Should You Join a Dog Agility Training Class?

Dog Care | Dog Health Advice| Dog Health Issues

Friday, June 1st, 2007

As a pet owner, you may be considering training your dog for agility performance. But if you’re not familiar with the advanced concepts, it might be a good idea to join a dog agility training class so that you don’t risk injury to the dog or teach him the wrong methods.

A dog agility training class brings the sport to the dog as a fun activity, rather than a forced chore. It doesn’t matter if you want to teach your dog agility as an extra-curricular activity or you’re planning to go to masters’ level at the United States Dog Agility Association.

Dog agility training has been practiced more than a decade in the United States. In England, it’s been practiced even longer thanks to a spark of imagination stemming from equestrian jumpers.

A dog agility training class can give you insight into the world of obstacles, scoring, and performance. You’ll get a lot of satisfaction if you know your dog is enthusiastic about its agility training.

When you join an agility training class, your dog learns how to race against the clock and the camaraderie and competitiveness contributes to the animal’s performance. Some classes will be more competitive than others, so you may want to scout out the best atmosphere for you and your pet.

Dogs often love attending a dog agility training class. They’re given the opportunity to work in a new environment with ramps, jumps, poles, and tires that are often colorful and inviting.

To be a part of a dog agility training class, most groups will require that you’ve previously attended and completed an obedience class for your dog. And many will ban your pet from participation if it’s an aggressive animal.

Usually, a dog agility class will run about one hour once a week fie a course of six weeks. Classes begin with warm-ups and playtime to get the dog acclimated to its surroundings.

Then the training kicks in when the handlers get the attention of their dog The class may cover things such as jumps, with beginners using smaller ones than advanced agility dog training participants.

Classes are fun for the owners, but he or she must realize that it often involves the handler showing the dog what to do before the dog will comply. And you may need to bring treats as a form of reward until the dog is able to follow commands on queue.

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