Most dogs look forward to working on an agility course. They love the high level of exercise and all of the fun and praise that goes along with doing a good job. However, sometimes the weather simply doesn't cooperate with a dog's need to get out there and run around. When bad weather happens, don't let it keep you from enjoying some fun indoor agility training with your special animal companion. Here are some easy ways to bring agility training inside.
If you are fortunate enough to have adequate space in a basement or your garage, why not set up an indoor agility area that you can use at any time? This can be a great place to work out not only during inclement weather, but also if it's dark outside and your dog needs to practice or just expel some extra energy. You can set up several pieces of dog agility equipment, including a tire jump, a tunnel or a chute, a pause table, a see-saw or perhaps an A-frame. Some homes simply don't have these handy spaces for training, but there are still other options.
When the rain hits, bring your pause table into the living room and spend some time practicing with your dog on this apparatus. While dogs really love dashing through weaves and tunnels and running up and down A-frames, the pause table is extremely important and is a key part of obedience training. The dog must learn to stay and sit on the table for at least five seconds, and a rainy day is the perfect time to practice this important skill.
Another option is to set up an A-frame or teeter and have your dog practice those skills. This is an especially good idea if your dog is a bit nervous about these two pieces of equipment. You can adjust the teeter or A-frame and begin at a lower elevation and work with your dog until he or she feels comfortable at a low height and then adjust the apparatus to a higher position.
The A-frame and the teeter are part of a group known as contact obstacles. The dog walk is another type of contact obstacle. You might find it difficult to fit the A-frame in your living room and certainly the dog walk might be too big. However, a contact trainer is a good option that sort of combines the skills of the A-frame or dog walk along with a pause table. Some contact trainers have just two ramps and no pause table, but you can purchase a three-piece contact trainer that will allow you to work on pause activities, as well as walking up and down ramps.
Sometimes you can build your own equipment, but this can be difficult and time consuming. There are several companies that build agility equipment that looks just like the equipment you see at a competition. Carlson-Agility.com, for instance, offers a full line of dog training equipment, including agility jumps, agility dog walks, dog tunnels, chutes, pause tables and any other training equipment you need.
If you are fortunate enough to have adequate space in a basement or your garage, why not set up an indoor agility area that you can use at any time? This can be a great place to work out not only during inclement weather, but also if it's dark outside and your dog needs to practice or just expel some extra energy. You can set up several pieces of dog agility equipment, including a tire jump, a tunnel or a chute, a pause table, a see-saw or perhaps an A-frame. Some homes simply don't have these handy spaces for training, but there are still other options.
When the rain hits, bring your pause table into the living room and spend some time practicing with your dog on this apparatus. While dogs really love dashing through weaves and tunnels and running up and down A-frames, the pause table is extremely important and is a key part of obedience training. The dog must learn to stay and sit on the table for at least five seconds, and a rainy day is the perfect time to practice this important skill.
Another option is to set up an A-frame or teeter and have your dog practice those skills. This is an especially good idea if your dog is a bit nervous about these two pieces of equipment. You can adjust the teeter or A-frame and begin at a lower elevation and work with your dog until he or she feels comfortable at a low height and then adjust the apparatus to a higher position.
The A-frame and the teeter are part of a group known as contact obstacles. The dog walk is another type of contact obstacle. You might find it difficult to fit the A-frame in your living room and certainly the dog walk might be too big. However, a contact trainer is a good option that sort of combines the skills of the A-frame or dog walk along with a pause table. Some contact trainers have just two ramps and no pause table, but you can purchase a three-piece contact trainer that will allow you to work on pause activities, as well as walking up and down ramps.
Sometimes you can build your own equipment, but this can be difficult and time consuming. There are several companies that build agility equipment that looks just like the equipment you see at a competition. Carlson-Agility.com, for instance, offers a full line of dog training equipment, including agility jumps, agility dog walks, dog tunnels, chutes, pause tables and any other training equipment you need.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves talking about dog agility training. To discover a dog obstacles course, or to find more agility dog training equipment such as dog agility kit, please check out the Carlson-Agility website now.
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