Building A Solid Foundation For Dog Agility
You've probably watched those cool dog agility contests on television and thought how much fun that would be to do with your own dog. Even if you never make it to competition level, dog agility is a fantastic option for most dogs, providing a source of exercise as well as increasing their level of obedience.
However, while you might be tempted to grab some jumps and a teeter totter and get going, it is important to dedicate your first lessons to building a strong foundation. After all, a novice skier doesn't begin on black diamond runs and you don't learn to drive by hitting the course at the Indy 500, one starts by learning the basics. This is true for dog agility training, as well. Once you teach some basic beginning skills, you will have a much easier time with cool agility obstacles such as tunnels, jumps, weaves and teeters.
While it might not sound exciting, foundation training is a great deal of fun for dogs. You can start out with toy play. This simply means providing a set of tug toys and teaching your dog to tug, let go on command and bring a toy to you. Provide plenty of positive feedback for your dog when they tug, when they let go and when they bring you the toy. Box games are another fun foundation skill, and you can simply set out a few plastic bins or boxes that are low enough on the ground for your dog to hop in safely. Set them up in a series with some space in between and then have them jump in each box. Basically, with all of these foundation games, you are teaching your dog how to obey your commands.
One great idea is to purchase some mini dog agility equipment. These are simply scaled-down versions of regular agility equipment and they are great for puppies and dogs just starting out, and, of course, they are must-have items for small breeds that would be using this equipment on an agility course anyway. Another great advantage to mini equipment is that it fits more easily in your backyard, yet your dog is still learning all of the essential skills of dog agility.
You might begin with a pause table, which teaches some essential skills. Your dog will learn to sit and stay and even lie down on the table. Once the dog has mastered these skills, begin distance training. This simply means that you walk a few feet away from the pause table, still expecting that your dog will obey the commands. Keep working on increasing the distance between you with your dog obeying your vocal commands and hand signals.
From there you could try a few pieces of contact equipment, such as a mini dog walk, mini a-frame or mini teeter. All of these are great for puppies and terrific for a dog that is a bit timid, because they are not as high off the ground and less intimidating. The teeter can be a bit daunting for some dogs, because of the movement, so during your foundation training, you might think about using what is known as a wobble board, which also is called a rocker. Check out Carlson Agility, as they supply all of the dog agility equipment you will need, including mini agility equipment and full-size agility equipment. You can also find tons of helpful information about agility training on their website.
However, while you might be tempted to grab some jumps and a teeter totter and get going, it is important to dedicate your first lessons to building a strong foundation. After all, a novice skier doesn't begin on black diamond runs and you don't learn to drive by hitting the course at the Indy 500, one starts by learning the basics. This is true for dog agility training, as well. Once you teach some basic beginning skills, you will have a much easier time with cool agility obstacles such as tunnels, jumps, weaves and teeters.
While it might not sound exciting, foundation training is a great deal of fun for dogs. You can start out with toy play. This simply means providing a set of tug toys and teaching your dog to tug, let go on command and bring a toy to you. Provide plenty of positive feedback for your dog when they tug, when they let go and when they bring you the toy. Box games are another fun foundation skill, and you can simply set out a few plastic bins or boxes that are low enough on the ground for your dog to hop in safely. Set them up in a series with some space in between and then have them jump in each box. Basically, with all of these foundation games, you are teaching your dog how to obey your commands.
One great idea is to purchase some mini dog agility equipment. These are simply scaled-down versions of regular agility equipment and they are great for puppies and dogs just starting out, and, of course, they are must-have items for small breeds that would be using this equipment on an agility course anyway. Another great advantage to mini equipment is that it fits more easily in your backyard, yet your dog is still learning all of the essential skills of dog agility.
You might begin with a pause table, which teaches some essential skills. Your dog will learn to sit and stay and even lie down on the table. Once the dog has mastered these skills, begin distance training. This simply means that you walk a few feet away from the pause table, still expecting that your dog will obey the commands. Keep working on increasing the distance between you with your dog obeying your vocal commands and hand signals.
From there you could try a few pieces of contact equipment, such as a mini dog walk, mini a-frame or mini teeter. All of these are great for puppies and terrific for a dog that is a bit timid, because they are not as high off the ground and less intimidating. The teeter can be a bit daunting for some dogs, because of the movement, so during your foundation training, you might think about using what is known as a wobble board, which also is called a rocker. Check out Carlson Agility, as they supply all of the dog agility equipment you will need, including mini agility equipment and full-size agility equipment. You can also find tons of helpful information about agility training on their website.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To discover an obstacle course for dogs, or to find further regarding training equipment for dog agility jumps, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com site today.
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