The Most Dog Friendly Community Online
Join Dog Forum to Discuss Breeds, Training, Food and More

Join Now for Free
New posts

Can Greyhounds Do Agility / Flyball

C

clairej810

New Member
Registered
Messages
1,190
Reaction score
0
Points
0

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register
We are trying to find something for Tiny to do, Max doesn't have as much energy as Tiny!

Does anyone know if greyhounds can do agility or flyball (although flyball might be a bit loud for him)?

Also, do you need super duper obedience to do agility? If so we would need to work on that first! :- "
 
Hey Claire. My lurcher zak did agility. He adored it and did well in it. However one night after agility we broke out the flyball box. I moved zak to the box and he seemed to get the point of putting hit foot on it and the ball came out and he caught it. But...then we did a trial run with the jumps. Zak went over the jumps...fantastic I thought. However then proceeded to go round the back of the box and take the ball out of the holder and run back to me. I couldnt believe it, needless to say the whole hall went quiet and then we couldnt move for laughing. We tried it again and he did the same again. Decided that zak should just stick to obedience and agility lol. It is good to have good control of your dog when doing agility. Recall and stay are a key piece becuase you put your dog at the start and move to the side. If you go to an agility class they will have a beginners class that you can join. I say give it a try cause you will really enjoy it. :thumbsup:
 
We might have to do basic training first! Tiny says: Recall..... what's that, stay..... you gotta be kidding!! (w00t)

My problem is finding a training class that understands greyhounds and realises that we are not going to do 'sit' and yanking on the lead to get them to walk to heel - which I have seen done at a training class I took my old GSD to. Mind you, we were kicked out of dog school because she pooed on the floor! :- "
 
Where abouts are you Claire? Any good agility club will have a beginners class as Lynn says. I do agility with my lurcher, she's not as big as a greyhound but there are other lurchers that do it that are bigger. You will have to have some control over Tiny so he doesn't disrupt the rest of the class(says me who's pup does just that every week :- " ) Be warned though, it can become very addictive & may take over your life (w00t)

BTW it can't have been a very understanding club if they didn't realise that a dog could poo on the floor :angry:

Julie

This is Hebe in action
 
Blimey those jumps look big!! Great picture though.

We are in Leicester, thought we might give either Witsend (which is nearer) or Wigston Magna DTC a go.

The main problem with Tiny is he likes to be glued to my leg and if you try and put any distance between us he doesn't like it and just follows me. The furthest I can get from him is about three paces! :- "

I don't think Max would like flyball - he is scared of tennis balls and it would be too noisy, and I don't think he could do agility, he broke his wrist racing and it gives him some problems. Maybe he could just watch. :thumbsup:

Thanks for all the advice.

(And no, it wasn't a very good DTC, I didn't like how they taught, and they used choke chains) :unsure:
 
clairej810 said:
Blimey those jumps look big!!  Great picture though.

The main problem with Tiny is he likes to be glued to my leg and if you try and put any distance between us he doesn't like it and just follows me.  The furthest I can get from him is about three paces! :- "

Click to expand...
The jump height has just gone down from 2ft 6in to 2ft so they should be no problem to a long legged greyhound.

I have the opposite problem with Hebe, she has no worries at all about dissapearing from my side & going off doing her own thing. :angry: usually smelly :x

A lot of the collies who do agility are used to working close to their handlers as a lot do obedience too. You would probably find that once Tiny got the idea of it, he would be fine :thumbsup:

Give it a go. Look forward to seeing the photos of him soaring over those little jumps :teehee:

Julie
 
my lurcher would do it no problem but i woudnt even try with my greyhounds there just not bulit ot have the stamana for it
 
I must confess, I am a bit worried about whether Tiny's legs would stand it or not. I still haven't checked out any DTC's, I'm dithering as ever!! :- "
 
with agility ints more the stoping than starting thats the problem greyhounds werent made to corner that sharply and there brakes are a bit iffy :D
 
GREYHOUNDS IN AGILITY crossposted from

http://www.agilitynet.co.uk/training/greyh...erbachelor.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part of the agility lore is that any breed of dog can do it. While the herding breeds tend to dominate in agility in the UK, you will find more people in The States training and competing their favourite dogs regardless of the breed. Jennifer Bachelor is partial to Greyhounds and she's had quite a bit of success on the agility circuit with them. She's learned a lot from them and she never misses a chance to tell people about them.

