Intro to Agility

[LeeAnne McAdam]

We can't wait to give it a go!!!

[Jan Adams Lukenbill]

I love the Intro class.  Me and my Chihuahua were struggling last year when I starting in this sport.  I had decided to just "enjoy" the sport, do our best and not expect to excel to the point winning.  After all I was only in this to help a rescue dog build self esteem and give me some quality time with her.  Those little legs can only go so far, so fast, until she ran out of gas.  When a dog with only 3" legs tries to run up a normal size A-frame, a normal size dog walk, a million tunnels and runs the same distance as a Novice border collie, and runs these courses numerous times at a trial, she just might not excel. lol  The Intro courses have given my dog a fair chance and she loves being a rock star!   

She and I are in the Intro class until we get kicked out! 

[Team Twodog]

Since Intro is only offered at some trials, would it be possible to whether Intro will be offered as part of the trial information on the NADAC trial calendar? Thanks.

Kim

[Kyle]

OK, I admit it, I didn't quite get the point of Intro when it first came out. I used to just take the puppies to trials for socialization and hangin' out, but then I saw the courses for Intro. They all just seemed to be big horseshoe shapes or a big looping "S" shape. When my new pup seemed about ready for something like that I entered her a couple of weeks ago and we had a ball! I will say the Tunnelers course we had was above and beyond our capabilities but I wasn't worried about that.... So I entered her in another trial this last weekend (did not enter Tunnelers or Jumpers)...and the courses were *much* harder. The "tests" on the various courses included going through 2 boxes on one course...multiple crosses...and a very distracting tunnel which would have been an off course. I was bummed because we are just at the point of getting our path work fairly well and working on holding contacts when excited, etc., and all I wanted was those big loops... I admit that we did design our own shorter, easier course once just so we could be successful and not over our heads. My apologies to our judge!

Maybe I just need a better description of what Intro is supposed to be about? Or what NADAC expects of an Intro dog vs. a Novice dog? 

Many thanks,
Kyle

[Sharon Nelson]

OK, I admit it, I didn't quite get the point of Intro when it first came out. I used to just take the puppies to trials for socialization and hangin' out, but then I saw the courses for Intro. They all just seemed to be big horseshoe shapes or a big looping "S" shape. When my new pup seemed about ready for something like that I entered her a couple of weeks ago and we had a ball! I will say the Tunnelers course we had was above and beyond our capabilities but I wasn't worried about that.... So I entered her in another trial this last weekend (did not enter Tunnelers or Jumpers)...and the courses were *much* harder. The "tests" on the various courses included going through 2 boxes on one course...multiple crosses...and a very distracting tunnel which would have been an off course. I was bummed because we are just at the point of getting our path work fairly well and working on holding contacts when excited, etc., and all I wanted was those big loops... I admit that we did design our own shorter, easier course once just so we could be successful and not over our heads. My apologies to our judge!

Maybe I just need a better description of what Intro is supposed to be about? Or what NADAC expects of an Intro dog vs. a Novice dog? 

Many thanks,
Kyle

Kyle, just like any other level, some courses will be easier and some will be tougher....... it always just depends on what course set you get. 

Most courses are in the middle, but there will be some that people feel are too tough and others that are too easy.  Just the luck of the draw.  Intro is shorter and easier than Novice, but the dog still have to display agility skills to earn a qualifying score and not always a loop.  I love Intro and yes, sometimes it is too much for my dog (although sometimes a loop causes too much speed and that is an issue too sometimes!).


Sharon

[BetsieCorwin]

Intro is great from old dogs too.  My 2 senior dogs were retired from agility 2 years ago.  Snickers was still capable but seemed stressed and wasn't enjoying the sport. We have been doing another dog sports and he loves it. But he loves to go for car rides and do things with me. I always feel a little guilty when I head out with Dazzle, and  I leave him home.  At a recent NADAC trial we entered Intro Jumpers and he had a blast!  No time for him to worry about what scary things were lurking outside the arena, and a short enough course that I could run close along side without my getting a heart attack.  He was bouncing up and down like a pogo stick after we crossed the finish line like he did years ago when he first started out.  Fun for me to see him having fun again.  So Intro is a great option for senior dogs who still might like to play the game but might not have the desire or stamina for a longer more complicated course. 

