Puppies are adorable, cuddly and cute. They also have a ton of energy and tend to get into trouble if not properly trained or given good outlets for their energy. Dog agility training is an excellent way to keep puppies busy and happy while teaching them obedience skills.
Just about every dog, providing they are in good health, will enjoy learning how to tackle agility obstacles. All different breeds and mixed breeds generally are welcome to participate in dog agility courses, and your dog's temperament and enjoyment are more likely to indicate whether or not he or she will love these activities, which can be a bit more exciting than fetching a stick or going for a walk.
A great beginning skill would be to learn how to use the pause table. A full-size table might be tricky for a young pup to handle, so you can remove the flat table portion and just use the top or use a mini pause table. On this table, your puppy must sit and stay and go down for a matter of seconds, and every dog needs to acquire these skills for their own safety. Not only will you teach these skills, you will also teach them to obey these commands while you are at a distance from them. This is excellent training for a puppy, but they aren't always motivated to learn these skills. Of course, treats aren't allowed on a true agility course, but in these early days, a puppy will be far more motivated if you provide a little nibble of something after they successfully complete a task.
Toys are always a source of fun for your puppy, and these also can increase a dog's overall level of obedience. When playing a gentle game of tug with a tug toy, you want to teach the dog how to tug, but also they need to learn to let go when you give a specific command. Fetching a ball or stuffed animal is always fun, but if your puppy learns to bring it straight back to you and drop it at your side, that's even better. This builds obedience and trust, which makes it so much easier to teach agility skills to your puppy.
Jumping is something that puppies adore, so this is a good early skill to introduce. Simply purchase a few single jumps and start by enticing them over just one jump and then onto the pause table. For safety, keep the heights very low to the ground. Once they understand to complete a jump and then sit and stay on the pause table, add another jump and keep them about three feet apart. The main goal here is to teach them how to move through the course, you aren't really concerned about their ability to jump. You simply want them to obey you.
After this has been taught, you can add some other fun obstacles, such as a teeter totter or perhaps a tunnel or an a-frame. For a puppy, go online to Carlson Agility and check out their full line of miniature agility equipment. They offer almost all types of equipment in scaled down sizes which are perfect for your puppy as well as small dogs, or perhaps you just don't have a huge backyard and can fit in more items using mini agility equipment. You can purchase a mini teeter, a mini dog walk, a mini a-frame, mini tire jumps and much more.
Just about every dog, providing they are in good health, will enjoy learning how to tackle agility obstacles. All different breeds and mixed breeds generally are welcome to participate in dog agility courses, and your dog's temperament and enjoyment are more likely to indicate whether or not he or she will love these activities, which can be a bit more exciting than fetching a stick or going for a walk.
A great beginning skill would be to learn how to use the pause table. A full-size table might be tricky for a young pup to handle, so you can remove the flat table portion and just use the top or use a mini pause table. On this table, your puppy must sit and stay and go down for a matter of seconds, and every dog needs to acquire these skills for their own safety. Not only will you teach these skills, you will also teach them to obey these commands while you are at a distance from them. This is excellent training for a puppy, but they aren't always motivated to learn these skills. Of course, treats aren't allowed on a true agility course, but in these early days, a puppy will be far more motivated if you provide a little nibble of something after they successfully complete a task.
Toys are always a source of fun for your puppy, and these also can increase a dog's overall level of obedience. When playing a gentle game of tug with a tug toy, you want to teach the dog how to tug, but also they need to learn to let go when you give a specific command. Fetching a ball or stuffed animal is always fun, but if your puppy learns to bring it straight back to you and drop it at your side, that's even better. This builds obedience and trust, which makes it so much easier to teach agility skills to your puppy.
Jumping is something that puppies adore, so this is a good early skill to introduce. Simply purchase a few single jumps and start by enticing them over just one jump and then onto the pause table. For safety, keep the heights very low to the ground. Once they understand to complete a jump and then sit and stay on the pause table, add another jump and keep them about three feet apart. The main goal here is to teach them how to move through the course, you aren't really concerned about their ability to jump. You simply want them to obey you.
After this has been taught, you can add some other fun obstacles, such as a teeter totter or perhaps a tunnel or an a-frame. For a puppy, go online to Carlson Agility and check out their full line of miniature agility equipment. They offer almost all types of equipment in scaled down sizes which are perfect for your puppy as well as small dogs, or perhaps you just don't have a huge backyard and can fit in more items using mini agility equipment. You can purchase a mini teeter, a mini dog walk, a mini a-frame, mini tire jumps and much more.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves dog agility training. To find an agility equipment for dogs, or to know more about other equipment like dog agility tunnels, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com site now.
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