Dog Agility Training Overview

In February 1978, the sport of dog agility was first seen at the Crufts Dog Show in England. It was first developed as a form of entertainment intended to fill the time between the obedience championship and the group judgment. It soon became a popular sport and favorite part of the majority of dog shows.

In 1977, John Varley was assigned the task of designing a new form of entertainment for the Crufts Dog Show. Varley was an experienced horseman, not an experienced dog trainer. Because of this, Varley was inspired by competition horse jumping and with the help of his friend, John Meanwell, he designed an obstacle course designed for dogs.

Agility training a dog is not as difficult as you may expect. The hardest part is getting your dog started. Dogs as young as one year old can start agility training by working on hurdles. You will first need to get your dog’s attention, but this can be accomplished by starting a game of tug-of-war with a toy.

Very often, classes are offered on dog agility training at a local pet store, animal organization, or community center. This is an excellent way to learn how to get your dog started in dog agility training. You will learn some of the tricks of the sport and will have access to an obstacle course. This allows you to learn about the various components on the obstacle course. You can take notes and draw pictures of the apparatus. When you are building your own obstacle course, you can use these notes and drawings to help you create the perfect obstacle course.

Some of the key components of the typical dog agility obstacle course are an A-frame, a dogwalk, a teeter-totter, a crossover, various tunnels or a tunnel maze, and various jumps. Some other components that are also often found on a dog agility obstacle course are a table, a pause box, and weave poles. All of these components can easily be replicated at home for training purposes. Some local dog parks also have small dog agility training obstacle courses.

When you are training your dog, it is important to remember that you should never force your dog to perform any task that makes your dog anxious or scared. Pay attention to how your dog reacts to each obstacle. If your dog does not appear to feel comfortable with the obstacle, take your dog to another obstacle. It may be that your dog will need to become more confident with the other obstacles and work his way up to a larger or more complicated obstacle.

There are many resources online regarding dog agility training. Several books have been published about dog agility training as well. An excellent resource on dog agility training may also be your dog’s veterinarian. They may be able to guide you to local resources on dog agility training.