I get a million questions from people who want to start training their Great Danes in agility. To help answer some of those questions, I've posted suggestions and videos of how I am currently training my second Great Dane, Ali, to do agility. The videos are from December 2001 when Ali was 8-9 months old, her first two training sessions, when she learned the a-frame, tunnel, walking a plank, the chute, and chasing Morgan and I around a course.

Start small
Always start out on a lowered a-frame, especially with young dogs. The standard AKC height is 5'6", I recommend starting at about 3 feet tall. After your Dane is comfortable at that height, you can slowly raise it up to 4' , then 5'6", and if you will be competing in USDAA then eventually you'll go up to 6'.

Contacts
Reward at the bottom in what is called the "2 on 2 off" position, like Ali is doing in the photo. Do not allow your Dane to get in the habit of jumping off half-way down. From the very first time, you want to stop your Dane at the bottom with his back feet on the contact, and give your hugs, treats, and praise. Then release with a "okay" and praise some more! The goal is to have your Dane charge up the a-frame and down the other side without pausing or slowing down until they are at the bottom, where they wait for your release.

Commands/Signals
I say "ramp" but other commands are "climb" and "frame." I like to signal the frame with my arm up high, pointing to the top. That way if there is an a-frame/tunnel trap, the up arm means a-frame and the down arm means tunnel. Then at the down contact I say "bottom" with my arm pointing to the ground which means 2 on 2 off. When she's held the position for a second, I swing my arm to the direction we are headed next and say "okay!"

Let another dog teach the tunnel!
Ali, at about 31" tall, had absolutely no problem going through the tunnel for her first time. That is because she saw Morgan doing it, and Morgan getting all the treats and praise...it was so exciting that Ali just had to do it, too! I really think that dogs learn best by watching another dog's example.

Shapes and Colors
To start out, you should use a straight tunnel that is light in color so that the dog does not get scared in the dark and can see the end. You can try a short tunnel to start out, but this long one worked fine for Ali's first time. The first day Ali only did the straight yellow tunnel, but by the second day she was doing the "C" curved dark blue tunnel with no problem, as you'll see in the video...still going through right on Morgan's heels!

Commands/Signals
I say "tunnel" and I signal with my arm pointing down to the entrance. I like to use the "bowling" or "underhand toss" motion. It is really good to yell "go, go, go" or "woo-hoooo!" while they are inside the tunnel for 3 reasons:
1. Affirmation: YES, you are doing the right thing!
2. Motivation: Speed it up!
3. Location: The dog can hear where you are and knows what direction he should turn when he exits the tunnel.

Learn where those feet are!
Before letting your Dane try the real Dogwalk or Teeter, teach them to walk on a low plank about 10 or 12 inches wide. Start on the ground, and work your way up. On Ali's first day we had her walk a couple different types of planks, one flat like a teeter and one with slats like the dogwalk.

Raise the height on the plank slowly
On Ali's second day, we propped the planks onto a low table. Again, we used one plank from the teeter and one from the dogwalk...just so she'd get used to the two types of planks. At this point I used the "walk-it" command with a lot of encouragement.

Commands/Signals
It is a good idea to start pausing at the up and down contacts and using a "touch" or "bottom" command after they get over their initial fear of the narrow plank. With Morgan I started training with a "teeter" and a "walk-it" command, but I no longer use them...I simply point and say "touch." I have not yet come across a situation where the teeter and dogwalk were so close that it was a discrimination issue. I point toward the contact while I say "touch," and I come to a complete stop. Often there will be a tunnel trap at the start of the dogwalk, which is why it is good to use the "underhand toss" motion for the tunnel without slowing down, which is a big contrast to your "touch" command. But when you are just starting on the plank, you may want to stick with the "touch" command at each end, with encouragement like "go, go, go!" at the middle.

Demo Dog
Once again, Ali got so excited watching Morgan do the chute that she had to try it herself. It's a good idea to have the treat-dispensing person at the end of the chute to hold it open. Be especially careful that your Dane does not ever get tangled in the chute, it can be a scary experience and you'll have a hard time gaining their confidence again.

Commands/Signals
Some people say "tunnel," but I say "chute." I like to use that same "underhand toss" signal, and also use the "go, go, go!" that I use for the tunnel. Eventually you'll be able to call "here!" while they are in the chute so that they will start bending toward you for a tighter turn even before they are out of the chute.

Let another dog teach the course!
Like in training the tunnel and chute, I think it's important to teach the dog that agility is a fun game. I tried running Morgan around the course with low jumps, and Ali just went bonkers chasing Morgan. She even took a few of the jumps in her path. This way Ali watches Morgan follow my commands, which in turn Ali follows...just by chasing Morgan.

Jump heights
Most people recommend not jumping at competition height until your Dane is 2 years old. A lot of people recommend no jumps at all until 1 year old, and even then at only 8 or 12 inches. I think that 8 or 12 inches is reasonble for 9-12 months old, and then up to 16 or 20 inches until 18-24 months. If you will be competing at 12-18 months, then occasionally set the jumps at competition height for practice just before the competition.