Dog Agility Training

Dog agility training is an activity to beat the clock completing obstacles with as few faults as possible.

You will need quite a few "props" to train your dog for this competition.

These include jumps, a teeter totter, long, wide tube, 8-10 weave poles and an inverted "V" ramp.

Hand signals are used primarily to guide your dog in the correct order of the obstacles he is to complete.

Start training by introducing your dog to one obstacle at a time. When he has mastered that efficiently, then move on to the next.

Work in the beginning on lead. Make sure the leash is long enough so the dog can maneuver obstacles.

For jumps, throw a ball over and run with your dog so he goes over the jump. Start with a low pole a few inches off the ground.

The teeter totter may be more difficult because it will move. Have a treat handy and coax him up to the middle and down the other side. Praise profusely and give him a treat when he completes the job.

The inverted "V" is mastered basically the same way as the teeter totter.

The weave poles can be learned quickly, also by using treats. Taking one pole at a time, have the dog walk around it and give a treat. Then add another pole, doing the same. Add more poles and have your dog weave in a out of them. Praise and treat when he does well.

The long, wide tube may be a problem. It is dark and confining in there, even for a short while.

Again, start slow and use treats. Let your dog smell the tube, go in it if he wants. Have someone at the other end calling him with a treat and he should go through. Lots of praise and treats when he accomplishes the task.

Eventually, start adding a combination of the props and have your dog go through them on lead and off. Keep adding until you have a course laid out.

Then go for it like your were in an agility competition and have a load of fun.

In dog agility training, speed is the word of the day to win this event. There are different categories and sizes of dogs in this competition. The height of the jumps vary depending on the size of the dog.

Categories are 8, 12, 16 and 24 inches in height, going from small dogs to large.

The most popular breeds in this activity are Shetland Sheepdogs, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Labs, Golden Retrievers, terriers and Collies.

The courses are laid out differently at each show so the dogs don't get use to a particular pattern.

This is to see how well they pay attention to their handler's signals.

The fastest dog in each category completing the course with the least amount of faults is the winner.

Dog agility training is a fun and exciting sport. If you've ever watched the competition on Animal Planet then you know what we're talking about.