Like many other people, I started agility with my pet dog. The dog just happened to be a Greyhound. We had mastered basic obedience and I thought agility looked like fun.

All of my Greyhounds have been former racers. My first two agility Greyhounds were strictly pets. I did not choose them based on any performance potential. I made a lot of mistakes but have found a lot of joy in the process and eventually did earn a few agility titles. In early 2001, however, I began searching for my next agility dog - a greyhound, of course. This would be the first time I would choose an agility dog specifically for characteristics that I thought would be found in a competitive agility greyhound.

Selecting a greyhound

Agility is a great way for greyhounds and their adopters to bond with them, get some exercise and just have fun.

I think there are benefits to choosing an adult dog that you do not get with a puppy. A puppy can change so much, but an adult is what it is. You can look at an adult Greyhound and immediately determine the size, soundness and personality you are dealing with. Personally I prefer a small to moderately sized greyhound. My largest Greyhound, Travis, was 69cm tall at the shoulder and weighed about 32kg. A moderately sized Greyhound is going to be able to navigate an agility course and negotiate obstacles more efficiently than a large one.

Regarding temperament, I like a Greyhound that is bold and curious. I do not want to see any fear or shyness when I am evaluating a Greyhound for agility purposes. I prefer Greyhounds that have a lot of prey drive, but if you have a cat or other small pets, you will need something with less prey drive to be compatible with your family. However, just make sure the Greyhound has play drive and an interest in toys.

Lastly, the most important, number one requirement is that the dog is very food motivated. I do not compromise on that. I want a Greyhound that will eat anything anywhere at anytime. If I am evaluating food motivation in a Greyhound, I offer food outdoors. I test to see if the Greyhound will follow the food if I lure the treat away from his or her nose. I am especially impressed if the Greyhound shows interest in the treats in my pocket and is more interested in food than any other distractions.

Overall, I pick a Greyhound with qualities that make a dog easy to train. I am training a personality, not a breed. There are a wide variety of individuals within each breed. Some Greyhounds are very high drive and motivated. My goal is to find one.

Training a Greyhound

Once I have my greyhound, I begin training, using many of the popular training methods. I have been very successful with developing a lot of focus and willingness to respond using clicker training. I am not 100% positive and will gently correct if I am ignored. I usually train contact obstacles with two feet on and two feet off. I have trained weave poles using Weave-O-Matics, channel weaves and guides. The training method depends on what works best for the particular Greyhound.

I tend to use a lot of food when I train Greyhounds. I am generous with jackpots and I use high quality food like a variety of cheese, real meat, canned dog food, and anything else with a strong odour. Eventually my Greyhounds learn that a tasty jackpot follows each agility course.

I rarely use toys as a reward except at the end of a training session. I have not had any Greyhounds that found tugging to be a reward, but instead enjoy running laps with a toy or retrieving it for a treat. Both activities can tire out a Greyhound if you use them as a reward in the middle of a training session and can be counter productive.

Over the last ten years, I have thoroughly enjoyed competing my Greyhounds in agility. We have had fun proving the Greyhound stereotype wrong and encouraging other Greyhound owners to do more with their hounds and to try new things.

Agility offers everyone some measure of success even if your greyhound is not the most food motivated or the most active. There is much to be learned from every hound, so start by training the one laying on your couch. If your greyhound is more of a troublemaker than a couch potato then you might have the next agility superstar in your house. Often the greyhound that actually needs training is the easiest to train. This type of greyhound is crying for a job and welcomes the challenge.

About the author...

Jennifer Bachelor lives near Atlanta, Georgia in the United States with her husband and six Greyhounds.

