Agility Program

All group agility classes meet at Topflight Farm

4530 Hollow Oaks Drive, Chapel Hill NC

sports Foundations

This is your starting point within the PPP Agility Program. This class teaches your team the learning structure and skills that will be utilized throughout all other agility classes, such as:  The principles of operant conditioning, obedience and positional cues related to agility, focus, impulse control, drive, play, and working through distractions. Introduction to agility equipment will occur, but will not be the focus of Sports Foundations. This skill-set will provide the foundation that all other agility skills will be built upon. Time and effort spent building a strong foundation makes all other aspects of agility training easier for you and your dog. The teamwork between handler and dog is developed and strengthened in foundations.  These skills will carry over to all future training and subsequently, this class should be repeated as necessary.

PREREQUISITES: Basic obedience skills such as sit, down, stay, and focus on handler. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 4 months.

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 8 Teams

Sports Foundations 2

Dogs and handlers will continue to learn important foundations for agility training. There will be a greater focus on navigating the agility obstacles in this class.  Dogs will learn how to take all types of jumps and tunnels as well as how to follow the handler.

PREREQUISITES: Sports Foundations class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 6 months (puppies under 1yr of age, or not fully grown, will use jump bumps).

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 8 Teams

Agility Handling FUNdamentals

We will begin to start stringing obstacles together in this class and learn how to change sides on course!  The focus will be on timing of cues, building independent obstacle performance, and increasing the number of obstacles in a sequence. We will also learn the front cross, blind cross, and rear cross mechanics for the handler.

PREREQUISITES: Sports Foundations 2 class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 8 months (puppies under 1yr of age, or not fully grown, will use jump bumps).

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 6 Teams

Novice Sequencing w/jumps & tunnels

We will build upon our basic skills and start focusing on our handling in order to foster a consistent line of communication between you and your dog.  With continued focus on the timing of cues and building independent obstacle performance, we will begin increasing the number of obstacles in a sequence. Only jumps and tunnels will be used in this class. Dogs do not need to be jumping full height.

PREREQUISITES: Agility Handling FUNdamentals class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 8mo (puppies under 1yr of age, or not fully grown, will use jump bumps).

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 6 Teams

Advanced Sequencing w/jumps & tunnels

We will continue to refine our handling to keep a consistent line of communication between you and your dog. Only jumps and tunnels will be used in this class. Dogs will progress to jumping full height. Students will be given longer turns in this class to really build proficiency towards running full length courses.

PREREQUISITES: Novice Sequencing class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 1yr.

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 5 Teams

Contacts

We will build on the foundation behaviors required for stopped contacts in this class. We will teach the behavior and proof it with motion, handler position, and distractions so you have the makings of a bombproof contact behavior!

PREREQUISITES: Agility Handling FUNdamentals class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 1yr.

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 6 Teams

Weaves

Dogs entering our weaves class should have a strong understanding of jumps and tunnels and be prepared to learn weave poles. Learning to weave is the most difficult obstacle to teach in agility. Your dog will be taught to weave with confidence durning this class utilizing both the 2x2 method as well as channel weaves with guide wires. This class may need to be repeated until proficiency is gained.

PREREQUISITES: Novice Sequencing class or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 1yr.

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 6 Teams

Masters coursework

Let’s put all of our hard work to the test! We will put it all together with the contacts and weaves so you’ll be out there competing in no time! Students will be given longer turns in this class.

PREREQUISITES: Advanced Sequencing, Contacts, and Weaves classes or instructor approval. No aggressive dogs. Minimum age 1yr.

ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 5 Teams