Agility Training For Dogs

Agility training for dogs

Dog agility is at times fast and furious, and at others silent, precise and if the dog and handler in question are very good, almost robotic. Dog agility is a sport where the dog handler will direct his or her dog through an obstacle course without the support of a lead or leash, or food or toys as an incentive to keep the dog on track.

The dog handler is not allowed to touch the dog or the obstacles, apart from accidentally, and the handler is only able to control the dog by a series of voice, body signals and movements. Agility training for dogs requires a huge amount of disciplined work to get results anywhere near good enough for top competition standard.

Similar to a show jumping course for horses, a dog agility course is made up of a set of obstacles laid out by the dog agility judge and his team in a pre-determined design depending on the standard of entries. The course will be laid out over an area of about 30m x 30m. Each obstacle will be numbered in the order in which the dog and handler are to tackle them.

The agility courses are designed to test the abilities of both dog and handler and are laid out in a pattern complicated enough that the dog would not be able to complete the course without the required instruction from his handler.

During the agility competition, it is the dog handlers job to evaluate the course and decide on the best way to get round it without getting in the way of the dog yet still being able to be visible to him to provide body signals to direct him round the course as needed.

In dog agility trials, a combination of speed and precision are equally vital. There are penalties given for obstacles not completed, not completed in the right order, or if the handler has to intervene; and sometimes time penalties will be given depending on the type of competition.

Agility training for dogs and handlers will have to take into account the differences in speed and agility between dog and handler, and competitors will build up a supply of strategies to cater for these differences so they can both get round together during an agility trial.

Before the Dog Agility Trial

Although I’m sure that dog agility course designers do have their favourite course designs that they like to use time and again, the courses are supposed to all be different. Consequently, as in show jumping the dog handlers are allowed to walk the course before hand. All the competitors for a particular class will walk the course without their dogs to assess how to best position themselves to guide the dog round in the most accurate and efficient way. Chances are, that during the actual round, in order to keep up with the dog and aid guidance, the dog and handler will take very different routes before they both end up at the finish line.

Agility Training For Dogs-Where to Begin?

If you put in a search on the internet for dog agility training equipment, you will more than likely get swept away by the avalanche of returns. Working out where to make a start in this fast and exciting hobby can, to the newcomer feel a bit daunting.

In order to have at least a vague idea of what to do first, you need to have a think about 2 simple factors. What are your goals, and what kind of dog do you have?

Do you want to just have a go at dog agility and see where it takes you, or do you have your sights set firmly on becoming an instructor perhaps? Maybe you just want to build a deeper bond between you and your dog by having lots of fun? Perhaps your dog is on the timid side and you think that dog agility would give him some confidence? It could be a simple as you having a crazy collie dog that just needs to burn up lots of physical and mental energy before he ends up climbing the walls. Knowing the answers to these kinds of questions will help you when it comes to purchasing dog agility training equipment.

The equipment used in dog agility trials generally consists of items such as tunnels, a pause table, jumps, weaving poles and a closed tunnel, and contact equipment such as A-frames, teeters or see-saws and dog walks. Of course, if agility training for dogs is the direction you’ve chosen, it would be great to have them all in your back garden; but in reality it’s generally not possible. In fact you don’t need all the equipment to learn the skills.

A teeter board is the big piece of agility gear that most people do get, purely down to being the one thing that often causes a dog to hesitate, and as you know, agility training for dogs, just like any other training for dogs requires practice to be perfect!

Jumps are essential, and if you have plenty of singles, you can put them together in many different combinations to make doubles and trebles. They’re also very easy to store.

Tunnels, tables and chutes are all excellent additions to your dog agility equipment list, and you can add to your collection as you go along. You can also keep a look out for second hand items. With a bit of ingenuity and a few basic DIY skills, you could make some of them yourself and save a small fortune.

Agility training for dogs came about as a result of the popularity of dog agility trials, which originated in the UK. Now, you will find them everywhere that people keep dogs as pets.

Dogs are creatures of great intelligence and enjoy the physical and mental challenge that agility training for dogs provides. It’s great to watch your dog, and yourself progress and improve. There are so many different levels of competition class that I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that you can do a good job in. If you never do make it to competition standard, you and your dog will have a lot of fun and bond building on the way to finding out.

A highly recommended A-Z of dog training, behaviour and health is called Secrets to Dog Training. You can get a free report exposing some of the current dog training myths from here. Also, you can get a free 6 day mini course delivered straight to you emal inbox from here.