Our dogs need to have regular exercise as well. Dog agility training exercises are one of the drills you can even do at home. You don’t have to force getting into professional training for your dogs if you are not ready. There are still ways to exercise your dogs, even at the comfort of your own home. Inside this article, we will provide you with details about dog agility training exercises that you and your pets will enjoy together. Additionally, we will explain here the importance of exercising your pets.
Doing exercises with your dogs is an exciting activity to do together. It is not only your dog who will get exercised but you as well. Exercise is beneficial to both of you. A good health condition is the best thing you could enjoy for a lifetime. In effect, you would be spending more time with each other.
Dog agility training exercises
Agility training is a way to develop a strong bond between you and your dog. You don’t have to hurry things up at all. You can start with the basics first.
- Puppy dogwalk: This is best for puppies whose bones and joints are still in the development stage. Walk your dog in areas with little steps off the ground. Probably no more than a few inches will do. It can help your pup to get used of agility drill of walking without getting injured.
- Use weave poles: You can use pipes here to create the weave poles. Slowly, teach your dogs on how to do the running through the weave poles following a pattern. Once they knew it already, let them run back and forth. You can provide rewards for their successful runs to keep them motivated.
- Try using a tunnel: Collapsible tunnels are already available. These tunnels make an excellent agility tool for your dogs. To make tunnels interesting for your dogs, you can put treats on their way out. This way, they can put up running through the tunnel down to their next drill.
- Use a tire: Hang up a tire that your dog can jump through. As a start, you can put it closer to the ground. Some dogs are excellent jumpers, you know. Once they already gained their confidence in jumping through the tire you hanged, you can adjust the height little by little.
- Build a teeterboard: They usually make these boards using a long wood piece, probably eight feet or so, with a large PVC pipe measuring six or eight in diameter. Make it look attractive for your dog, such as adding anti-skid paint on it. When it’s ready, you need to guide your dog initially on their first walks on it.
How beneficial is agility training for your dogs?
Agility training enables to improve the body’s quick change in an efficient way. This ability will require balance, coordination, strength, speed and endurance. This training will not only benefit the dog but the handler as well. See the benefits below, and you might start doing this training right now and then.
- This training will develop the dog’s usage of their instincts. Way back, dogs need to hunt to have their meals. They have to do this for survival. However, for pet dogs, they no longer have to do this. The owner will provide food for them. To stimulate your dog’s natural hunting instincts, provide them with food embarked with an agility training.
- Dog agility exercises are excellent options to use up excess energy from your dogs. It prevents your dog from becoming obese and even strengthens their bones and joints. This exercise will not only work for your dogs but to you as well.
- Agility training develops a stronger bond between the dog and its handler. The dogs may be smart, but they still need support from their owner or handler. Through these dog agility exercises, they will spend more time together to succeed in the agility courses. They will surely improve their communication exceptionally.
Given these points, don’t you still want to try doing these dog agility exercises? We can assure you that you and your dog will both enjoy and benefit from it. However, before you can start with these agility courses, you have to check a few things.
Considerations before doing dog agility exercises
Strenuous exercises make up an agility course. For this reason, you have to check a few things before deciding to proceed with this.
- You have to make sure that your dog is in good physical condition. Make sure that the joints are well prepared for the running and jumping involved in agility programs. Aside from that, you have to check if your dog has a healthy heart. Visiting a veterinarian for a comprehensive physical exam of your dog is necessary. Approval from your veterinarian is essential before undergoing this physical training.
- It would be best to consider your dog’s temperament. Your dog might not be ready to spend time around strange dogs and strange people. This behaviour might lead to potential commotions and might make your dogs get distracted and out of focus.
- Discover your dog’s wants and needs. Please find out how you can impress them to keep their motivation throughout these tiring activities. They might not allow incentives during the actual training, so dig more in-depth about your dog’s personality.
No matter how much you are doing this agility exercises with your dog, it should only be one-sided. It would be best to know that your dogs are into it as well. This way, you can keep the balance between the two of you. It will not be difficult to start training and keep going in the long run.
When is the best time to start training?
The best time joining an agility event usually happens at the age of 1 or 2 for your dog. Before this age, you can start training your dogs. However, it would be best to ask for advice from your veterinarian. As mentioned earlier, your dog needs a comprehensive physical examination to check its fitness condition.
Sometimes, even if dogs look healthy outside, there could be underlying issues that only your veterinarian can determine. We don’t want to put our pets at risk if they do have health issues. Forcing them to do something like this training is not a good idea at all.
If your dog is fit, start from the basics, and once they are ready, you can join local agility groups. You can find them through asking your veterinarian, a dog trainer, or your fellow dog owners. With the help of these local agility groups, they can assist you in establishing an initial program to test your dog’s agility skills and abilities.
Aside from that, you have to prepare for the expenses that these training can incur. It includes training expenses, training kits, expert fees, etc. In a beginner course, you might spend a maximum of $200. In the long run, if you find yourself wanting for more, expenses can increase. Levels of training will change as your dog is continually improving.
Bottom line
Agility courses are beneficial to you and your dogs. You only have to secure that everything is in place. For instance, your dog’s physical condition, your condition, and other considerations you have to look into.
