Agility Training For Your Dog

Firstly, I want to introduce you to dog agility training, if you have not heard of it before. Dog agility training is a sport! Dog and owner, side by side, competing together. Currently, in the UK, it is extremely popular. And it's spreading now in the USA and as far as Australia, in reports of happening events.

For you and your dog this can become one of your favorite personal activities. It is absolute fun! Though it might be a somewhat harder than other options of training. Dog agility training keeps you and your dog fit and feeling good at the end of each competition. Ambition is good and so is picking up those trophies!

The events mainly comprise an average of 26 set obstacles per course. And there are many different courses for your dog to run. Competitions provide both agility courses and jumping courses. These are the two different types of courses. Completing a course in the quickest time for a win without mistakes is the ultimate goal.

Jumping courses are full of obstacles for your dog to jump over. Just as it states – jumping courses. The obstacles usually have stands facing each other holding a horizontal pole. The pole stand can average 4 ft in height. Without knocking the pole down, your dog has to jump clear. (Horse jumping – dog jumping? See the association there?)

Running your dog through a weave or weaving obstacle means that it can not come out of it at any point except the end. These weaves can be a straight line of poles up to 6, 8 or 12 poles between which your dog runs, weaving itself through it.

Agility courses provide obstacles with contact points. They have to touch these contact points with their paws. Certain obstacles demand a lot of training to master. So they do require dog agility training. Members of dog agility clubs meet up as often as once or twice a week to train together. At meetings they will practice their dogs on certain obstacles and courses they set up.

Agility dog clubs do not allow dog training under one year old. Therefore agility enthusiasts start their dogs with training at home from as young as six weeks! Using some self manipulated equipment, without elements of danger (needless to say). There are companies manufacturing obstacle equipment and training obstacles, such as Jax.

Registration with the Scottish Kennel Club (SKC) and being part of an agility club is required for partaking in events and running your dog in a show. If you are from the USA you may register with the AKC, the American Kennel Club.

Think it's easy? You might think again before entering your first show. Your dog must be able to run a full course. This requires a lot of serious and repeated dog agility training before hand. Agility training is what is needed to get there. It is really fun, even if it sounds like hard grueling work. The dogs, the people, the atmosphere, all the bonding and fun makes it worth while!