Agility Training For Your Dog

By Stan Radlow
There are many reasons why dog owners train their pets. Many dogs are trained for the correction of a behavior problem, while other dogs undergo confrontation training to make them suitable as guard dogs and many participate in agility training because their owners consider them to have a talent in that direction. Some dogs have jobs that require the proper skills and discipline for them to be able to perform their job efficiently. Once you have seen police dogs in action you understand why these dogs are trained for obedience, and confrontation. They are trained to sniff out criminals in the act and they are even relied upon to detect illegal substances that are being transported in and out of the country or over state lines. It is said that dogs are even more reliable than modern equipments, such as x-rays. Then there are also dogs that are trained for competitions designed to display their prowess at agility maneuvers. These dogs are trained to improve their obedience as well as honing their agility skills. Agility training is an all-round training discipline as well as increasing a dog’s suitability for competitive sport. Many dog shows sponsor agility events and have often been televised as a main part of the proceedings. Agility is one of the best fun sports for dogs and dog lovers and is often an exciting competition to see. It is certainly a family orientated sport and makes for a pleasurable day out. Dogs that undergo agility training and participate in the competitive side of the sport develop a high degree of self-confidence. They will perform acts of climbing, jumping over obstacles, and crawling under various objects and other activities that are responsible for building that confidence. Many people who are interested in having their dog participate in agility training will usually inquire about the equipments, dog breed, and the cost of training that is needed. They are often surprised to learn that all that is required for agility dog training is dedication. There are no dog breed requirements. All you have do is register your dog in a club and they can be registered for agility. Training your dog for agility is relatively easy, all you need to do is join a local dog training school and train them in basic obedience. Train your dog gently and give him or her plenty of praises until he or she knows what is required for them. You, as the owner, should build up his or her confidence in order for them to perform well in agility. Another important consideration is that you should train them in obedience early in their life. Agility training requires a great deal of patience. And, because your dog’s bones need to develop, never make them run obstacle courses until he or she is 12 months old or 18 months old in larger breeds. The best training your dog can have, when he or she is less than 12 months old, is by playing a game of tug-of-war with his or her toy. Doing this will let your dog understand that you are a part of the pleasure in his or her games. This will create a special bonding between you, as the master, and your dog as your companion. The training of jumping over obstacles and catching things should begin at 12 months old. You can buy a hurdle or construct a portable one that you can take in to the park where there will be a lot of space to practice. Always remember that training your dog for agility will require you to invest a lot of time. However, you should also keep in mind that you and your dog should always have fun in the process.

Stan Radlow is the Webmaster and publisher of http://www.masteryourdog.com which is an excellent source of articles advising on almost every aspect of dog training and dog care from aggression and biting to pregnancy. .

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