Dog agility is an exciting world of fun and competition, and if you are thinking about joining in on the experience, you will need to do some basic research to understand a little bit about what is involved in training, competing and equipment. Here are a few basic bits of information that will give you a general idea of what dog agility is all about.
Dogs compete on an agility field or agility course, and these terms mean the same thing. A variety of apparatus are set up on the course and these are known as obstacles. Some obstacles are contact obstacles, and that means just what you think, the dog has direct contact with these obstacles. These include dog agility a-frames, the teeter totter and the dog walk.
While it's probably not as much fun for the dogs, another obstacle is the pause table. Dogs must stop zooming about and jump on the table and pause, by sitting or lying down, for a set number of seconds. Sometimes it's not a table, but a pause box. This "box" might simply be a square of grass marked off clearly or it could be a square board. No matter what it looks like, the dog does the same thing when it reaches this obstacle.
Other obstacles include dog tunnels and dog agility chutes, as well as a wide variety of jumps or hurdles. There might be a tire jump, a panel jump and double or triple jumps. Double jumps are simply two single jumps next to each other, forcing the dog to leap a long distance without coming into contact with the jump. Weave poles or weaves as they are commonly called are another obstacle and dogs must weave in and out through the poles. This is one of the most difficult skills for dogs to master. There are also some unique hurdles you might see such as a sway bridge or swing plank or perhaps a log hurdle, but these are less common.
Each pairing of dog and handler is called a team. The handler is simply the person who leads the dog around the course using only verbal commands and hand signals. No treats are allowed. The handler is usually the dog's owner, but it might also be a professional trainer. The team is presented with a score after running the field and this score is determined by calculating the faults that are received. There are time faults if the dog doesn't finish the course in time and course faults given when equipment is not navigated perfectly.
It might sound cutthroat, but really these events are fun and spirited. Obviously both dog and handler are happy after a successful run, but there are more important benefits to be gained, such as building a bond between a dog and his human companion. To get going, order some high quality dog agility equipment from Carlson Agility today. They have everything from pause tables, to dog agility jumps, a-frames, tunnels, chutes, see-saws and everything else you will find on a course. They also have mini equipment perfect for puppies and the smaller dog breeds.
Dogs compete on an agility field or agility course, and these terms mean the same thing. A variety of apparatus are set up on the course and these are known as obstacles. Some obstacles are contact obstacles, and that means just what you think, the dog has direct contact with these obstacles. These include dog agility a-frames, the teeter totter and the dog walk.
While it's probably not as much fun for the dogs, another obstacle is the pause table. Dogs must stop zooming about and jump on the table and pause, by sitting or lying down, for a set number of seconds. Sometimes it's not a table, but a pause box. This "box" might simply be a square of grass marked off clearly or it could be a square board. No matter what it looks like, the dog does the same thing when it reaches this obstacle.
Other obstacles include dog tunnels and dog agility chutes, as well as a wide variety of jumps or hurdles. There might be a tire jump, a panel jump and double or triple jumps. Double jumps are simply two single jumps next to each other, forcing the dog to leap a long distance without coming into contact with the jump. Weave poles or weaves as they are commonly called are another obstacle and dogs must weave in and out through the poles. This is one of the most difficult skills for dogs to master. There are also some unique hurdles you might see such as a sway bridge or swing plank or perhaps a log hurdle, but these are less common.
Each pairing of dog and handler is called a team. The handler is simply the person who leads the dog around the course using only verbal commands and hand signals. No treats are allowed. The handler is usually the dog's owner, but it might also be a professional trainer. The team is presented with a score after running the field and this score is determined by calculating the faults that are received. There are time faults if the dog doesn't finish the course in time and course faults given when equipment is not navigated perfectly.
It might sound cutthroat, but really these events are fun and spirited. Obviously both dog and handler are happy after a successful run, but there are more important benefits to be gained, such as building a bond between a dog and his human companion. To get going, order some high quality dog agility equipment from Carlson Agility today. They have everything from pause tables, to dog agility jumps, a-frames, tunnels, chutes, see-saws and everything else you will find on a course. They also have mini equipment perfect for puppies and the smaller dog breeds.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves dog agility training. To discover a dog obstacle course, or to find additional agility dog training equipment like agility jumps, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
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