Agility training is a dog sport that is becoming increasingly popular among dog owners. "Agility" comes from English and means "agility" in German. Agility training was originally developed as a break filler at the Crufts Dog Show, the world's largest dog show. It has now become a competitive discipline in club competitions as well as at state and national championships. The basic aim is to complete an obstacle course without making any mistakes in the shortest possible time - without being on a leash or touched by the owner. The course to be completed usually contains between twelve and 22 obstacles and is 100 to 200 meters long.
Fun for dogs and humans
Agility training is a lot of fun for both dog and owner, as the shared sporting activity helps to improve communication between owner and animal. After all, communication without a leash takes place exclusively through body language in combination with voice signals. This is intended to strengthen the trust between the two parties in the long term. In advance, the training requires both dog and owner to be very skilled and in good shape, as the hurdles in the course can be very varied. This is why agility training is particularly suitable for dogs who find simple walks boring in the long run. Agility training is particularly popular with dogs who enjoy running. Basically, agility training is suitable for any dog that enjoys exercise and new challenges and loves variety.
Agility training at home?
In principle, agility training at home is the right dog sport. The prerequisite for this is that there is a large area for the course. For agility training at home, this is ideally set up in the garden. Alternatively, it can also be the living room or another relatively large room. Next, you need a selection of equipment. Classics here include tunnels, seesaws and tires to jump through. If you have a sack tunnel for children in the house, you can use this. Otherwise, you can easily build a tunnel yourself for training the dog using chairs placed one behind the other and a blanket laid over them. Now the animal is lured through the tunnel. To start with, dog treats such as trainees, dog sausages or dog biscuits can be used. A sturdy shelf can be converted into a seesaw by placing it over two drinks crates that are as heavy as possible. When balancing on top, the dog's leash can initially remain on the collar so that the animal gets used to the task and does not accidentally fall off. Introduce your dog to each obstacle in agility slowly, gradually increase the difficulty by incorporating different commands such as “forward”, “forward” and “backward” and then reward him for each hurdle he overcomes.
Tracking training and other sports for dogs
Agility training is one of many dog sports that bring variety, exercise and joy to our four-legged friends' everyday lives and promote their physical and mental fitness. It is very important for any type of fitness for the dog that it is in good health and that the sport suits it. For example, agility training is not suitable for large dogs such as Newfoundlands or St. Bernards and small breeds such as dachshunds or corgis. A veterinarian can provide advice here.
haustierkost.de wishes you lots of fun with agility training or trying out other sports with your dog!
