While consistently practicing with dog agility equipment is a huge component to agility training, agility dogs are athletes and they also benefit from additional types of conditioning exercises. It’s also important that the agility dog warm up a bit prior to using dog training equipment.
Dog agility is an awesome form of exercise for just about any healthy pooch. Whether or not you decide to compete, dog agility has many benefits. Using dog agility equipment teaches dogs to obey your commands and improves the bond between owner and dog. Not only will your dog be exercising, he or she will be exercising in a way that truly stimulates the brain.
Conditioning exercises as well as pre-agility equipment warm-ups can really strengthen your dog’s body and reduce the likelihood of injury. These exercises don’t have to be difficult though, and they also include the added advantage of providing some conditioning for the handler. After all, handlers are dashing around the agility course as well and that’s far easier to do if you are in good shape.
Walking and running are two obvious options for conditioning. Dogs have to be able to dash around the dog training equipment, so they need to build up some stamina. Start out slowly with a daily walk around the neighborhood. Then consider adding some light jogging. As you progress, you can increase the distance of your jogs and the intensity of the walks. One way to make a walk more difficult is to find a hilly spot for walking or perhaps an area with stairs. For instance, you could head to a local college and walk around the campus, going up and down staircases and hills. If you have some local hiking trails, these tend to be rated by difficulty so you could start out with easy hikes and gradually work up to more challenging conditions.
Running, jogging and walking in varied intensities builds up cardiovascular strength and stamina, but there are also other conditioning exercises to consider that will improve specific areas of your dog’s body. Swimming can be fun if you have access to a pool or some other body of water suitable for swimming. Playing fetch with a favorite ball is another fun exercise. Consider going to a park with a big hill and tossing the ball down the hill. Your dog will have to use different muscles to go up and down the hill. Playing with a flying disc can be fun, as well, just keep the height of the disc fairly low to avoid injuries.
There are also plenty of indoor activities that can improve your dog’s physical condition and prepare them for the rigors of using dog training equipment. For instance, using a balance board is an excellent way to improve balance and core strength. We sell these boards, also known as a buja board, on our website. You can adjust the elevation of the board by adding more air to the ball you place beneath the board. This not only works on balance skills, it also is an excellent tool to use when you are first introducing obstacles such as the teeter totter to your dog.
You can also bring a piece or two of dog agility equipment inside and just work on one specific skill. Tunnels and collapsible chutes are great options. Rather than have your dog dash through the obstacle, having them move more slowly with greater muscle control. The a-frame is another option to consider, and if a full-size a-frame doesn’t fit in your family room or garage, use this equipment outside or perhaps consider buying a mini a-frame. When using this for conditioning, have your dog climb halfway up the a-frame and stop and hold the position for a few seconds then have them go down the a-frame and hold in the down position for a few seconds. Repeat this process a few times and it will provide some good muscle exercise.
You can even do exercises such as leg lifts with your dog. Simply have your dog stand on all fours, then gently lift a leg and hold it for about 10 seconds. After you’ve completed this exercise with all four paws, grab some small treats and do some nose-to-tail work. Have your dog sit and then hold a treat by your dog’s tail. With him still sitting have him turn his head back and stretch out to get the treat. At first, just have him hold the position for a second or two and then gradually increase the amount of time until you get up to about 8 or 10 seconds.
Warming up prior to using your dog training equipment is always a good idea. You can warm up with a short, brisk walk around the block or a few sprints across the yard as well as some quick leg lifts and stretches. Handlers will benefit from the short walk and some stretching exercises, as well. Not only does a quick warm up get the muscles warm, it also helps focus your dog’s attention. You work off a little bit of energy so that the dog, especially a high energy dog, has an easier time obeying commands.
These are just a few suggestions to consider when creating a conditioning and workout regime for your furry friend. Keep in mind that while humans often grumble about exercising, dogs see exercise as fun and games and tend to be quite enthusiastic about working out as well as using dog training equipment. It is important, however, to slowly build up endurance and slowly increase practice times and to stop working out or using agility equipment if your dog seems tired.
Brad Carlson enjoys dog agility training. To find agility equipment or to find more about training equipment for dog agility equipment, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
