While using dog agility equipment is meant to be an exciting and fun activity for both dog and handler, it can be frustrating at times. When training becomes a bit stressful, it’s probably time to step back a little and analyze your teaching methods. It could be that you are making one of the following training mistakes, all of which can be corrected easily.
1. Dogs Need Individualized Training On Dog Agility Equipment
If you’ve trained one dog, you can train them all, right? This may be true as long as your training is based upon the personality of the dog. For instance, your approach to training a shy, more timid dog will be vastly different than the way you would train an energetic, confident, sociable dog. Some dogs need a bit of extra patience when learning how to use dog agility equipment, while others are happy to dive right in and go for it.
You need to really focus on your dog’s temperament and adjust your methods accordingly. This might mean using shorter training sessions or perhaps altering the tone of your voice. An energetic, but easily distracted pooch might have better focus if they have a little unstructured playtime prior to training as this can work off a bit of excess energy. The bottom line is that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for dog agility training.
2. You Provide The Dog With Inconsistent Or Confusing Directions
Dogs are smart and they are capable of learning a myriad of commands. Before you teach them how to use that first piece of dog agility equipment, sit down and map out a plan. Decide which commands you will use for each piece of equipment and never deviate from those commands. If the family is participating in agility training, make sure everyone stays on the same page.
Dogs love and crave routine and changes can confuse them, so be very consistent with your routine, especially in the beginning. Once your dog has mastered the skills and commands for all of the different types of dog agility equipment, you can set up courses in different configurations. But take it slow when you re-arrange the dog agility equipment. In competition, dogs do have to perform on an unfamiliar course, so they do need practice running all different configurations of agility courses. However, by the time you get to the point where you are mixing up the dog agility equipment, your dog will have all of your commands and signals memorized.
3. You Don’t Use Dog Agility Equipment Enough
When it comes to agility training, patience, consistency and practice are three big keys to success. Training sessions don’t have to be long; in fact, shorter is sometimes better for your dog. However, you should be out there practicing just about every day. Spending an hour on agility training on the weekends isn’t going to be enough to really enjoy success on an agility course. Even if you only have 20 minutes per day to spare, getting out there and practicing every day or every other day can yield much better results.
With our busy work schedules and other commitments, it can be tricky to fit it all in. Create a schedule that works for you. You might schedule a 30-minute training session on Saturday and on Sunday, and then commit yourself to also working in training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. Even if these are a few minutes shorter, it’s the consistency that matters. This will keep commands, signals and skills fresh in mind for your dog.
Often the weather or a lack of sunlight interferes with your agility training schedule, but at Carlson Agility, we have a solution for these issues. Our mini dog agility equipment can fit easily into a garage or basement so that you can continue training in a smaller space. Some of our customers even set up a mini course in the family room or just set up one or two pieces of equipment for some fun rainy day practicing.
If you need dog agility equipment or any type of mini dog agility equipment, check out our selection. We have every imaginable piece of equipment that you might need, as well as a few other handy training tools. If you are just starting out, consider purchasing one of our helpful starter kits.
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.
