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As well as for humans, agility dog trainig makes your pet more confident, increases its speed and its physical flexibility while helps excercise its feet. Agility dog training is currently a fast growing sport for dogs. This young dog sport is fun for both the dogs and their owners.

A little history of Agility Training for Dogs

Agility dog training started at the end of the ’70’s in England, and its invention was based on horse show jumping. Both agility dog training and horse jumping were found to make a strong foundation between the owner and the animal. This sport is useful also to develop strategy and teamwork. A dog agility event is won if you and your dog complete the course in the fastest time with the fewest number of faults. As you can see, there are tight similarities to horse jumping when the horse knocks down one of the poles of the fence.

Good Benefits for Dogs

Another benefit related to agility training for dogs is the mental effect it produces on dogs and owners. Maybe this is why they often show an increased confidence in eachother after successfully negotiating an agility obstacle course as a team. Most of dogs have a dramatical physical coordination improvement after completing the basic training exercises that are used to teach jumping and ramp work.

If you have an hyperactive dog, agility dog training provides him with a method of releasing some of that extra energy in a positive manner. Also, the mental workout has a greater benefit for the dog than the physical one. This kind of sport builds a sense of teamwork between the owner and the animal, and the level of communication between the two of them is very similar to the way humans communicate.

To make a great team in agility training, your dog and yourself must be in perfect sync, since there is no leash or collar allowed on an agility course. The order of obstacles is different on each course and the pathway twists and turns, so the dog, to be successful, has to learn a whole new vocabulary.

Puppies

Puppies can start training with regular walks through the agility courses as early as four months. As they get older, conditioning walks of two miles or longer are recommended. Dogs must be trained not to rush the obstacles as not to injure themselves by falling from an a-frame or a dog walk. Ramps have cross-laths to help with traction when the dog sprints up the ramp.

If your dog is afraid of heights, you will coax through the uncertainty and by doing so will help your dog-friend and yourself.

I wish you the best success in training your dog!

Tags: Dogs

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