Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Three Benefits Of Dog Agility

By Cheng Bernhardt


If you have a dog, no one needs to tell you why these lovable furry creatures make such wonderful companions. With a heart full of love, your dog is a loyal friend who is always happy to see you and always by your side. Treating them to some fun activities is always a great idea, and dog agility is an activity that most dogs will enjoy, plus it has several benefits for your dog.

1. Dogs Need Exercise & Agility Provides Tons Of Activity

Obviously, dog agility is a great source of exercise, and you probably already knew that. Most people exercise their dogs with a few daily walks, and while this is great, it's not very exciting for you and your pet. Agility provides a bit more than the exercise you'd get with a walk; it provides a challenging type of exercise that truly appeals to dogs. The course actually is designed with instinctive dog behavior in mind. As they jump over obstacles, scurry across the dog walk and scamper around weave poles, they are engaged and excited about their activities.

2. A Social Dog Is A Happy Dog

We all know that dogs love their people, but they also enjoy being around dogs. Keep in mind that dogs are used to roaming about in packs. The dog park can be a bit intimidating for some dogs, but an agility club or agility class might be less stressful. After all, these are dogs that already are pretty well behaved and friendly;,otherwise their owners wouldn't be considering agility contests. Being able to behave and be friendly with other animals is important for agility because dogs run the course off-leash. In addition, the human companions will enjoy meeting new people with the shared interest of agility, and it's a great way to pick up tips and tricks for training.

3. It's All About The Bond

When your new dog is first introduced into your home, this pet might be shy and uncertain. You must be patient as your furry friend leans about his new home and family, but playing around with agility equipment is a fun way for the two of you to become better connected. Start out by teaching a jump or set up a pause table. The pause table combines basic obedience skills with agility training, so you enjoy two benefits from one obstacle. As your new dog learns to obey commands, be sure to supply plenty of praise which will establish trust and establish you as the leader of the "pack."

When you begin agility training, you only need a few pieces of agility equipment. You could purchase a pause table, as well as a few jumps and perhaps a tunnel or a teeter. Start out by teaching your pet to sit and stay on the pause table and increase the distance between the two of you, which is called distance training and it's an important component of agility training. Once the pause table is going well, add a jump and then add the teeter or a second jump and extend the course after each new piece of agility equipment is mastered.

If you are searching for quality agility equipment, consider shopping at an online store. Carlson Agility, for instance, sells every imaginable piece of agility equipment. You can purchase agility jumps, agility tire jumps, weaves, teeter totters, a-frames, dog walks and much more. They also offer most pieces in mini sizes for those smaller dogs and puppies. Even if you have a larger dog, a few pieces of mini equipment are great for rainy day training in your family room, basement or garage.




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