When you get started with agility training, your biggest worry might be wondering how to teach all of the skills to your pet. Creating an agility training plan can be a good way to get started. There is much to teach and much for your pet to learn, but the good news is that your dog doesn't have to learn every skill immediately.
The pause table is a fantastic place to start, and this improves your dog's overall obedience anyway, so it really helps you in every area of your dog's life. At this table, dogs must learn to jump on then sit and stay and usually lie still for a few seconds and then jump down. Teach a hand signal and word for each skill. This means they need to be able to see you give a signal for sit and obey, as well as hearing the command and obeying. Be sure that you, and everyone else in the household, uses the same words and hand signals to ensure success.
Of course, patience is highly important because learning new skills takes some time. Just keep in mind that the pause table skills will be highly important in other situations as well. Once they have mastered your pause table teachings, begin what is known as distance training. On the course, handlers are several feet away from the dogs so they must be able to follow your signals when you are not next to them.
For each new obstacle, there will be new commands and signals, which is why you really should just add one new skill at a time. Just keep reinforcing the skills your pet learned on the last obstacle. For instance, begin with the pause table and then move on to a single jump. Every day, begin by practicing pause table skills and then head over to the jump and teach that skill. Eventually your dog will be able to move from table to jump in order just by hearing or seeing your command. Then you can add a tunnel or perhaps a teeter totter or a dog walk.
When you compete, you are not allowed to use any type of incentive to get a dog to move through the course. This means no toys and no treats; however, we all know that dogs love treats. So what is a handler to do? Begin by using a small treat as an incentive and then as the dog starts to understand, forgo giving treats and reward with praise. Praise is a huge motivator for dogs, and they would rather have you get excited about their progress and show them some love and approval than just about anything else in the whole world.
When searching for agility equipment, check out the offerings from Carlson Agility. They sell all types of agility equipment, both full-size and miniature versions, which are great for smaller dogs, dogs that are new to the sport and your agility puppy. You can purchase a starter kit with just a few basics or just order one piece at a time. They have agility dog walks, agility a-frames, all sorts of jumps, tunnels, chutes, weaves, teeters and many other interesting items.
The pause table is a fantastic place to start, and this improves your dog's overall obedience anyway, so it really helps you in every area of your dog's life. At this table, dogs must learn to jump on then sit and stay and usually lie still for a few seconds and then jump down. Teach a hand signal and word for each skill. This means they need to be able to see you give a signal for sit and obey, as well as hearing the command and obeying. Be sure that you, and everyone else in the household, uses the same words and hand signals to ensure success.
Of course, patience is highly important because learning new skills takes some time. Just keep in mind that the pause table skills will be highly important in other situations as well. Once they have mastered your pause table teachings, begin what is known as distance training. On the course, handlers are several feet away from the dogs so they must be able to follow your signals when you are not next to them.
For each new obstacle, there will be new commands and signals, which is why you really should just add one new skill at a time. Just keep reinforcing the skills your pet learned on the last obstacle. For instance, begin with the pause table and then move on to a single jump. Every day, begin by practicing pause table skills and then head over to the jump and teach that skill. Eventually your dog will be able to move from table to jump in order just by hearing or seeing your command. Then you can add a tunnel or perhaps a teeter totter or a dog walk.
When you compete, you are not allowed to use any type of incentive to get a dog to move through the course. This means no toys and no treats; however, we all know that dogs love treats. So what is a handler to do? Begin by using a small treat as an incentive and then as the dog starts to understand, forgo giving treats and reward with praise. Praise is a huge motivator for dogs, and they would rather have you get excited about their progress and show them some love and approval than just about anything else in the whole world.
When searching for agility equipment, check out the offerings from Carlson Agility. They sell all types of agility equipment, both full-size and miniature versions, which are great for smaller dogs, dogs that are new to the sport and your agility puppy. You can purchase a starter kit with just a few basics or just order one piece at a time. They have agility dog walks, agility a-frames, all sorts of jumps, tunnels, chutes, weaves, teeters and many other interesting items.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an agility equipment, or to find useful agility dog training equipment such as dog agility kit, please go to the Carlson-Agility.com website now.
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