Every dog should undergo some level of obedience training and there are plenty of reasons why this is true. One of the biggest arguments for obedience training is that your household simply will be happier if your dog is well-trained. A well-trained dog is one of the best companions on earth and one that you will enjoy for many years and forever in your heart.
Obedience training also improves your dog’s ability to work with agility equipment and run on an agility course, and in turn, learning agility skills also improves your dog’s overall level of obedience.
When you think about obedience training, you might think it sounds unexciting and not as much fun as playing with your dog. However, obedience training is a fun time for your dog because you are spending time together.
You can even use some of your agility equipment to reinforce obedience training lessons.
For instance, the pause table is a perfect piece of equipment for teaching obedience skills and agility skills. Your dog needs to learn how to sit, stay and lay down and you can teach this skill on the pause table as well as in other settings. In addition, distance training is part of learning how to use the pause table and this definitely improves overall obedience. After all, you want your dog to follow all commands regardless of whether you are a foot away from him or 15 feet away.
Often before you begin learning pieces of agility equipment such as dog agility jumps, dog agility tunnels or the dog agility a-frame, you should consider other components of agility training. For instance, people often teach their dog to fetch an object or tug and let go of a toy. While these are fun activities, they also are teaching obedience skills to your dog.
Obedience training is an important component in agility training because it cements the bond between dog and handler and increases the level of trust.
It’s much easier to train a dog how to use agility equipment if you have a strong bond and your dog has a better understanding of how to please you.
Obedience training can begin virtually the moment you bring home a puppy or a rescue dog. Start with some basic commands, teach them proper bathroom behavior and set some household rules. Make sure everyone in your household uses the same commands and verbal cues when enforcing the rules.
Be sure to provide lots of praise, but typically it is best not to overdo it with treats or other incentives, particularly if you plan on really diving into agility training. Treats and incentives aren’t allowed on an agility course as dogs are meant to navigate each piece of agility equipment without receiving a treat. In addition, you might not always have a treat handy, but you always want your dog to behave, so it’s best to have praise and approval serve as a reward.
You can begin agility training at just about any time. For puppies, it’s best to begin by using mini agility equipment as their bodies are still in development and this type of agility equipment is safest. Mini agility equipment is also perfect for small dog breeds and even is handy for some indoor rainy day training.
At Carlson Agility, we have any type of agility equipment you might need for agility training. We have agility jumps, agility weaves, dog agility a-frames, agility dog walks, dog tunnels and chutes and much more. Our high quality agility equipment is easy to set up and your dog is sure to have a fantastic time learning to use each piece of agility equipment.
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.
