the meantime I am going to try my hand at retrieving, obidience and tracking (he is also a show dog). The slowest dog can win if it is the only one to jump clear. :D Don't let what people say put you off a breed you love. Chesapeakes (in the states) compete and win in agility trials, the Canadian National team had a Lab on it a few years ago, look at the FCI world team lists, you will find Lab's and Goldies. (Among all the BC's ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 If you are definitely going to do agility with the pup keep in mind that they cant start training until 11 or 12 months For my Chesapeake his agility training will commence at 2 and I will take over 6 months to have him jumping full height. In the meantime I am going to try my hand at retrieving, obidience and tracking (he is also a show dog). The slowest dog can win if it is the only one to jump clear. Don't let what people say put you off a breed you love. Chesapeakes (in the states) compete and win in agility trials, the Canadian National team had a Lab on it a few years ago, look at the FCI world team lists, you will find Lab's and Goldies. :D (Among all the BC's ) How big will Lincoln be? I have never seen a fully grown Chesapeake I guess some labs are built differently to others. I saw a poster of a border collie at the library who is looking for a new home and I thought to myself hmmmm here is my chance to get a dog for agility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 The standard height is males 58-66cms at wither Females 53-61cms at withers. For comparison Labs are 56-61cm dogs and bitches 53-58cms, however Bronson is 61cms at withers and evryone comments how he is "oversize" so picture a REALLY tall lab. Lincolns dad is a big dog, here is a pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 The standard height is males 58-66cms at wither Females 53-61cms at withers. For comparison Labs are 56-61cm dogs and bitches 53-58cms, however Bronson is 61cms at withers and evryone comments how he is "oversize" so picture a REALLY tall lab. Lincolns dad is a big dog, here is a pic: He is big and very lovely! Maybe I judged the labs too harshly maybe they can do well in agility, I just see all these quick dogs and I thought what are my chances ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) I'm doing agility with Millie my choc Lab. She's not a field bred Lab but she is lean and fast and loves doing things with me so why the heck not! She just needs an experienced handler to bring out her speed, gosh she can run FAST, but I'm afraid I am definitely going to let the team down! Sorry Moo, you're stuck with me Ruby my yellow Lab is also lean, but she isn't cut out for jumping like Millie is. She lands more heavily than Millie and struggles to jump high unless she has a good run up, whilst Millie could leap a metre upwards from a stationary position! (I think she has Tigger in her lines somewhere ) I may do some agility training with Ruby on my own when I'm training Millie outside of class as she too loves it, but have no aspirations to trial Ruby where as I hope one day I might be able to trial with Millie. Edited March 30, 2010 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) The standard height is males 58-66cms at wither Females 53-61cms at withers. For comparison Labs are 56-61cm dogs and bitches 53-58cms, however Bronson is 61cms at withers and evryone comments how he is "oversize" so picture a REALLY tall lab. Lincolns dad is a big dog, here is a pic: Ooh then Bronson will be jumping 600 along with Kaos Edited March 30, 2010 by Kavik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I'm doing agility with Millie my choc Lab. She's not a field bred Lab but she is lean and fast and loves doing things with me so why the heck not! She just needs an experienced handler to bring out her speed, gosh she can run FAST, but I'm afraid I am definitely going to let the team down! Sorry Moo, you're stuck with me :p Ruby my yellow Lab is also lean, but she isn't cut out for jumping like Millie is. She lands more heavily than Millie and struggles to jump high unless she has a good run up, whilst Millie could leap a metre upwards from a stationary position! (I think she has Tigger in her lines somewhere ) I may do some agility training with Ruby on my own when I'm training Millie outside of class as she too loves it, but have no aspirations to trial Ruby where as I hope one day I might be able to trial with Millie. Millie is definately more agile and quick than Mason, both your girls are actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Yes Lincoln will def be jumping 600 My agility instructor said something to me once I will never forget, it was when I was unsure about Tobys agility carrer because he had broken his leg so young, he said a dog is only in the ring for a minute or so and won't do more then 20(? forgotten the right amount) obstacles. Unless you train jumps for like an hour a day a few jumps a day won't have a huge impact on a healthy dog. I limit my training over jumps with Toby and train at a lower height at home because of his leg. Except for the handling side of things jumps are pretty much the same object as the day before and the day before that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitka Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 My golden competed in agility and would have done better if he had a better handler He was in the 600 class and could fly over the jumps and did the weaves very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) The standard height is males 58-66cms at wither Females 53-61cms at withers. For comparison Labs are 56-61cm dogs and bitches 53-58cms, however Bronson is 61cms at withers and evryone comments how he is "oversize" so picture a REALLY tall lab. Lincolns dad is a big dog, here is a pic: Off topic but that is a very nice dog!! Interesting that going slighly downhill (from hip to shoulder) is not a fault in the breed. Edited March 30, 2010 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 There are a few labs at the agility club I go to, and with the food orientated mindset they do pretty well. Always worth giving it a go for a few weeks and see how they go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 The standard height is males 58-66cms at wither Females 53-61cms at withers. For comparison Labs are 56-61cm dogs and bitches 53-58cms, however Bronson is 61cms at withers and evryone comments how he is "oversize" so picture a REALLY tall lab. Lincolns dad is a big dog, here is a pic: Off topic but that is a very nice dog!! Interesting that going slighly downhill (from hip to shoulder) is not a fault in the breed. The original standard (early 1900's) specified hindquaters higher then withers as it was thought to make the dogs swim faster. After that theory was disproven both a level and 'slightly hollow' toplines were allowed and have been since, although the latter is seen more frequently in the breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) I wouldn't thought a Lab was considered a big dog to start with? What's so wrong with a Labs conformation that it can't handle Agility? We get comments in the Dane world that Danes are too big, however in our breed if they are bred well they should be able to do agility without any problem however when training there are some obsticles they should not do until later as their growth takes longer. There are thousands and thousands of Danes that do Agility in America, in Australia so many clubs discourage it through lack of education and also they just don't know how to train such a big dog to do certain obsticles. Last year the Australian Dane community lost Csaba who was an amazing Agility Dane with I think every title possible. We went to agility classes and had to pull out because they had no idea how to deal with us. Edited March 31, 2010 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now