Just like for humans, agility training for dogs makes them more confident, increases their speed, and increases their overall flexibility, while doing things on their feet. Agility training for dogs is one of the fastest growing sports for dogs in the world. This relatively new dog sport is not only fun for the dogs but fun for the owners as well.
A little history of Agility Training for Dogs
Agility training for dogs started in the late 1970s in England, and its invention was based on horse show jumping. Agility training for dogs and horse jumping help to make a strong relationship between the owner and the animal. Curiously enough, this kind of events are useful also to develop strategy and teamwork. You win an agility event with your dog if you and your dog complete the course in the fastest time with the fewest number of faults. As you can see, it is very similar again to horse jumping when the horse knocks down one of the poles of the fence.
Positive Benefits for Dogs
Another benefit related to agility training for dogs is the mental effect it produces on dogs and owners. Maybe this is why they often show an increased confidence in eachother after successfully negotiating an agility obstacle course as a team. Most of dogs have a dramatical physical coordination improvement after completing the basic training exercises that are used to teach jumping and ramp work.
For those hyperactive dogs, agility training provides them with a method of releasing some of that extra energy in a positive manner. The mental workout for the dog is often greater for the dog than the physical one. The teamwork that the sport builds between the owner and the animal builds a level of communication between the two that is very similar to how humans communicate.
To make a great team in agility training, your dog and yourself must be in perfect sync, since there is no leash or collar allowed on an agility course. The order of obstacles is different on each course and the pathway twists and turns, so the dog, to be successful, has to learn a whole new vocabulary.
Puppies
Puppies can start training with regular walks through the agility courses as early as four months. As they get older, conditioning walks of two miles or longer are recommended. Dogs must be trained not to rush the obstacles as not to injure themselves by falling from an a-frame or a dog walk. Ramps have cross-laths to help with traction when the dog sprints up the ramp.
In the event your dog who is afraid of heights (maybe yours is or maybe you are), the owner will coax through the uncertainty and by doing so will help his dog and himself.
