Hi All

Pippin has been going to agility every saturday morning for the last 6 weeks. She is a poodle x cavalier and is 17 months old.

She has been doing ok, goes over the jumps and has been going over the a frame, walk, see saw, through the ring etc. However, she doesnt seem to get as excited as the other dogs! The others all jump everywhere after they have done some jumps, love to play with and go after a toy etc but Pip isnt like that!

Now we have started to do u to 6 jumps in a shape with the tunnell in there too, she doesnt always keep interested.

I dont want to take her if she doesnt like it, but now that iv started it I feel mean if I dont go, as at least it is good exercise for her and a chance to socialise.

Any ideas?
Thanks!

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As long as she doesn't actively dislike it, I think you should stick with it for a while longer. It may well be she will get the taste for it a bit later, and just may be less expressive than the bouncier dogs. The benefits of the social aspects are worth keeping, and she may well turn out to be one of the steadier, more accurate dogs that don't go crashing on ahead. Just try to make sure she enjoys it as much as she can, take specially nice food that she only gets at agility and make sure she's hungry when you go.

Zipper never bounces about and always seems quite casual about agility as if he's not that bothered. However if we don't go for a couple of weeks when we pull into the field he goes mad in the car and gets all excitable but as soon as we are stood at the course he is all casual again

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A dog Possesses Beauty without Vanity,Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.

Can I suggest that you need to perhaps show Pippin that you are getting a bit excited & having fun. Make your voice a bit sqeaky & high pitched, it could make a difference. I have to do this with my terrier, but not my GSD as he gets very excited! Don't give up yet, it's great fun!

All good advice, I would add that sometimes a quiet composed dog attitude is better than the hyper active type. In my training group,my Lab is fast and excitable, but not so accurate as a little terrier who seems not very interested, but has the best contacts and makes fewer mistakes! We have just started competing, and it's all about clear rounds. The terrier looks the most likely out of about ten dogs.
I'm pretty sure that all dogs will enjoy agility, and the sociablity is very good as well.

The quiet little terrier in midi class came second in the steeplechase competition yesterday, but the rest of us had faults!

Sounds just like Pippin!

We are going to continue with agility as like mentioned above, its great for the social side of it. Im not interested in showing or competing, I just see it as some fun for Pippin and myself!

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Hi

DONT WORRY!

I have Lab X Collie who never seems as excited as the other dogs! He just stays quiet and never shows much excitement!

That is until he starts on the line, he is rather fast and i am chuffed to bits with him, all because your dog does not show much excitement it does not mean they dont like agility.

You normally notice that a dog does not like agility if it does not pay much attention and fails simple tasks such as jumping.

Keep going and best of luck!

Sarah X