Pre-Agility Foundations for Puppies: Safe Exercises Before 12 Months
Your complete, age appropriate blueprint for raising a confident future agility dog
 
Most agility resources begin far too late. They focus on equipment and adult level skills while overlooking the crucial first year when the foundations for safe, confident agility are formed. This guide fills that gap in the market by offering a clear and comprehensive approach designed specifically for puppies under twelve months. It provides owners with structured, safe and achievable groundwork that supports healthy development and long term success.
 
Created by Renée of Paws Academy, a trainer and behaviourist with more than thirty years of experience including competing at prestigious events such as Discover Dogs and Olympia, this guide combines expert knowledge with practical, gentle exercises that any owner can follow. It gives you the clarity needed to build solid skills without placing strain on a growing puppy.
 
Why You Need This Guide
1. Early preparation shapes every future agility skill
Coordination, confidence, foot placement, balance and body awareness all develop during puppyhood. These qualities become the backbone of later agility work. The guide is seventy one pages long and provides a complete, structured plan that explains exactly what is safe and useful during each developmental stage.
 
2. Puppies can learn meaningful skills without impact or pressure
Agility foundations do not require speed, height or physical challenge. This guide shows you how to build early turns, steady movement, targeting, forward focus and handling awareness in calm, controlled ways that protect your puppy’s body.
 
3. Safe development prevents problems later on
Starting too soon or progressing too quickly can lead to injury or confusion. The step by step exercises and age appropriate progressions in this booklet help you avoid common mistakes and teach your puppy clear, confident movement patterns.
 
4. Expert guidance gives owners confidence and direction
With decades of experience in both behaviour and agility, Renée offers clear explanations, simple routines and safety focused exercises. This guide replaces guesswork with calm, structured development that supports healthy growth.
 
What the Guide Covers
Inside this resource you will find practical skill building chapters that include:
Puppy development and safe foundations
Confidence building and early social experiences
Body awareness, balance and proprioception games
Flatwork basics, engagement and early impulse control
Foundation handling skills for puppies
Strength and conditioning suitable for growing bodies
Introducing surfaces, textures and low impact obstacles
Reinforcement strategies and effective reward placement
Motivation games for building interest and forward focus
Pre agility skills for younger and older puppies
Safe introductions to tunnels, planks and contact behaviours
Pattern training and yoga block routines for hind end awareness
Warm ups, cool downs and safe progression
Tracking progress and planning age appropriate training
Preparing for the transition into full agility after twelve months
 
Each chapter is structured in a calm, reassuring way that makes the information easy to follow and apply.
 
The Gap in the Market
There has been very little guidance available for what to do during the first year of a puppy’s life. Most agility resources assume the dog is already mature and ready for equipment. This leaves owners unsure about what is safe, what is useful and what should be avoided. Many puppies either receive no preparation at all or are introduced to activities that are not appropriate for their age.
 
This guide fills that gap by offering a complete, age specific system that supports safe physical development and clear early learning. It combines behavioural understanding, practical experience and a deep knowledge of the sport. No other resource gives owners such a structured and gentle path through the first year.
 
Who This Guide Is For
New puppy owners who want to begin safely
Agility enthusiasts preparing their next competition dog
Trainers seeking a puppy appropriate curriculum
Owners of sport bred puppies who need structured early guidance
Anyone wanting calm, clear and confidence building foundations
 
Give your puppy the strongest start possible
This guide is designed to help you raise a coordinated and confident young dog who is ready for full agility when physically mature. The training is calm, safe and achievable, and it prepares your puppy with skills that will support them for the rest of their agility career.
 
If you want a clear, expert written resource that takes you from the very first weeks to the moment your young dog is ready for full equipment, this seventy one page booklet will become an essential part of your training toolkit.