Is two years old too old for a dog to start competitive obedience and agility?
I just feel my Sheltie though very smart and talented is just not mature enough yet. I think she’d do better if I waited till she was two. She is about a year and a half. How often should we be practicing and training if I want her to do really well? We can only practice agility twice a week on a regular course but are there things at home that we could do to practice parts of agility? And are two fifteen minute intervals too much for obedience?
Not at all. I rarely start very active training of anything on my dogs until they are at least two years of age — mine tend to mature late and even so, in the case of larger dogs I don’t want to do damage to still forming bones, tendons and ligaments. I would guess people do start younger but I just do some simply basic work with my dogs – no real jumping distances or anything like that; getting down basic commands and getting focus and control. I prefer to wait until after two years of age — I know Shelties mature a bit faster, of course, but there are still individuals that might take a bit longer and again, even though they ‘look’ mature that doesn’t always mean they are either physically or mentally. Have great fun!!!
add: The agility training you will have to just sort of see how she does as to how often – as far as obedience I rarely get two sessions in a day but do informal type stuff in the house all the time – sit and focus before allowing outside or putting dog food bowl down – down and sit and stands just any old time – stuff like that to reinforce the training. If I get three days worth of ten or fifteen minute sessions in a week I am lucky but you will learn your own dog and just don’t ever let the dog go until it is bored — always end on something positive and upbeat even if it has been a horrible session, figure out something that the dog can do perfectly and end on that with a lot of positive so she will look forward to coming back and doing obedience another day… find a good class to train with as you need other eyes as well as distraction for proofing…
add: To enter in AKC competitions if your dog isn’t registered, it can obtain an ILP #, indefinate listing privaledge number, and compete with that. It takes the dog being altered (which is better for competition anyway) send proof of alteration, filled out ILP form (check on the AKC site)and to send two photos – one from the front and one from the side that shows the dog looks like the breed you are claiming – and the fee (don’t recall what it is now) to AKC and the will send you a number to compete with.
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