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Using A Pause Table To Teach Obedience

By Cheng Bernhardt


Dogs love agility equipment and if you have ever watched an agility dog competition, you can see how excited canines are as they zoom through tunnels and waves, jump through a tire and navigate a-frames. While most of these obstacles are just plain fun, the pause table is probably not likely to be your dog's favorite obstacle. However, it is highly important because using this table can be a perfect way to improve the obedience level of your dog.

For those new to the sport of dog agility, the pause table is pretty much just what it sounds like. It is an elevated platform on an agility course where dogs must jump upon and then either sit or remain in a down position for a fixed amount of seconds. The height of these tables varies, but the goal is the same. The dog must obey the command of the trainer or owner and not leave the table to complete the course until they receive a specific signal.

The commands often are non-verbal and no treats are used nor leashes. So it is pretty amazing that these dogs will stop in the middle of the dog agility course, and it's a level of obedience that we really want all of our dogs to have because it simply makes them a happy, well-adjusted pet. It's highly important that your dog will sit and stay at any time, whether on a leash or not, in any situation. This is for their own protection as well as the protection of others, so the lessons they learn with a pause table can be some of the most crucial skills your dog acquires.

When it comes agility training, puppies should not be learning how to use many pieces of equipment simply because their bodies have not developed enough and it can cause injury. Of course, they also are too small for most of the obstacles, anyway. However, a low pause table or a flat pause box can be used on puppies, and is a great start to both obedience training and agility training. Once your puppy has been weaned, you can begin teaching proper obedience skills. This training not only will improve your dog's behavior, it makes them easier to walk and handle and even cements the bond between the two of you.

Once the animal successfully can sit and stay on the pause table for five seconds, you can make it a bit more difficult by putting some distance between you and your dog. Keep in mind that treats are never allowed in competition and vocal commands often are not allowed either, so the dog needs to learn to sit and stay and go down based on signals. You can continue to increase the distance as your dog becomes more and more comfortable.

Obviously, the pause table is a great tool for overall obedience, but on the course, it also provides a quick break in between obstacles. This actually helps keep a dog focused, and without a pause table, they tend to get over-excited and either not clear obstacles or skip an obstacle accidentally or perhaps move out of order. If you are look for a high quality pause table, check out an online store such as Carlson Agility. They sell every type of agility dog equipment you will need including dog agility jumps, agility dog walks, pause tables, weaves, dog tunnels and much more.




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