While teaching dog agility skills to your furry friend is fun and an excellent way to provide exercise, not every dog is suited to agility training, and there are a few things you need to think about before training starts. If you wish to start agility lessons, here is some information that might help you get the most out of this experience.
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.
When it comes to puppies, as long as you have plenty of supervision, these little guys can definitely begin learning some agility skills. The important thing to remember is that because their little bodies are still developing, you need to use mini agility equipment so that they won't get hurt. Retailers such as Carlson Agility sell this mini equipment specifically for small dogs and puppies. While you can begin by using any apparatus, using a pause table or pause mat not only is a great way to start agility training, this apparatus will enhance obedience training, as well. Puppies, however, will enjoy exploring all the different types of mini equipment.
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.
When it comes to puppies, as long as you have plenty of supervision, these little guys can definitely begin learning some agility skills. The important thing to remember is that because their little bodies are still developing, you need to use mini agility equipment so that they won't get hurt. Retailers such as Carlson Agility sell this mini equipment specifically for small dogs and puppies. While you can begin by using any apparatus, using a pause table or pause mat not only is a great way to start agility training, this apparatus will enhance obedience training, as well. Puppies, however, will enjoy exploring all the different types of mini equipment.
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 enjoys dog agility training. For further details about dog training equipment or to know more about other equipment like dog agility tunnels, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
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