Everyone loves a puppy and for good reason. They are sweet and soft and it's such fun to watch them explore their new world. The downside is that they can get into a bit of mischief from time to time and they are always on the go. To keep them focused, improve obedience and provide an outlet for their natural puppy energy, consider trying out agility training.
Even if you don't think competition is for you, your puppy is sure to enjoy learning agility skills, and it provides a great, challenging source of exercise for almost all healthy dogs. Most owners typically stick with walks and toys as source of exercise, and while this is highly beneficial, dogs also love a good, fun challenge and agility training provides highly stimulating exercise.
Because your puppy will need to learn to stay and sit and be still on command anyway, it is good to start out by learning how to do the pause table. On a course, dogs must take a break from jumping and running about to sit on this table for a pre-determined length of time. Your puppy can combine obedience training with agility training on this apparatus for double the benefit. As you might know, when you are on a real agility course in competition, treats and other incentives are not allowed. However, when you are working with a puppy, a little treat is a great way to help them learn a new skill. Eventually just a bit of praise will be enough, but in those early days, keep some tiny treats handy.
Puppies also need to learn how to play with toys, and this can be a good way to start teaching the obedience skills necessary for learning how to use agility equipment. Teach your puppy to tug on a toy and also teach your dog to let go of the toy on command. You also should teach your puppy to fetch a toy and bring it to you and drop it on command. All of this builds up a solid foundation where your dog trusts and obeys you. Learning how to walk beside you is another fundamental skill that will transfer to the agility course.
Puppies love to hop around and jump, and while these are certainly important agility skills, a puppy shouldn't start out with full-size jumps. You can begin by lowering a jump or using a mini-sized jump. Have them learn to just go over the jump at their own pace and then head to the pause table, teaching them to transition from one obstacle to the next. The actual level of jumping skill is not particularly important at this stage; it's all about teaching them to follow a series of directions. When you have a puppy that will move easily from a jump to the table, you can add another jump about three feet or so away from the first jump and work on that series.
Add a few more pieces of equipment as these jumps and the pause table are mastered. You might consider working with a tunnel or maybe trying out a dog walk. With puppies, it's wise to use mini agility equipment, which can be purchased from Carlson Agility. They sell all types of mini obstacles, including agility dog walks, agility a-frames, mini teeters and much more. Mini equipment also is a great idea for a dog that has a more timid personality and, of course, they are perfect for those cute little smaller breeds of dogs.
Even if you don't think competition is for you, your puppy is sure to enjoy learning agility skills, and it provides a great, challenging source of exercise for almost all healthy dogs. Most owners typically stick with walks and toys as source of exercise, and while this is highly beneficial, dogs also love a good, fun challenge and agility training provides highly stimulating exercise.
Because your puppy will need to learn to stay and sit and be still on command anyway, it is good to start out by learning how to do the pause table. On a course, dogs must take a break from jumping and running about to sit on this table for a pre-determined length of time. Your puppy can combine obedience training with agility training on this apparatus for double the benefit. As you might know, when you are on a real agility course in competition, treats and other incentives are not allowed. However, when you are working with a puppy, a little treat is a great way to help them learn a new skill. Eventually just a bit of praise will be enough, but in those early days, keep some tiny treats handy.
Puppies also need to learn how to play with toys, and this can be a good way to start teaching the obedience skills necessary for learning how to use agility equipment. Teach your puppy to tug on a toy and also teach your dog to let go of the toy on command. You also should teach your puppy to fetch a toy and bring it to you and drop it on command. All of this builds up a solid foundation where your dog trusts and obeys you. Learning how to walk beside you is another fundamental skill that will transfer to the agility course.
Puppies love to hop around and jump, and while these are certainly important agility skills, a puppy shouldn't start out with full-size jumps. You can begin by lowering a jump or using a mini-sized jump. Have them learn to just go over the jump at their own pace and then head to the pause table, teaching them to transition from one obstacle to the next. The actual level of jumping skill is not particularly important at this stage; it's all about teaching them to follow a series of directions. When you have a puppy that will move easily from a jump to the table, you can add another jump about three feet or so away from the first jump and work on that series.
Add a few more pieces of equipment as these jumps and the pause table are mastered. You might consider working with a tunnel or maybe trying out a dog walk. With puppies, it's wise to use mini agility equipment, which can be purchased from Carlson Agility. They sell all types of mini obstacles, including agility dog walks, agility a-frames, mini teeters and much more. Mini equipment also is a great idea for a dog that has a more timid personality and, of course, they are perfect for those cute little smaller breeds of dogs.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves dog agility training. To discover an agility equipment for dogs, or to know more about other equipment such as dog agility tunnels, please visit the Carlson-Agility.com site today.
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