Betsie Corwin
Oakdale, CA

[RobertStewart]

I also LOVE Intro!!!! Several of my agility students, who are more than ready for competition, but who are hesitant to start trialling, as many of us were when we first started, have done intro in VT format at our training facility successfully. This is exactly what encouraged several to go to their very first trial. I have been using VT - Intro as a recruitment method for NADAC. 
Another thing I LOVE about Intro, my old dog Ellie, can no long adequately see well enough to run in an indoor arena due to age related vision decline.  She can however see well enough outdoors for VT, esp if the sun isn't too bright. She has loved this game for a very long time, and it keeps her fit and  still keeps her working. She doesn't usually have the concentration to complete an entire course, except on rare occasion now.
My youngest dog, is not a big fan of tunnels, but the Intro times just make her happy, jumpers she's fine with, Tunnellers.....not so much. She's an odd combo of fierce warrior and afraid of her shadow. Hoping Intro courses and VT's will get her over a lot of her "Sheltie princess" issues.

[Maureen deHaan]

I would like to once again thank NADAC (Sharon et al.) for Intro level - Zoe is learning so much about ring manners and teamwork this way without being too overwhelmed - So far she is having a great spring with lots of positive stuff going on- leashing up nicely, working as my buddy (aka teammate) doing her contacts and following the path - very proud of her and thankful for Intro - Novice would have been too much for both of us right out of the gate! 

[Heidi Konesko]

Is it still ok to enter novice and make up your own easier version of the course just to get in the ring and get some experience?  I'm thinking of when Intro is not offered, because Intro would be the obvious thing to do in that case.
-Heidi in NH

[Sharon Nelson]

I would like to once again thank NADAC (Sharon et al.) for Intro level - Zoe is learning so much about ring manners and teamwork this way without being too overwhelmed - So far she is having a great spring with lots of positive stuff going on- leashing up nicely, working as my buddy (aka teammate) doing her contacts and following the path - very proud of her and thankful for Intro - Novice would have been too much for both of us right out of the gate! 

Awesome!! 

Sharon

[Butch jersey]

I am new to agility and have started competing with a collie who was very timid and afraid of loud noises. We started training with the hope she would come out of her shell. She did well with her training and we decided to enter her in a NADAC trial at the Intro level due to less obstacles and shorter courses. We signed her up and several weeks before the trial she shut down on me and would not even go into the rink. We started a retraining program with her and was going to pull her out of the trial. We went to the trial anyway since my wife had signed up to work the trial. Ziva showed a great interest in what was going on and wanted to enter the ring. We figured we would try the first event and see how she did. This was the jumpers class. When it was her time we walked out in the ring and she acted as if she owned the ring. I was playing it safe and concerned since it was our first trial ever. She ran the course clean and missed he first Q by less than a second. We ran a total of three events that day and ran clean on two of them. Since then we have run two more trials and am proud to say Ziva has earned a total of 8 Q's and will be working on her Title in the next trial we do. If it were not for the intro class we may never have competed with Ziva. Its a great class to enter competition at and we are hoping to continue with advancing in Nadac.

[LeeAnne McAdam]

Congratulations to you and Ziva!  We love Intro, too.  Good luck and enjoy your journey!

[Gary Visintainer]

Way to go Butch and Ziva.

[Joyce Roessner]

Awesome story Butch, congrats to you & Ziva!  Good luck with your future agility endeavors. 

[dogwoman]

That is great Butch congrats.  I started my little one in intro and love it.  As soon as my 2 new BC pups are of age we will start at intro too.  I love the format and the courses are short.