Doing agility dog training for your pet is fun, exciting, and challenging. You can actually do this training alone, but it's better to have some family members or friends help you out. But of course before engaging in the activity, you must first gather more information and innovative ideas on how to achieve effective dog agility training.
Training your dog in preparation for a competition needs a more systematic and scientific training method. In this kind of undertaking it is advised to consult a professional dog agility trainer. This kind of dog trainer is well-equipped with all the necessary knowledge and experience to take the dog to its highest limit.
However, if the dog training you plan to pursue is only for fun and to keep your pet in a better physical condition, you should take note of some important things to remember in doing dog agility training.
Before you start off with anything, you must see to it that all the measures to ensure the safety of the dog have already been considered. Don't start off with an exercise if you think something is wrong with its preparation.
Your dog has limitations too. Don't expect too much of the animal like letting the dog jump off a high building or pass through a wire. Use your sensitivity and common sense.
You must be aware of the fact that there are certain breeds of dogs that cannot do excessive jumping. The age and health condition of the dog are also important aspects to consider. Do an intensive research from the internet on these things, or consult a dog trainer or an authority on dogs.
An agility training for dogs is not an overnight course. Basically it takes time and requires a lot of patience on the part of the trainer. You will also need to have access to agility equipment and agility supplies. Chances are that most of the agility training equipment will be provided by the trainer at the agility course, but you might need some agility home build equipment and agility supplies to practice the agility exercises and agility drills at home. Don't be disappointed with your dog if it cannot perform a task like not being able to jump higher. Instead of putting the burden and pressure on the dog, ask yourself what's wrong with the way you handle the training.
Remember also to make sure that if you let the dog jump on a solid bar the bar can be detached both sides. Using otherwise can injure the dog and may lead to the end of the training.
Even dogs are at times not in perfect mood to perform a task. The dog trainer must understand this fact and do steps instead to motivate the animal. If the dog cannot focus on the exercise, it might get injured. Remember to give the dog regular rest periods.
A very effective way to motivate the dog to do well in the agility training is by giving a reward each time it performs well in an exercise. Normally, the reward given to a dog is food. Positive gestures of praise will also help. But remember to still feed the dog and give it its basic needs even if your pet fails to do a task. The reward in every successful exercise should be higher than the usual benefits that the dog gets. Your dog and you will enjoy the agility classes. Have fun!
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
This entry was posted
on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 10:12 pm and is filed under Dog Training.
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