only opinions here... but a dog I'd want for agility would NOT be the dog I'd want for therapy. If you can find a dog who has an on-off switch like that, wow... I'd be hella impressed. Generally dogs who love agility are lively and a bit hmmmm, wild? Or at least get excited quickly and easily. I think if I wanted a therapy dog (and I'm guessing you mean dogs that visit nursing homes, etc. etc..) I'd want the mellowist of mellows.
There's a book called "from the ground up" that I really like by Kim,,,, Collins? think that's it. It's got really great foundation stuff for pups. And it's very easy to read.
I can see what you're saying about Therapy dog / Agility dog. You wouldn't expect them to go together, but Matilda loves agility (and can be a little wild) and is also an amazing therapy dog.
I think there are many different ways to do agility... the weekend hobbyist, the perpetual handler student with series of learner dogs, the steady march toward success with steady predictable dog, the winner take all at all costs, the push the envelopers with the challenge of dogs that need to be revved up or revved down, the social agilityist, the physicist handler and ergonomically structured dog, the dog lover, the trainer, the health nut, the make the best of what you gotter, the natural, the olympian, the elderly gal trying to stave off alzeimers with the constant challenge of remembering courses... you get what I'm saying... and these australian labradoodles tend to be so versatile they just roll with whatever you got in mind... so Liza, which one, or combination, are you? Rosie?
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There's a book called "from the ground up" that I really like by Kim,,,, Collins? think that's it. It's got really great foundation stuff for pups. And it's very easy to read.
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I'll check out the Kim Collins book. Thank you.
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And here is a good blog post about therapy dogs: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/therapy-dogs-born-or-madea puppy for performance.
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