Puppies are sweet and cute, but they definitely can be a lot of work. Typically, if you purchase a puppy, this dog will be about two months old. While they might not have the world’s longest attention span at this point in their lives, you can begin some basic training and even use a few pieces of dog agility equipment.
Because a puppy is small and not fully developed, you will want to use mini agility equipment and perhaps skip some pieces of dog training equipment until your puppy is a bit older. Dog agility organizations typically do not allow dogs less than one year in age to compete simply because they need to be full-size and fully developed before using standard-size equipment.
When you begin training with any type of dog training equipment, you will need to keep training sessions fairly short. After all, a puppy simply cannot focus for long periods of time. Before you start a training session, take a walk around the neighborhood to burn off a bit of excess energy. To keep attention levels high, you might consider using tiny training treats as rewards when the puppy follows a command. Eventually, you will phase these treats out of the picture, but they can be a good way to help a puppy focus.
In general, using dog training equipment or general dog training requires a great deal of patience. It’s a good idea to think of training as a fun activity for both the dog and the owner. If training is fun and your dog or puppy is happy, you will have a higher rate of success. In addition, this training time is also bonding time, helping you and your puppy to really get acquainted.
One of the great reasons to consider puppy training with dog agility equipment is because it provides you with a fun way to train. You might consider beginning with a mini pause table. These are just a few inches off the ground and you can use the pause table to train your puppy to sit, stay and lay down. Once your puppy seems to have those basic skills down, consider doing a little distance training. This means you give these commands while standing a short distance away from you. Gradually increase the distance until you are about eight to ten feet away from the pause table.
The pause table is an excellent piece of dog training equipment because it teaches essential behavior. Dogs absolutely must learn to sit and stay in order to be safe. Your dog also should learn to sit and stay when you aren’t immediately next to them and when they are not on a leash. This can keep them from running after wild animals, running into the street or even running up to an unfamiliar dog.
In addition to using the pause table, there are other fun pieces of agility equipment that your puppy might enjoy. The collapsible chute might be a bit daunting, but a mini dog agility tunnel might be a fun piece of equipment. Dogs love to zoom through these, but if your puppy is a bit unsure, simply train by having a person at either end of the tunnel and have the person at the end of the tunnel hold a little treat. Be sure to provide plenty of praise once your puppy makes it through. Eventually, they will go through the tunnel just for the fun of it, as well as the praise they receive. While dogs certainly love a special tasty treat, praise and love are their favorite rewards.
A mini dog walk is another piece of contact dog agility equipment to consider using with a puppy. Because these do rise above the ground, be sure to help the puppy across these obstacles so that they do not fall. The a-frame can be particularly scary, so if you decide to use this piece of equipment, it might be best to wait until your puppy is older and bigger. The teeter or see-saw is available as a piece of mini agility equipment, but you can prepare them for training on this piece of equipment by using a Buja Board. These boards are flat and large enough for the puppy to stand or sit on, but they shift around. Getting your dog used to this movement can make teeter training a bit easier.
As your puppy ages, it can be fun to add mini jumps to the dog training time. These tiny pieces of dog training equipment are low enough to ensure that your puppy won’t be injured, yet provide a way to introduce jumps into your training. Dogs love jumps, and we offer several different types of mini jumps, including standard jumps, mini triple jumps, mini tire jumps and even a mini broad jump.
In addition to using dog training equipment, you also can play games such as fetch and tug to teach basic obedience skills. A dog learns to bring a toy back and drop it on command. A dog also learns to tug and when to stop tugging on a toy. When you teach basic commands to your dog, they learn to trust you and obey you, and this makes it easier to teach more complicated commands when they become older.
Take a look at our selection of mini agility equipment. Not only is this dog training equipment a great option for puppies and small dogs, it also works well for indoor agility training.
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.
