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Dog Agility Training Methods

To start your dog on agility training you first need to have a few things sorted out.

This does not mean that either of you needs to be able to run a mile, you just need to keep close enough to each other so that your dog can hear your commands.

Starting training. Dog agility training, especially in classes, can be quite a stressful experience for a beginner dog as there is a lot going on and he is being told to do something he is not familiar with. You need to keep yourself calm, but at the same time have a really good fun time with your dog with lots of praise and games and take some tasty treats with you as well. Whatever you do DO NOT scold the dog if he does something wrong, this will only make him associate going to agility with bad things, he wont enjoy it and neither will you.

You do need to be a little bit hard when agility training as you must never scold the dog for doing wrong but you mustn't praise him either. If he does go wrong, and he will, calmly start again and praise him hugely when he does it right.

Starting on Dog Agility Obstacle Training

Jumps: Most dogs take naturally to jumps so long as they are started on a nice low setting which is gradually increased in height. Don't expect a Jack Russel to jump a two foot tall fence panel straight off. You need to build his confidence in what he can do and you need to get him used to you running alongside him as he jumps. When he jumps make sure you say the same word, even if it's just 'jump', each time he leaves the ground. This association with the word will help him to know what to do when you ask him to jump over a bar that is taller than he is. Otherwise you might find he just scampers underneath it instead!

Tunnels: Puppies are more likely to have trouble with these than older dogs and you should definitely start with solid tunnels as the pup can see to the other side. Start with a short tunnel and call the puppy through offering a tasty reward and lots of hugs and praise when he makes it through. When he is totally comfortable gradually extend the tunnel and introduce a bit cloth over the end to get him used to fabric tunnels.

A Frame and Dog Walk: It's a good idea to train your dog the Dog Walk before going on to the see-saw to get your dog used to being up in the air on a wooden plank. Be aware that on both the Dog Walk and the A Frame there are contact zones at the bottom of each ramp that the dog must touch before continuing to the next obstacle. So the key here is not to rush.

See-saw: Many dogs take a while to get used to these and you need to be at your most praising when you are training your dog to use one. Get your dog to walk up to the middle and as soon as the plank starts to tilt praise him hugely for staying on it. If he jumps off, give him a few minutes break and start again, praising him for staying on the see-saw. Once he has done the see-saw properly once and realises that nothing scary is going to happen while the plank is moving he will quickly gain in confidence.

Weave poles: These are the most challenging dog agility obstacle of all as they involve a totally unnatural movement for the dog. There are many different ways you can teach your dog to weave but you will need to be patient. Popular methods include starting with poles that are offset and gradually moving them into a line and starting with poles that are already in a line but lean out from the base so that the dog does not have to weave so much. You can also lead your dog through the weave poles by his collar to show him the way you want him to move, gradually taking your hand away so that eventually he is doing it by himself. Just remember, to make sure you don't lose points at a show your dog must always enter the poles from the left.

The most important thing to remember about agility training is that you must not push your dog to do more that he feels confident to do and it must be fun for you both with lots of praise and treats all round.

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