Dog agility training is a fantastic way to have fun with your dog as well as providing some much needed exercise. However, not every dog is an ideal match for agility training, and there are definitely a few things to consider before you begin. Here are some tips that will help you and your best friend get the most out of dog agility training.
A dog needs to be in excellent physical condition for agility training, so if your dog has some health issues, this might not be a great activity choice. Keep in mind if you plan on competing, many organizations have restrictions for dogs who are partially blind or deaf, so for this dog, agility training is mainly for fun and exercise. A dog that doesn't seem to have a lot of stamina or energy also is probably not a great choice for agility. You also need to consider your own health as agility training also is exercise for you.
While puppies older than eight weeks can begin agility training at any time, they will need special mini equipment. This mini agility equipment is designed for both puppies as well as smaller breeds, and is much safer for puppies, whose bodies are still developing. Puppies love scampering about an agility course and investigating the equipment and this is fine, as long as they are well supervised. One great piece of equipment is the mini pause table, where puppies can learn to sit, stay and pause for several seconds at a time. Not only is this an important part of agility training, it is a great way to introduce general obedience skills. There are also mini dog walks, mini teeters, mini chutes and mini a-frames. You also can adjust most jumps to make them suitable for small dogs and puppies.
Purchasing mini contact equipment is a great way to start out, and it also has the advantage of fitting more easily in your yard. Purchasing mini weaves, mini tire jumps, mini a-frames and dog walks and other mini pieces means you can buy a larger variety of equipment. You can even bring them inside your home more easily, which means you and your dog can continue training on a rainy day. Your dog especially will enjoy training on days when they have been cooped up due to poor weather conditions.
For any kind of training, the most important thing that you bring to the table is patience. None of these skills are mastered in a day or two, so plan on spending many months learning these skills. Obedience training doesn't happen in a week and neither does agility training. Start out with just one skill, such as jumps or perhaps the pause table. Once these are taught and your dog seems to handle the apparatus well, add a new piece of equipment. Keep in mind that those amazing dogs you see running the courses on TV have been working on these skills for years, and if you want to make it to a competitive level, it requires consistent training and time.
Your first step to getting started is to acquire some quality dog agility equipment. For your dog agility course, you might consider beginning with a starter kit from Carlson Agility. These kits contain a few pieces of basic equipment. One kit, for instance, includes dog agility weaves and four agility jumps. Another kit contains two jumps and a dog agility tunnel. In addition to the many starter kits, Carlson Agility also sells individual pieces of equipment such as dog agility walks, A-frames, teeter totters, tire jumps and much more.
A dog needs to be in excellent physical condition for agility training, so if your dog has some health issues, this might not be a great activity choice. Keep in mind if you plan on competing, many organizations have restrictions for dogs who are partially blind or deaf, so for this dog, agility training is mainly for fun and exercise. A dog that doesn't seem to have a lot of stamina or energy also is probably not a great choice for agility. You also need to consider your own health as agility training also is exercise for you.
While puppies older than eight weeks can begin agility training at any time, they will need special mini equipment. This mini agility equipment is designed for both puppies as well as smaller breeds, and is much safer for puppies, whose bodies are still developing. Puppies love scampering about an agility course and investigating the equipment and this is fine, as long as they are well supervised. One great piece of equipment is the mini pause table, where puppies can learn to sit, stay and pause for several seconds at a time. Not only is this an important part of agility training, it is a great way to introduce general obedience skills. There are also mini dog walks, mini teeters, mini chutes and mini a-frames. You also can adjust most jumps to make them suitable for small dogs and puppies.
Purchasing mini contact equipment is a great way to start out, and it also has the advantage of fitting more easily in your yard. Purchasing mini weaves, mini tire jumps, mini a-frames and dog walks and other mini pieces means you can buy a larger variety of equipment. You can even bring them inside your home more easily, which means you and your dog can continue training on a rainy day. Your dog especially will enjoy training on days when they have been cooped up due to poor weather conditions.
For any kind of training, the most important thing that you bring to the table is patience. None of these skills are mastered in a day or two, so plan on spending many months learning these skills. Obedience training doesn't happen in a week and neither does agility training. Start out with just one skill, such as jumps or perhaps the pause table. Once these are taught and your dog seems to handle the apparatus well, add a new piece of equipment. Keep in mind that those amazing dogs you see running the courses on TV have been working on these skills for years, and if you want to make it to a competitive level, it requires consistent training and time.
Your first step to getting started is to acquire some quality dog agility equipment. For your dog agility course, you might consider beginning with a starter kit from Carlson Agility. These kits contain a few pieces of basic equipment. One kit, for instance, includes dog agility weaves and four agility jumps. Another kit contains two jumps and a dog agility tunnel. In addition to the many starter kits, Carlson Agility also sells individual pieces of equipment such as dog agility walks, A-frames, teeter totters, tire jumps and much more.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves dog agility training. To get further details about dog training equipment or to know more about other equipment such as dog agility tunnels, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com site now.
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