When you watch a dog agility competition, the dogs are having a fantastic time, zooming around the course. They love the challenge of navigating all of those obstacles and also enjoy all of the admiration and praise that comes along with a job well done. Most people probably mistakenly think that only certain breeds, sizes and temperaments of dogs will excel at dog agility, but this is definitely not the case.
For someone who owns a particularly shy dog, who dislikes being around other dogs or even other people, you might never have given dog agility training a second thought. But this type of training truly can provide a huge boost in confidence for your shy dog. While they might be terrified of training at a local dog agility club or in the local park, they might love training in the privacy of their own yard with you as their trainer.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to introduce your shy dog to the pause table. Be sure to opt for an adjustable table and begin at the lowest height. If your dog is always suspicious or nervous around anything new in the yard or in your home, give them time to check out the equipment before you try to get them to jump onto the table. Let them sniff and inspect it and then after a few days have passed, try to encourage them to get on the table. You can carefully place them on the table while holding them and gently petting or you can lure them up with a special treat or a favored toy. This can take some time, but eventually your dog will have the confidence to climb up on the pause table all by themselves.
After your dog is comfortable jumping on the table and has learned how to sit down and stay on the pause table for many seconds with you standing away from the table, you should consider adding some more equipment. A contact trainer, such as those sold by Carlson Agility, can be a great addition. This has a pause table in the middle and is flanked on one side by a mini A-frame and on the other by a mini dog walk. In general, miniature-sized agility equipment is an excellent training tool for shy dogs as well as for puppies and smaller breeds of dogs. In addition to the contact training, you can find agility dog jumps, dog tunnels, tire jumps, weaves and much more at Carlson Agility. So once your dog has mastered a new obstacle, simply add something new.
Your dog's confidence level probably will have increased noticeably just by mastering the basic skills of the pause table and the contact trainer. They will probably be a bit less nervous around the new pieces of equipment you add, but it always pays to be patient. You also can get most pieces of equipment in the miniature size, which is not only easier for a shy dog to tackle, it also fits well into your yard and you can even bring a few pieces of equipment inside for nighttime or rainy day training and fun. If your dog has mastered it all and seems confident enough, you might think about joining a local agility club and seeing how your dog handles the larger equipment and the mix of dogs. If it's still a bit much, just keep on doing the work at home.
In addition to building up the confidence, agility training is a fantastic way to keep your dog in great shape. This training also increased the bond between the two of you, and this increased level of trust also helps a shyer dog feel more comfortable about the world in general.
For someone who owns a particularly shy dog, who dislikes being around other dogs or even other people, you might never have given dog agility training a second thought. But this type of training truly can provide a huge boost in confidence for your shy dog. While they might be terrified of training at a local dog agility club or in the local park, they might love training in the privacy of their own yard with you as their trainer.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to introduce your shy dog to the pause table. Be sure to opt for an adjustable table and begin at the lowest height. If your dog is always suspicious or nervous around anything new in the yard or in your home, give them time to check out the equipment before you try to get them to jump onto the table. Let them sniff and inspect it and then after a few days have passed, try to encourage them to get on the table. You can carefully place them on the table while holding them and gently petting or you can lure them up with a special treat or a favored toy. This can take some time, but eventually your dog will have the confidence to climb up on the pause table all by themselves.
After your dog is comfortable jumping on the table and has learned how to sit down and stay on the pause table for many seconds with you standing away from the table, you should consider adding some more equipment. A contact trainer, such as those sold by Carlson Agility, can be a great addition. This has a pause table in the middle and is flanked on one side by a mini A-frame and on the other by a mini dog walk. In general, miniature-sized agility equipment is an excellent training tool for shy dogs as well as for puppies and smaller breeds of dogs. In addition to the contact training, you can find agility dog jumps, dog tunnels, tire jumps, weaves and much more at Carlson Agility. So once your dog has mastered a new obstacle, simply add something new.
Your dog's confidence level probably will have increased noticeably just by mastering the basic skills of the pause table and the contact trainer. They will probably be a bit less nervous around the new pieces of equipment you add, but it always pays to be patient. You also can get most pieces of equipment in the miniature size, which is not only easier for a shy dog to tackle, it also fits well into your yard and you can even bring a few pieces of equipment inside for nighttime or rainy day training and fun. If your dog has mastered it all and seems confident enough, you might think about joining a local agility club and seeing how your dog handles the larger equipment and the mix of dogs. If it's still a bit much, just keep on doing the work at home.
In addition to building up the confidence, agility training is a fantastic way to keep your dog in great shape. This training also increased the bond between the two of you, and this increased level of trust also helps a shyer dog feel more comfortable about the world in general.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys blogging about dog agility training. To discover a dog agility course, or to find more about training equipment for agility for dogs, please check out the Carlson Agility website today.
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