Posted by admin | Posted in Dogs | Posted on 28-11-2009
Tags: agility, christmas, dog, dog agility sets, dog agility sets for sale, set, training
Dog Agility Training a Great Way to Tap Your Dogs Skills
Dog agility training is an excellent way to tap into your dog’s natural strengths. You can utilize your dog’s speed, flexibility, energy, and hunting instincts and more. It’s a way for dogs to maintain their inherent abilities that they would have used in the wild to track down their food, protect their lairs and make their way across difficult and varying terrain.
What is dog agility training?
Dog agility training involves a special course that forces your dog to use certain skills, such as jumping, zig-zagging, climbing and running. It is a team effort involving dog and owner, although the dog does most of the heavy work. It is a special form of training that is suitable for the working and hunting breeds specifically. Dogs must make their way through the course in a set period of time. The faster dog wins.
The agility trials are professionally judged and rewarded with ribbons, cups and other prizes. It’s more than training – it’s a fun sport that is gaining in popularity.
What it takes to participate
To participate, puppies must be at least 9 months of age. Retirement from the competitions is generally around 8 years of age, but it depends on the dog’s overall health and fitness levels.
All dog breeds are admitted, but its best if your dog has the personality to participate. Some dogs would rather relax while others have energy to spare. The more energy your dog has, the more suited he is to dog agility training because it requires significant output in both energy and speed.
Dogs that consistently obey the sit, stay, down and heel commands are ready to compete, however they must trust their owner. Otherwise, they will be reluctant to do some of the challenges like running through a tunnel or balancing across a narrow beam.
Benefits of Dog Agility Training
It enhances your dog’s inherent abilities, the skills it wants to use. Your dog will become more alert, vigorous and confident. Your dog’s problem-solving abilities will improve. It will reinforce the bond between you and your dog and perfect the communication skills between you.
It will put physical demands on your dog that will improve coordination, endurance and fitness levels as well as your dog’s behavior in other areas of life.
How much training is required to enter agility competitions?
For most dogs, 6-9 months of daily training is necessary to prepare them for the more rigorous exercises in agility competitions. You can help your dog prepare by encouraging fun games like go fetch, tug of war and catch. This helps to build and strengthen muscles that will be needed for agility work. It will also show your dog that this type of work can be fun. Graduate to similar exercises such as jumping across distances and over obstacles, and running through increasingly longer tunnels. In time, your dog will come to trust your requests and look forward to these exercises.
There is so much more to dog agility training, but these steps will get you started and help you determine whether or not you and your dog are suited to this type of work.
Take time to visit the dog agility competitions near you. Watch the process and the types of challenges that dogs face. See how well they do and imagine your dog participating. This will give you a first-hand look at how they are run.
Talk to the participants, organizers and judges and they will be happy to answer your questions about dog agility training and competitions.
About the Author
For more great dog training tips and resources to help you train your dog, or puppy, visit How To Train A Dog Review Site at http://DogsTrainingMadeEasy.com
Where do I start to get my dog into Agility Competition?
My dog is extremely agile and intelligent when it comes to him running little courses I set up around the house. In addition, he makes his own courses up(such as around furniture,through chair legs,jumping on sofa and doing 360o’s, etc, sometimes, and runs them exactly the same, several times. It amazes me, as well as others, watching him do it. I have watched courses on TV and I really believe he would be very good at it, as well as enjoying it. I would also, enjoy this as I showed horses for many years, and miss the competition, people you meet and the traveling. I can no longer do the horses due to health problems. Anyway, does anyone know who to contact about getting started with this. By the way, my dog is a 1.5 year old Jack Russell.
I too was a horse person until back problems made it too hard to do horse work. With agility you can do fine if you are able to run ,twist and turn for about 40 seconds. Best to start with obedience lessons, if needed, prior to starting agility. You want to have good control of your dog off leash. Check online under your State/town for agility classes. You will be hooked on agility before your know what hit you. PS the people you will be are great, too.
Dog Agility Weave Challenge Winner – Cas
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Agility-in-a-Bag Set $159.95 The Agility in a Bag set is the perfect solution for everyone just starting off in the fun sport of dog agility. Practice at home, or take it on the road. Everything you need in one convenient carrying bag! Comes with 5 popular agility obstacles that can be used indoors or out. Made of furniture grade UV stabilized plastic. Weighs only 18 lbs. Includes: (1) WEAVE POLE SET: 6 pole set with free sta… |
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Dog Agility 3/4 Snap on Jump Cups Set of 10 $5.99 These are 3/4 sch 40 pvc snap on jump cups that hold the jump bar in place, if your dog hits the bar it just falls and causes no damage to your animal…. |
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Dog Agility Stick in the Ground Outdoor Weave Poles – Set of 6 $42.50 These weave poles stand approximately 40″ tall and are idea for the small and larger dogs. Constructed of durable 3/4″ thick-walled Furniture Grade PVC these weave poles are stable and great for training and practicing your weaving! These poles can be lined up straight or positioned in a “V” to simulate the popular “weave-o-matics” that are sometimes used in training. Pole Placer Included with you… |
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Shetland Sheepdog Dog Agility Play Set Our Breyer dog agility toy set includes many of the popular obstacles seen at dog agility trials. Breyer’s authentically detailed dog toy set includes an open tunnel, two jumps, a tire jump, a see-saw, an A-frame, pausetable and weave poles. Made of colorfully-painted wood and scaled for Breyer’s Companion Animals series, our dog agility set provides hours of quality play value. The Breyer Dog Agi… |
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World Sport Set of 6 Two Piece Orange Coaching Sticks with Bag $39.99 Used by top coaches around the world. These sticks are used to mark boundaries or set up a slalom run forcing change of speed . Coaching sticks are utilized by the coaching staff of many pro teams in the training of top level elite athletes…. |
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World Sport Set of 6 Yellow 60 Coaching Sticks $44.99 Used by top coaches around the world. These sticks are used to mark boundaries or set up a slalom run forcing change of speed . Coaching sticks are utilized by the coaching staff of many pro teams in the training of top level elite athletes…. |
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World Sport Set of 6 Orange Coaching Sticks / Slalom Poles $49.99 Used by top coaches around the world. These sticks are used to mark boundaries or set up a slalom run forcing change of speed . Coaching sticks are utilized by the coaching staff of many pro teams in the training of top level elite athletes…. |