If you do not have agility equipment at home...here are
some preparation ideas for pooch.

At agility your pooch will be introduced to the agility
equipment.  Learning in this environment can be a difficult
task, because the equipment is big, and there are many
distractions for puppy.  Prepare your pooch for the
obstacles now...because you can!

For this exercise dog must be familiar with clicker training.
Each stage should be for about a week, but each dog is
different...this is NOT trained in a day ;-)

Here are some ideas to prepare for the contact equipment:

BACK CHAINING-- this works! first teach dog to touch a
plastic yogurt lid with their nose.
  • smudge cheese on lid and when dog sniffs click 'n
    treat
  • repeat when dog touches their nose to lid C n' T
  • hold lid in different places C n' T
  • place lid close to ground C n' T
  • place lid on ground when  their nose touches C n' T
  • dog may paw the lid, ignore, be patient, wait for the
    behavior.
  • the purpose of this is so the dog knows how to finish
    an obstacle, it gives them confidence and drive!!

To prepare for A-frame, and Dog walk.
FLAT
  1. Take a 5-7 foot board 7 to 8 inches  wide. Place it on
    the floor.  You want the pup to walk along the length
    of the board.  Surprisingly enough, some dog's are
    tentative about this.
  2. Invite your pooch to touch the board, then as they
    become more confident,
  3. lure them along the length. Use a piece of cheese or
    meat (tasty small wet pieces, so they don't have to
    chew and won't choke).
  4. When puppy walks on the board, click and treat.
  5. Only when he becomes confident at crossing the
    length of the board, add a word "walk it." click 'n treat.

Repeat this 10 times.  If puppy is distracted or stressed, ask
for a sit, click and treat. Training session should only be 6 -
10 minutes.
NOTE:
Not shown in picture, raise board on both sides, and place
plate for a nose touch, dog should have two feet on board
and two feet off board.


ASCENDING

Both the A-frame and dog walk are really ramps. So if your
dog is comfortable walking up a narrow ramp they will be
comfortable with these obstacles.
ELEVATED - going UP
  1. When pooch is really good at walking the board
    elevate the board on one end with a book.
  2. Gradually elevate the board, ultimately to a couch or
    a deck.
  3. When the dog goes up "click and treat".
  4. Use the command "walk it".


DESCENDING

BEFORE teaching the descent, teach your dog to touch a
plate.
  1. Smudge some cheese on a clear plastic yogurt
    container lid.
  2. Show to you dog
  3. When dog touches nose to the plate, click and treat
  4. When the dog is consistent add the command "
    touch" or "point"
  5. Gradually move the plate to different places, beside
    your leg, beside their ear, etc till you can put it on the
    ground and he will touch his nose to it.
  6. CLICK and TREAT!

"Point" or "touch" should be trained daily.

The DESCENT
Now it's time to teach the dog down a slight inclined board.
  1. Place the container lid at the bottom of the board
    (elevated by one small book)
  2. Put a small treat on the plate.
  3. (Place your dog in middle of the board...and gradually
    up a bit higher)
  4. Your dog should walk the board to the treat.  Make
    sure you can cover the treat, if the dog jumps off
    prematurely.
  5. When the dog goes to the plate and grabs the food  -
    click at the same time.
  6. Next time do not put food, but say touch as they
    descend, when they touch - click and treat.
  7. IMPORTANT
  8. The dog needs to learn to shift their weight back,
    so if they are ending on the board and rotating their
    back legs to the ground this is WRONG!
  9. Try slowly luring the dog, with food held low to the
    ground, this will force the dog to shift his weight in
    order to keep their head low.
  10. At the end of the board, when the two front feet are
    on the ground put the food on the ground for the dog
    to grab, click as they grab the food.
  11. Repeat this several times.
  12. Then from the top of the board, say "walk it" and try
    asking for the "point" of the plastic lid, click and drop
    food on the plate for the dog.

You are teaching the dog 2 on 2 off, the best - most
trustworthy contact training.  
Running contacts are too risky, especially with Hav's
because of their body structure, their hind quarters propel
them forward and they tend to leap off obstacles.

Puppy should always "point" at the bottom of the ramp.

RELEASE:
  1. When puppy has pointed and eaten the food, you
    can keep him there and say "point" again, he points,
    you click and drop the food.
  2. Then you can release this position
  3. "let's go" is what I use.
  4. Puppy follows you, and 10 feet away from the
    obstacle on your heel you click and treat.

In time you will teach the dog to go ahead without you...but
at this point coming to you when you release is perfectly
awesome!

IMPORTANT
TEETER- for small dogs, points with two feet on and two feet
off are difficult, I allow my dog to just stop at the end of the
teeter, all paws on...BUT if she learned in the early days to
shift her weight to her rear, I could have taught two on two
off.

If you are not planning on going to the Worlds my method
for teeter is safe and fast enough.

Having said that, dogs that know how to shift their weight, as
I set out here, have more consistent and safe A-frame and
Dogwalk contacts.

In other words, teach your dog to shift their weight to
the back legs -- when descending any obstacle!
CLICK ' TREAT when
pooch reaches here!
ELEVATED
NOSE TOUCH PLATE
CLICK 'n TREAT!
the worst animation ever lol!
BACK YARD
CONTACT TRAINING
(preschool for your pooch!)
CLICK 'n Treat!