If you have ever watched a dog agility show on television or seen one live and in person, you might be thinking that these obstacle courses could be something your dog would really enjoy. Most healthy, active dogs probably would enjoy these fun activities, and they certainly will enjoy being outside and spending time with their precious owners.
Before you purchase a teeter-totter, jumps and weaves, it's important to lay a strong foundation just as with any other skill. For instance, you wouldn't expect a beginning basketball player to be able to dunk like Jordan nor would a young gymnast be able to hop on the balance beam and do a back flip. Your dog also needs to learn a few basic skills and then transition into learning each of the obstacles. Of course, you can certainly purchase some obstacles and allow your dog to sniff and explore these items at their own pace.
While it might not sound exciting, foundation training is a great deal of fun for dogs. You can start out with toy play. This simply means providing a set of tug toys and teaching your dog to tug, let go on command and bring a toy to you. Provide plenty of positive feedback for your dog when they tug, when they let go and when they bring you the toy. Box games are another fun foundation skill, and you can simply set out a few plastic bins or boxes that are low enough on the ground for your dog to hop in safely. Set them up in a series with some space in between and then have them jump in each box. Basically, with all of these foundation games, you are teaching your dog how to obey your commands.
One way to introduce the actual dog agility equipment would be to purchase mini agility obstacles. These are just smaller versions of agility equipment, and they are ideal for puppies or dogs that are new to the sport. If you have a small dog, this mini agility equipment is perfect for them, as well. Not only do the smaller obstacles fit more easily into your yard, they are less intimidating to learn. Your dog will learn all of the proper skills; the obstacles will simply be a bit easier to navigate. You can even bring them inside on a rainy day and place them in a family room, basement or garage.
The pause table is a great piece to use as your first training tool, as it really teaches some important obedience skills. Dogs are required to sit and stay on this obstacle for a set amount of time while the handler is some distance away. Begin by simply teaching your pet to stay and sit in place on the pause table. At first, you will be right next to them, but eventually you will want to increase the distance until you are a dozen or more feet away. This is a great way to build your pet's confidence, and distance training is a great tool for obedience in general.
From there you could try a few pieces of contact equipment, such as a mini dog walk, mini a-frame or mini teeter. All of these are great for puppies and terrific for a dog that is a bit timid, because they are not as high off the ground and less intimidating. The teeter can be a bit daunting for some dogs, because of the movement, so during your foundation training, you might think about using what is known as a wobble board, which also is called a rocker. Check out Carlson Agility, as they supply all of the dog agility equipment you will need, including mini agility equipment and full-size agility equipment. You can also find tons of helpful information about agility training on their website.
Before you purchase a teeter-totter, jumps and weaves, it's important to lay a strong foundation just as with any other skill. For instance, you wouldn't expect a beginning basketball player to be able to dunk like Jordan nor would a young gymnast be able to hop on the balance beam and do a back flip. Your dog also needs to learn a few basic skills and then transition into learning each of the obstacles. Of course, you can certainly purchase some obstacles and allow your dog to sniff and explore these items at their own pace.
While it might not sound exciting, foundation training is a great deal of fun for dogs. You can start out with toy play. This simply means providing a set of tug toys and teaching your dog to tug, let go on command and bring a toy to you. Provide plenty of positive feedback for your dog when they tug, when they let go and when they bring you the toy. Box games are another fun foundation skill, and you can simply set out a few plastic bins or boxes that are low enough on the ground for your dog to hop in safely. Set them up in a series with some space in between and then have them jump in each box. Basically, with all of these foundation games, you are teaching your dog how to obey your commands.
One way to introduce the actual dog agility equipment would be to purchase mini agility obstacles. These are just smaller versions of agility equipment, and they are ideal for puppies or dogs that are new to the sport. If you have a small dog, this mini agility equipment is perfect for them, as well. Not only do the smaller obstacles fit more easily into your yard, they are less intimidating to learn. Your dog will learn all of the proper skills; the obstacles will simply be a bit easier to navigate. You can even bring them inside on a rainy day and place them in a family room, basement or garage.
The pause table is a great piece to use as your first training tool, as it really teaches some important obedience skills. Dogs are required to sit and stay on this obstacle for a set amount of time while the handler is some distance away. Begin by simply teaching your pet to stay and sit in place on the pause table. At first, you will be right next to them, but eventually you will want to increase the distance until you are a dozen or more feet away. This is a great way to build your pet's confidence, and distance training is a great tool for obedience in general.
From there you could try a few pieces of contact equipment, such as a mini dog walk, mini a-frame or mini teeter. All of these are great for puppies and terrific for a dog that is a bit timid, because they are not as high off the ground and less intimidating. The teeter can be a bit daunting for some dogs, because of the movement, so during your foundation training, you might think about using what is known as a wobble board, which also is called a rocker. Check out Carlson Agility, as they supply all of the dog agility equipment you will need, including mini agility equipment and full-size agility equipment. You can also find tons of helpful information about agility training on their website.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an obstacle course for dogs, or to find further about training equipment for dog agility jumps, please go to the Carlson-Agility.com site now.
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