Dog Agility Training - Help Your Dog To Stay Fit And Healthy | Dogs

By AdrianFletcher
Total views: 8
Word Count: 645

Can you remember the last time you ran an obstacle course. Besides being in the armed forces, the chances are it was in your childhood. Can you recall how hard it was ? In fact, if you only looked at the course without ever trying it you are aware of how challenging it appeared.

So if we acknowledge the difficulty of such a course why do we expect our dogs to be able to do such a course. After all, they are a test of endurance, agility and conditioning. Are dogs innately conditioned to run through tunnels, over bridges and jump fences ? No, they have to be trained.

Agility dog training programs are created to give dogs the physical capacity to run an obstacle course. They aim to make your pet stronger and fitter. As a dog in an obstacle course remains under the control of it's owner, the course also teaches the dog to respond to commands. This has two benefits, it teach the dog obedience training and builds on the relationship that an owner must have with his/her dog. Dog agility training programs also help your pet to cope with unpredictable situations and effectively think independently. For example, it isn't clear to a dog how to run through a tunnel or even why it should do this. Your pet has to be instructed on these techniques so that it will be able to apply these skills to different obstacle courses in different locations.

Indeed, this is a challenging task for any trainer to communicate these skills to a dog. It should take quite a few hours of instruction with a skilled trainer before your dog will be able to tackle an obstacle course. Once this initial training is completed, it will be your task as the owner of the dog to continue it's training. In the end, it is about creating a strong connection between you and your dog. Once you have taken over this training role, it is up to you to keep your dog fit and up to date with the new obstacle course challenges. This might be hard to begin with but you will derive a great sense of achievement if you can improve your dogs performance and shave a few seconds of it's time.

And the aim of all this agility dog training is to put your pet into a obstacle course competition. No doubt you have seen one or two of these events at live dog shows or on the television. It is a common view that these types of competitions are cruel because the dog is forced to do something against it's will but in reality the animal loves to do things like this. However, in my opinion, competitions like these are the best parts of the dog show and are a real antidote to all the stuff judging events that go on in the main show. And most of the dogs absolutely love the event if their wagging tails and noisy barking is anything to go by. Perhaps the dog is responding to the applause of the crowd but it is good to see the animal having such a good time.

Of course, the success a dog will have running in an obstacle course competition will be down to it's solid agility dog training skills that ensure it is safe. In fact this is one aspect of agility dog training that most people never really think about. The purpose of dog agility training is more than just developing the stamina and behavior of the dog but also to ensure it doesn't hurt itself in the process.

And of course the best motivation to make your pooch run through tunnels or slalom poles is that it will keep you pet busy and fit which makes him healthier and better adjusted to living in a family. It's just as enjoyable for you too.

About the Author

Get extra training tips like German Shepherd dog training and dog potty training visit http://www.doghealthncare.com

You are here Articles > Pets and Animals > Dogs