Dog Agility Training – What Does it Consist of?

Dog agility most of you have must have witnessed on the TV shows or videos. This is where dogs run from side to side through tunnels and go over jumps and weave in and around poles. This article summarizes set information on preparing to try to win in agility competitions, circus or reality T.V shows.

A very essential part of dog agility training is the dog control training. This is required to catch from one obstruction to a further and as the young dogs progress we start to teach different commands to turn the dog to the left and right. A very important exercise for any dog is the ‘down’ and the wait. In agility training the recall follows from the wait and later on we teach the recall over obstacles. Another important exercise is the ’send away’ to send the dog ahead of the handler. An easy way to teach the dog the send away is to hold your dog and get someone to put his food on one side of the room, then send the dog to his food from increasing distances away. Also practise send – aways to titbits and toys, having a great game afterwards. It is also an idea when a pup or young dog is doing instant down, to sometimes finish the send-away by downing the dog. Always remembering to give lots of praise.

You and your dog can have fun with agility if it is timed correctly and provided you and your dog are ready to progress. In my opinion it is important to remember that a dog that is happy and enjoying himself, is much more likely to try hard to please his owner, than one who is afraid he is going to get told off for making a mistake.

There is no age limit for dogs and pups are encouraged for the tunnel work, see-saw and dog walk plank. Of course heelwork, sit, down stays, send- away is part of the lessons as is walking the dog off leash on the left or right. The most important thing is good footwear, shoes that you can run in and have a good grip. (Not like Ivy’s shprawnzy shoes) Also wear clothes you can run in comfortably. For the dog although an ordinary check collar or half check are both good for heelwork practice, these are not suitable for agility. The correct collar is a leather or webbed buckle collar. Leads should be fairly long and made of leather, nylon or rope, not of chain, which can get caught up in the jumps. all breeds and sizes provided the dog does not have a physical disability, such as hip displasia, and is not overweight. It is not fair to jump a fat dog. If you have any doubt about the fitness of your dog then seek advice from your vet.

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