Agility

Agility is probably the most fun you can have with your dog.  Here are some things you need prior to starting agility:

• A reasonably fit dog (obese dogs should lose the weight prior to training).

• A dog that has reliable basic obedience skills--sit, down, come, and a short stay.

• Any size, shape or breed of dog (mixed breeds can compete, and purebreds need not be registered).

Playing the agility game means you and your dog learning to negotiate courses of obstacles.  Jumps, tunnels, contact obstacles (teeter, dogwalk, a-frame), weaves...

During agility training, you and your dog can develop an extremely strong understanding of one another.  Body language and timing are two valuable handler skills that agility teaches, and both transfer into normal day-to-day communication.  The canine half of the team often gains confidence in general.

Agility is a fun activity both for handler and dog.  Whether or not you ever intend to compete, the sport is a great outlet for both dog and handler.  

Flyball

NEWS:  Newfoundland has its first flyball team!  The Newfie Bullets made their tournament debut in Nova Scotia at the Lietash Push the Limits tournament August 2004.  Please visit the Newfie Bullets website!

Imagine four dogs, lined up facing a lane of jumps, at the end of which there's a box loaded with a tennis ball.  One by one, the handlers release the dogs to race down the lane, trigger the box, grab the ball, and head back to the handler.  On their way back, they pass another dog heading to the box at lightning speed. Sound like fun?

In order to play flyball, your dog needs to fit the following requirements: Reasonably fit (obese dogs should lose the weight prior to training for flyball), good with other dogs, good with being handled by other people (in practice, it is necessary for someone else to be able to hold your dog while you go to the end of the lane).  Almost any dog can enjoy flyball, no matter whether you intend to compete in actual tournaments or just want to do something fun once a week or so.  Flyball can enhance the dog/handler relationship and provide some much-needed mental and physical stimulation for the dog (not to mention the handler!).  Dogs can be of any breed or mixed breed.

Create a Motivating Toy     Flyball Turns and How to Teach Them