Angelcare K-9 Academy
Agility: Overcoming the Obstacles
Agility, where a dog demonstrates its versatility in negotiating a variety of obstacles, is simply one of the most enjoyable activities for dogs. It allows them to race as fast as they can, leap through the air with abandon and climb to the highest peak - to exercise many of the activities they love to do - in a positive competitive atmosphere. Working with its handler, a dog races through an obstacle course designed to showcase these natural attributes. Our fastest-growing sport, Agility is fun and exciting for participants and spectators alike.
Agility is a positive, fun way to teach a dog how to learn all sorts of things, regardless of what plans you have for its future career. It is a perfect outlet for the mischievous, inquisitive mind and boundless energy of most dogs. Agility builds confidence, teaches coordination and encourages teamwork between a dog and its handler. All dogs enjoy it.
Agility is a natural sport for dogs. The maneuvers executed by the dog on the agility course are the same movements it would naturally make running through the woods, leaping over branches, ducking under logs or brush, weaving in and out of tree trunks, and pausing on a rock for a few seconds. It’s not unusual to see dogs perform agility obstacles when given the opportunity. In fact one of the things you must teach your dog is not to take an obstacle until you direct it to do so.
Success in Agility requires proper training, patience and most of all, teamwork. Between a course’s designated start to finish lines, a dog/handler team races against the clock. The dog is expected to climb an A-frame, teeter-totter over a seesaw, soar over jumps, leap through tires, scurry through tunnels, weave through poles and pause on a table- all with its handler urging it on, using hand signals while running ahead and setting the pace. There are different height categories so each dog is tested fairly on the course.
Your dog will thrive on the learning and attention the sport provides. Agility can be taught almost entirely with a positive, inductive food-oriented approach. Keep it simple; do not rush to performing the obstacle the way they would be done in the ring. Watching your dog develop and catch on to the real game of agility is truly an exciting experience.
This guide presents the obstacles in a typical Agility course that a dog/handler team must conquer. This sequence and number of obstacles will vary from competitive trial to competitive trail.
Open Tunnel
Objective
The dog runs at full speed to the entrance of the tunnel from any angle and exits quickly. Because this is one of the easiest obstacles to master, it’s a good place to begin
Clos
ed
Tunnel Objective
The dog runs at full speed to the closed tunnel entrance from any angle, pushes through the chute quickly without veering or jumping upward, and exits straight ahead.
Pause Table
Objective
The dog leaps onto the table, and when commanded to down or sit, complies swiftly and awaits the next command. During a five-second count, the dog remains firmly in position, then springs from the table immediately when the handler gives the next command.
Weave Po
le
Objective
The dog enters to the right of the first pole at top speed and from any angle. With its head focused straight ahead, the dog weaves through each pole at lightning speed, hugging the center line as closely as possible.
Dog Walk Objective The dog approaches the dog walk squarely and quickly touching the upside contact zone. The dog races across the top plank and immediately runs to the bottom, touching the downside contact zone.
Seesaw
Objective
The dog squarely approaches the seesaw and touches the upside contact zone. The dog moves swiftly to the end of the plank, hesitating slightly at the pivot point, touches the downside contact zone and exits after the plank has touched the ground.
Tire Jump Objective
The
dog soars quickly and cleanly through the tire opening at any reasonable
angle. (This jump is unique in that the dog must jump through, rather than
over, the obstacle.)
A-Frame Objective
The dog scales the A-frame quickly, scrambles over the apex and immediately runs to the bottom, touching the downside contact zone.
Jum
ps
Objective
The dog soars over the bar, panel, double or triple jump from any angle and at a proper distance, without displacing a bar or board. The dog should clear each bar or board without jumping excessively high.
Broad Jump Objective
The dog soars over the broad jump at a distance that equals twice the dog’s normal jump height, entering and exiting between the marker poles while clearing all boards.
Additional Fun Objectives
The dog
learns to maneuver wobbly objects like a shaky bridge, a wobble bridge, etc.
Sometimes a ladder obstacle is introduced.
Laying the Foundation
The foundation for Agility training can begin immediately even before your dog has been introduced to all the obstacles. All you need is your dog, some food or a toy and a little space! By holding the food over your dog’s head you can begin teaching it to follow your hand to get the food. The ability to follow hands is extremely important in agility; it will become one of the major ways to direct a dog around a course. As the dog catches on to the idea of following the food, start making gentle arcs and circles in both directions (left and right). Be sure to use both hands at different times, instead of always using the same hand to hold the food.
When the dog starts becoming more mobile, you can begin working on the “come” or “here”. Hold the food with your palm facing the dog. Call the dog with whatever command you use to call it to you. Turn your body so the dog can see the food. If you call the dog when it is close to your left leg, feed it with your left hand next to your left leg and vice versa if the dog is by your right leg. This will teach the dog to come to whichever hand you have extended, enabling you to eventually bring the dog to your right side or left side off an obstacle. In agility you will not call the dog to your front (as you would in obedience) because you will usually be running in a course in the same direction you want your dog to run.
When your dog is responding in different places and with some minor distractions to either “Here” or “Come”, you will work on the “Sit” and “Down”. Make sure you teach your dog these positions from a “Stand” since the dog will be standing when it gets on the pause table in agility. For the “Down” the dog should collapse with its shoulders first into a straight, sphinx-like down position.
More exercises to practice are
“Wait” or “Whoa” and “Easy” or “Slow”. These exercises teach your dog to stop
or at least slow down in a contact obstacle or a course. Treat this learning
experience as a game. Make it fun. When the command “Wait” or “Whoa” is given,
all action should cease. After (a
nd
you decide how long not the dog) a period of time, your activity should
explode into a party. When the “Easy” or “Slow” commands are given, the dog
should learn to move in slow motion, again until you release him.
These exercises should be fun and very much a game for you and your dog. You should be your dog’s favorite toy and he should be yours. Enjoy this new activity together.
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