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An Introduction to Dog Agility Training
Agility is a sport in which a handler leads a dog through an obstacle course. Dog agility training requires lots of control and, most important, teamwork between you and your dog.
We have covered a lot of really useful topics on housetraining and dog behavior.
While all of those topics are very important, I wanted to give you something less serious. Something that both, you and your dog, can enjoy… just for fun!
And that something is dog agility.
Before we explore dog agility and dog agility training, I would like to point out something important.
Even if you don't want to take it to the competition level, and most people don't, you can still use some techniques from dog agility training to have fun with your dog in a park on a sunny day.
What is Dog Agility?
Dog agility is a sport that was modeled after equestrian jumping competitions. A handler is given a set amount of time in which to direct a dog off-leash through an obstacle course. A dog demonstrates his versatility by overcoming different obstacles.
Agility courses consist of jumps, tunnels, a tire, weave poles, etc.
The obstacles in agility have been designed with both safety and spectator appeal in mind. All jumps have easily displaced bars to prevent an injury in case the dog misjudges and takes down a jump bar. All contact equipment surfaces are roughened for good traction in both dry and wet weather.
Dog Agility Rules
The rules are simple - handlers may give an unlimited number of commands to their dogs, but may not touch either the equipment or the dog. Dogs are "faulted" for taking down a jump bar, failing to put one or more feet in the contact zone and taking obstacles out of sequence.
In North America, there are several organizations for dog agility that sanction trials held by local dog clubs. The largest are:
United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) |
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American Kennel Club (AKC) |
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United Kennel Club (UKC) |
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North American Dog Agility Council, Inc. (NADAC) |
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Agility Association of Canada (AAC) |
Regardless of the organization, the dog with the lowest number of faults and the fastest time wins the class or height division.
Puppies and Agility
You can start introducing your puppy to agility training when he reaches 4 to 5 months of age. Granted, it doesn't look like agility training at first.
To prevent stressing little puppy bones, don't encourage your puppy to do real jumping. At first, it's enough to teach him to step over small obstacles that are only a couple of inches off the ground.
Puppies are so excited to learn and so happy to please! But the key to a successful training is to keep the lessons SHORT and POSITIVE.
Dog agility training offers a lot of benefits, and one of the biggest is an improvement is confidence that a young puppy will experience.
Some Preliminaries…
If I had to give you only 2 pieces of advice before you began training your dog for agility, I would choose the following…
- Use praise, toys and food to motivate your dog from puppy stages through the advanced levels of training.
- Always encourage your dog to perform an obstacle, never force him.
Some basic obedience training is necessary before beginning agility training. At a minimum, familiarize your puppy with such basic commands as "Sit" and "Down".
Leashes are dangerous because they can easily become entangled on the dog or equipment. Do not use any collars that apply physical corrections of any type.
Dog Agility Training
Begin initial dog agility training by introducing your puppy to smaller versions of the obstacles.
Gradually extend the height and length of the equipment to their full competition forms. Puppies at this stage of training require physical spotting while they develop the necessary confidence on the obstacles.
Once your dog learns the basic obstacle work, the next phase begins.
During this time, gradually condition your dog to higher jumps and obstacle heights. It's also a good time to develop a 'command vocabulary' of both verbal and body signals necessary to direct the dog off-leash around a course.
A well-trained agility dog learns to respond instantly to commands directing him to perform specific obstacles.
To get started, you will need a basic dog agility training kit that includes not only the dog agility equipment, but also instructions on how to set up and use the equipment.
One such kit is Dog Games™.
I like it because it not only includes the most popular obstacles but because it excludes obstacles that are not practical for most dog owners.
For me, agility training is about having fun with my dog. I am not interested in having my dog compete, so why pay for extras I don't need?
Dog Games™ includes all basic equipment like…
- Weave poles
- High jump
- Open tunnel
- Etc.
In addition to the dog agility equipment, Dog Games(TM) includes such extras as:
- Start / Finish line
- Stop watch
- Award ribbons
- Setup and usage instructions
- Game rules
- Dog Agility Training Tips booklet
These extras, especially dog agility training tips, are just as important as the equipment itself. And the setup and usage instructions will help you get started in no time!
Teaching your dog the basic execution of most obstacles takes only a small amount of time and simple training techniques. Don't feel intimidated!
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