Is your dog well-versed in basic obedience commands? If your dog consistently obeys standard commands such as sit, stay, down, heel, etc., then you may be ready to embark upon the agility training adventure. If your dog isn’t confident in you and the commands that you use, he’ll never trust you when you ask him to enter a dark agility tunnel or walk up the plank of the dog walk.
Besides your dog’s vocabulary, his physical maturity needs to be a consideration. Dogs must be a minimum of 9 months old to compete, but that doesn’t mean that every dog is ready at 9 months. Keeping this in mind, asking a puppy to clear regulation-height agility jumps before he is finished growing is a risky endeavor. His joints can’t handle that kind of trauma. Jumps higher than a growing puppy’s shoulder should remain out of the question. But, by all means, grounded equipment, like tunnels and boards, can be tackled as soon as the basic commands are mastered.
Maybe you’ve watched an agility trial, and you and your dog are both anxious to compete. The adrenaline, the competition, the…slow down, Fido. Experts maintain that most dogs will need months of daily, committed training before they’re ready for an agility trial. It is a journey – a very rewarding one at that.
Bond with your dog in a playful atmosphere. Use toys to play fetch, tug-of-war, or Frisbee to reinforce commands and bring home the idea that work can be fun for your dog. Your dog needs to work up to his best physical condition. Gradually introduce equipment, one piece at a time, in the form of short agility tunnels and low jumps. With time and continual success, tunnels may be lengthened and bars raised to regulation level. This will not only build your dog’s fitness and difficulty levels at a manageable pace, but will prevent injury and frustration.
There are many training locations which offer training classes. You will want to find one close to you and sign up for lessons. Agility is a sport that requires specialized training for both you and your dog. You need to learn how to handle your dog on the equipment and your dog will need to learn how to understand your commands and how to approach each piece of equipment. Dogs should never be permitted to “play” on the equipment. Agility equipment is specialized for the sport and both handler and dog need to be trained before using the equipment.