She recently started competing her fifth Greyhound in agility. Her dog, MACH Never Had Braces UD (Katie) is the first Greyhound to earn an Agility Championship and MACH2 Never Expected CDX (Travis) is the first Greyhound to earn two agility championships from the American Kennel Club.

Over the years there have been a number of other Greyhounds that have competed in agility, but Katie and Travis significantly raised the bar and proved that Greyhounds can be just as successful in agility as any other dog.

For more information, go to www.neversaynevergreyhounds.net.
 
Go have fun. My lurcher is a whippet greyhound cross and didn't start agility until he was 3 due to a bad injury ending his racing career. He is very obedient but doesn't really have a wait ( just gives me enough time to shuffle round the first jump wing before going for it!) We compete and he just has a whale of a time and now we are starting to get placed ( he is now 8!) He is very food motivated but thinks that agility is the next best thing to be doing if he can't race.

I have also just started his son who is a lot bigger, 49lb and 25" to the shoulder, he is 3/4 greyhound 1/4 whippet and he is really enjoying it. He is doing a puppy type class and his obedience is much better than his fathers is and he is definately food motivated and not at all interested in toys. He is 13 months old and i'm really looking forward to competing with him one day.

so my advice is give it a go, try the agility and go watch the flyball ( you are right it is jolly noisy) and see which one your dog prefers, and remember Have fun and laugh when it all goes pear shaped ( i spend a lot of time laughing lol) if you have fun so will your dog.

Good luck what ever you decide to do.

Jo and gang
 
I tried my greyhound girl with agility, she had a whale of a time but was a complete disaster as an agility dog, she wouldn't jump anything, ever, no matter what we tried, she just didn't see the point of going over something you could go round :lol:

She could clear a 3ft fence if there was a deer the other side, but I reckon that was the only incentive that she thought worth jumping for. I've seen other greys do agility though, and get on quite well and really enjoy it. Good luck with your boy!
 
My whippy/grey is coming along great at the agility! For greyhound agility inspiration google 'Never say Never Greyhounds' it's full of great general training tipsand videos as well. :luck:
 
clairej810 said:
We are trying to find something for Tiny to do, Max doesn't have as much energy as Tiny!
Does anyone know if greyhounds can do agility or flyball (although flyball might be a bit loud for him)?

Also, do you need super duper obedience to do agility? If so we would need to work on that first! :- "
Click to expand...
hi i used to have a greyhound who did agility . i never won any comps and sometimes she would do a couple of high speed laps of the arena on her own when she got exited.

the main thing was that she enjoyed doing it which is really what its all about.

a word of warning though!

once she learned to jump she could jump over farm gates from the standing position which meant that if she took off after a rabbit and i didnt stop her in time nothing would get in her way

the baked liver trick worked for me to hold her attention at first on the obedience side of things

i you want to do agility with your greyhound and your dog is up for it then do it!

you dont have to be a world champion .just have fun

all the best

stevie
 
I do agility with my small, 3-year-old retired greyhound. It has helped her enormously in terms of confidence and it also means when we go for walks she can get under gates, through gaps, over stiles, etc., rather than having to lift her over everything.

She seems to really enjoy it and pulls on the lead to get on some of the equipment when we walk past it.

She had problems with most of the equipment to begin with - it has taken nearly 18-months to get her to be happy going through bent tunnels (we ended up buying one and practising at home); now she whips through it. 18-months may sound like a long time, but it can take 3-years to train a dog to do agility.

I have found chicken to be the secret weapon to preventing mad laps around the agility field!

The agility teacher frequently comments on how she has changed as a dog: from one who was 'dead-behind-the-eyes' to a happy dog.

She has been my first agility dog and she is getting really good - shame her handler is still a bit ropey! :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My dog a standard Poodle does Flyball and loves it.we see many grey hounds loving the sport give it a try.xx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Welcome to Dog Forum!

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things canine. Whether you're a seasoned owner or new to the world of dogs, our forum is your go-to hub for sharing stories, seeking advice, and connecting with fellow dog lovers. From training tips to health concerns, we cover it all. Register now and unleash the full potential of your dog-loving experience!

Login or Register
Back
Top