|
Dog Agility Training: Getting Competition Ready |
| Print |
|
E-mail |
|
Written by David Harding
|
|
Tuesday, 06 May 2008 |
|
Ask anyone who has watched, let alone been involved in, a dog agility contest and they will tell you that there is nothing like it when it comes to seeing what a dog can achieve. Maneuvering over, around and under obstacles at high speed, accuracy is very important.
by DavidHarding
Ask anyone who has watched, let alone been involved in, a dog agility contest and they will tell you that there is nothing like it when it comes to seeing what a dog can achieve. Maneuvering over, around and under obstacles at high speed, accuracy is very important.
When it comes to the competition, the judges pay close attention as to how the handler and the dog work together to get through the often pretty complicated course of obstacles. No dog is to large or too small but each will compete in a specific category.
On race day the handler is given a map of the course to show where obstacles are laid out. The handler is responsible for studying the map and knowing exactly where obstacles like tunnels and jumps will be placed so the dog can be given the correct commands at the right time.
Agility training does take alot of work but it is not a difficult thing to teach a dog. One of the easiest ways to start is to use a dog treat to entice the animal through an obstacle. The agility training should start off fairly easy at first and gradually build up in intensity.
There has to be good communication between the dog and handler. Competition day will be a noisy affair and the dog must know and understand exactly what its handler is communicating to it at any given moment. Everything happens at speed so there is little room for error.
The handler and dog do not come into contact with one another during any stage of the agility contest and so its extremely important the handler, who may not neccessarily be the owner, knows exactly how to get the dog to perform to simple commands in order to get thru the various obstacles.
Much like a coach feels pride at watching an athlete succeed in a competition after having put in all the neccessary hours of training, so too will the handler feel about a dog that succeeds in an agility contest.
|
