Top 10 Tips to Get started in Dog Agility
My 10 top tips to get started in Dog Agility
My first encounter with dog agility was some 12 years ago with my rescue dog Tommy.
I was just looking for some dog training and found a local agility group – I had never heard of agility before, but I was instantly hooked.
Since those early beginnings I have competed in National and International Dog Agility events in Canada, and South Africa with my dogs and I now work as an agility coach in Susan Garrett’s Handling 360 and Agility Nation programmes as well as in my own dog training school, Namib Dog Training.
Agility is a wonderful activity to do with your dog for a lot of reasons.
For the dogs it is not only great exercise, but Agility also creates a sense of purpose, a job. They get a chance to work as a team with their person, develop trust, a deeper level of communication, and a stronger bond.
For the humans it i provides an opportunity to get to know their dog on a completely new level, as well as a chance to connect with fellow dog people. I have made numerous great friends all over the world through my involvement in the sport.
Agility also keeps you fit, not only do you have to keep up with your dog on course but planning handling strategy and reading course maps work your brain like any other puzzles.
And besides, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about all the studies that show how beneficial it is to spend time with dogs.
How to get started with dog agility
So now that I hopefully have got you hooked on the idea to give agility a try let me share my top ten tips for getting started:
Start away from equipement.
Start at home or find a class or even better an online programme where foundations are taught away from obstacles. Something my mentor Susan Garrett keeps stressing is that 80% of agility happens between the obstacles, and is about teamwork and communication. You want to build those foundations first, before you add to the complexity with jumps, tunnels and other obstacles.
Know what motivates your dog.
Motivators can be food, toy play, or permission to do something they love. If you know what drives your dog at their core, you can use it to teach your dog to love whatever you are trying to teach them.
Teach your dog a trick.
Trick training is a great way to build your relationship with your dog. With nothing at stake, you can take it slowly and focus on the fun. If you need some ideas for easy tricks check out my post on 10 ways to exercise your dog at home.
Shape, don’t lure.
Learn to train your dog through shaping games rather than luring. Shaping creates more clarity and confidence for the dog. If your dog has learned to solve shaping puzzles your agility training will progress much faster later on.
Play with your dog.
You always want to get your dog’s buy in before you start training and tugging is a great to get your dog excited about training. Playing tug in between training sessions keeps your dog fresh and engaged and it is a wonderful way to create and maintain drive in the dog.
Help your dog use their body.
This may come as a surprise but most dogs don’t know where their hind legs are! You can help them recognise where their body is in space by having them walk over, under and round objects. You can use logs, benches, low walls, or anything you find on your walks or you can create a balance path at home. Keep it easy, always focus on clarity and confidence first!
Teach a retrieve.
Being able to toss a toy reward and have your dog bring it back is very useful for training.
Recall.
Teach your dog to come when called. If you need help teaching recall check out my tips for Recall Training over on my on Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NamDogs/videos/1296234227233257
Teach a solid sit stay.
Teach your dog to sit and hold that position until you release them. Not only will this help you with your start line , but understanding of a release is an important foundation for other agility skills.
Focus on foundations.
Agility is all about connection. The longer you spend to build solid foundations, creating clarity and confidence for your dog, the more you will both enjoy the game.
There you have it, these are my top ten tips for getting started with agility.
Does this whet your appetite?
If you are curious and want to find out if agility is something you and your dog might enjoy then shoot me an email (barbara@namibdogtraining.com) or even better, book a free call and we can chat about it!
Talk soon!
Barbara
