Has anyone on theforum tried or thought about trying agility training with their V? If so, I'd love to hear your experiences.
I just finished a 6 week Beginner's Agility Program with Hally (my 9 month Vizsla) which was absolutely AMAZING! In my opinion, the Vizsla's energy combined with their strong desire to please "their human" and their intelligence make them wonderful agility dogs. Hally was the only V in her class and was also the youngest dog, but BY FAR - she was the best . She caught on to what I wanted her to do (go through a tunnel, go over a jump) instantly and was doing combinations of things when the rest of the class was still working on their dog doing the first thing!
The other thing that I LOVED about agility was the approach used in training the dogs. The entire program was based on a behaviour shaping/positive reinforcement method. So basically, there were no cues given by me (either verbal or nonverbal) about what I wanted her to do. She had to figure things out all by herself....it was amazing watching her problem solve to work for me (if she did the behaviour I wanted, she would be given a treat).
All in all it was a great way to have fun together, work on our relationship and get some energy out of her...a winning combination!
I just finished a 6 week Beginner's Agility Program with Hally (my 9 month Vizsla) which was absolutely AMAZING! In my opinion, the Vizsla's energy combined with their strong desire to please "their human" and their intelligence make them wonderful agility dogs. Hally was the only V in her class and was also the youngest dog, but BY FAR - she was the best . She caught on to what I wanted her to do (go through a tunnel, go over a jump) instantly and was doing combinations of things when the rest of the class was still working on their dog doing the first thing!
The other thing that I LOVED about agility was the approach used in training the dogs. The entire program was based on a behaviour shaping/positive reinforcement method. So basically, there were no cues given by me (either verbal or nonverbal) about what I wanted her to do. She had to figure things out all by herself....it was amazing watching her problem solve to work for me (if she did the behaviour I wanted, she would be given a treat).
All in all it was a great way to have fun together, work on our relationship and get some energy out of her...a winning combination!