Dogs love to practice their agility skills and are happy to practice in pretty much any type of weather, but when it's rainy, snowy or your area is in the middle of a thunderstorm, going outside is not a good option. While inclement weather can put a damper on your dog's daily outdoor agility training, there are definitely some agility activities that you can easily set up inside your home so that he can exercise and train.
For those who have room in the garage or perhaps a basement in your home, then this can be the perfect spot to set up some agility obstacles. Keep the equipment up all the time and you will be able to practice at any time and in any weather. For example, you could keep a teeter-totter, pause table, a chute, a tunnel and an A-frame in this room, as well as a jump or two. Obviously, many people don't have a large open space to dedicate for training, but there are other options to consider.
If the weather looks daunting, bring your pause table inside, move a little furniture and practice the pause table skills. This piece of equipment is where dogs must stop running around a dog agility course and pause, showing off their sit, stay and down skills. While this probably isn't as fun as weaving through a set of poles or jumping through a tire, it is not only a big part of agility competitions; it's also a great way to improve overall obedience in your dog.
Another option is to set up an A-frame or teeter and have your dog practice those skills. This is an especially good idea if your dog is a bit nervous about these two pieces of equipment. You can adjust the teeter or A-frame and begin at a lower elevation and work with your dog until he or she feels comfortable at a low height and then adjust the apparatus to a higher position.
Contact obstacles include the above-mentioned teeters and A-frames, as well as a dog walk, but few homes probably have space to set up this last item indoors, and maybe not even an A-frame. A good piece of equipment that is smaller and will fit more comfortably indoors would be a contact trainer. This looks a bit like a shortened A-frame or a dog walk and it features two ramps, often separated by a small pause table. You can use it to practice the ramp skills, as well as the pause skills.
All of these pieces of training equipment can be purchased from online stores that specialize in dog agility training. Carlson-Agility.com is one example and they sell a huge variety of dog obstacles, including contact trainers, jumps, weaves, pause tables and anything else you might find on an actual dog agility course.
For those who have room in the garage or perhaps a basement in your home, then this can be the perfect spot to set up some agility obstacles. Keep the equipment up all the time and you will be able to practice at any time and in any weather. For example, you could keep a teeter-totter, pause table, a chute, a tunnel and an A-frame in this room, as well as a jump or two. Obviously, many people don't have a large open space to dedicate for training, but there are other options to consider.
If the weather looks daunting, bring your pause table inside, move a little furniture and practice the pause table skills. This piece of equipment is where dogs must stop running around a dog agility course and pause, showing off their sit, stay and down skills. While this probably isn't as fun as weaving through a set of poles or jumping through a tire, it is not only a big part of agility competitions; it's also a great way to improve overall obedience in your dog.
Another option is to set up an A-frame or teeter and have your dog practice those skills. This is an especially good idea if your dog is a bit nervous about these two pieces of equipment. You can adjust the teeter or A-frame and begin at a lower elevation and work with your dog until he or she feels comfortable at a low height and then adjust the apparatus to a higher position.
Contact obstacles include the above-mentioned teeters and A-frames, as well as a dog walk, but few homes probably have space to set up this last item indoors, and maybe not even an A-frame. A good piece of equipment that is smaller and will fit more comfortably indoors would be a contact trainer. This looks a bit like a shortened A-frame or a dog walk and it features two ramps, often separated by a small pause table. You can use it to practice the ramp skills, as well as the pause skills.
All of these pieces of training equipment can be purchased from online stores that specialize in dog agility training. Carlson-Agility.com is one example and they sell a huge variety of dog obstacles, including contact trainers, jumps, weaves, pause tables and anything else you might find on an actual dog agility course.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To discover a dog obstacles course, or to find more agility dog training equipment such as dog agility kit, please go to the Carlson-Agility.com website now.
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