Introduction and History Owning a dog is undeniably a good thing; but sometimes the routine of exercising can seem a bit of a chore. Agility training can provide just the tonic for active dog and owner, as it challenges not just the need for rigorous physical exercise, but also the need for mental stimulation as well. Agility is about a dog completing an obstacle course in the fastest time possible and is more of the more popular events at dog shows, but it can just be done as a fun bonding activity for you and your dog.

Type of suitable dog In the serious, competitive sport, the breeds of dog that excel at agility tend to be those that are generally classed as intelligent, such as Border Collies and Labradors. However, as long as your mutt is fit, healthy and has enough brain cells to cope the basic obedience commands, there is no reason why he or she can't succeed in agility, even if it's just for fun. It's even suitable for puppies a young as 8 months. Some of the obstacles can be strenuous on the joints, so training any earlier than 8 months is not recommended.

Equipment As this is an activity based around completing an obstacle course, it is essential that Fido is trained with the obstacles. The equipment generally consists of a tunnel, cones for weaving, an "A" frame, some jumps, possibly a see-saw and a table for the dog to pause on. Oh, and some space to set all the equipment out. If it's too expensive or space is a problem there may be a club or classes in you neighbourhood. Failing that, obstacles can be improvised, for instance a sheet over a table can be a makeshift tunnel, and any table can be used as a pause table.

Procedure Don't expect Fido to be brilliant after the first few goes, for a start he or she may not understand what is expected of him. If Fido is by nature timid the course may be a little scary for him. Set -up the obstacles and let Fido become familiar with them before beginning the training. Start slowly with one obstacle and some very low jumps, which you may have to complete with Fido until gets the idea. Encouragement is the key: your dog will respond and learn more quickly he or she thinks they're doing the right thing: lots of praise and treats when Fido does it right. Never punish: bonding with your dog is supposed to be a fun activity!

You are certainly not on your own when it comes to training your dog, be it for agility or for anything else. There is a wealth of information available to help you with pretty much any doggy crisis, be it dealing with toilet matters, incessant barking or just jumping and biting, there is a great deal that you can do to help yourself.