How much is the average price for dog agility classes?

I want to take my puppy to agility classes but I would like to know the average price. Also, what excercises would you suggest I do with my australina shepherd?Thanks,

The price of the classes will depend on what are of the U.S.you live in. I live in the NYC area, so naturally, things are more expensive here.I train at 2 different facilities. One is a training club, which I'm a member of, so I get a steep discount ($90 for 8 week, 1 hour classes). If I was not a member, I would be paying $180 for 8 week, 1 hour classes). At the other facilities, which is not a training club, but a privately owned facility, I pay $175 for 8 week 1 hour classes. I do drive an hour to get there though.You can start by teaching your puppy some very simple basic things like: Wait, down, sit, touch, left, right and how to run alongside you without crossing in front of you and tripping you

Classes vary a lot in quality, and price. Generally, around $20-30/class, 4-8 classes per beginning session. Private lessons are even more variable, running anywhere from $30-100+ per hour (but often well worth the cost in terms of decreasing time, and increasing the quality of your behaviors.As far as exercises, I would focus on having your dog be able to tug, release, come, sit, down, and stay, anywhere, anytime, with all sorts of distractions. When your dog can do this, it makes agility training itself much easier. I would also be looking into a good clicker training class, or learning about it elsewhere, as many agility trainers use clicker training in agility classes. One thing clicker training really helps with is getting your dog to interact with all sorts of objects. With puppies, I start with things like bosu balls and balance discs, then move on to tippy boards and buja boards. By the time the pup is ready to learn actual obstacles, it is very easy to get the behaviors I want and get them on cue.

Hey there! OK, first thing is to make sure whatever class you take, it's a class for puppies. The reason is that puppies should not be jumping or doing anything that puts stress on their bones\joints until they're done growing and your Vet OKs it. They can get permanent damage if you're not careful.I belong to 2 different dog clubs. Classes at one are $50 for 8 weeks. At the other, it's $60. If you are willing to volunteer most clubs have ways to earn coupons towards classes. Once you take a couple classes, you might be able to assist and earn enough coupons to pay a good part of your class fees.To start your puppy off (great breed for agility, by the way!) here are some ideas for things you can do using everyday items as obstacles:1) Jump: Get a roll from the inside of christmas paper and just let your puppy walk over it as an itty bitty jump. Say YES! when he does and give him a tiny treat. Pretty soon, he'll be doing it on his own. What you're trying to do is get the puppy to figure out what gets the prize without your even telling him. This is called "shaping" a behavior and it makes a dog more of a thinker! (There's a lot more to it, but you'll learn that in class!)2) Tunnel: Same thing with a cardboard box. Just wait to see what the puppy does. As soon as he shows interest, "YES!" and a treat. Then wait for him to go in a little way, then a little further, until he's going all the way through.3) Chute: Now repeat #2, but drape a piece of cloth over one end of the box. Leave a few inches of light at the bottom so he can see his way out of the box. Let him go through it, and work on gradually lowering the cloth until he's going through it even though he can't see his way out.4) Teach your puppy to: 1) come 2) sit 3) down 4) stay 5) chase you really fast. Practice these every day!5) Tire: Get a hula hoop or a bike tire from the toy store. Teach your dog to go through it nice and low.6) Dogwalk: Put a ladder on the ground and teach your dog to walk through it. This is a fun way to get them ready to walk a dogwalk, because it teaches them where their back legs are.7) Dogwalk: Get a long board (the extender piece from a dining room table is what I used). Cover it with a nice thick towel so your dog won't slip and let them practice walking across it.8) Roll up a small towel and put it under the middle of the board so it tips and let your pup play on it. Make it a game.9) Teach your dog to push a skateboard. It's great for teaching them that to be confident.10) Socialization, socialization, socialization. Your puppy needs to experience all sorts of people, people with hats, men, women, children of all ages and learn to be confident meeting them. He also needs to experience a wide variety of smells, noises, other (nice) dogs so that he won't be afraid of them later. This is probably the MOST important thing you can do with a puppy to prepare them for agility.11) Look up agility trials in your area and go to one. Ask if you can volunteer to set jump bars. It's a great way to get a ringside seat and learn by watching. You can find shows at the links below.Always keep training sessions very short. 5-10 minutes. End on a happy note. Never let your puppy know if you're frustrated, you want him to LOVE learning. For him, this is about having the best time ever with his Mom. For you, it should be about having the best time ever with your best friend. :-)Good luck to you, and many happy agility moments!