Boosting Your Canine Companion's Confidence Through Agility

Start your training with something simple like a small jump, maybe a few inches off the ground and as your canine companion goes over the jump several times without hesitation, gradually adjust the jump higher. As your companion achieves the goal, reward him/her with either a treat, a toy, lots of praise, or any combination. The tunnel is another good obstacle to start with. Start with the tunnel as short as possible and gradually lengthen it, a little at a time. I started out with the collapsible kid's tunnel that you can purchase at Toys "R" Us. Eventually, you can add some weave poles, a teeter (see-saw), or even the catwalk. These are just a few ideas to start with; you can add any obstacle.

The more challenging the obstacles gets, the strong the confidence builds.

My canine companion, Buster, needed some help with his confidence, so I started agility training with him. By the time we finished the agility class, Buster definitely had more confidence. I then took all the knowledge that I learned in agility training and I applied it to every walk we took. While walking in the park, fallen limbs were jumps, down trees were a beam to walk across, tree stumps were obstacles to jump on and sit, if there was enough room. I used anything and everything I could as a training point. I even used a kids jungle gym. A tire ramp up the side was the way to get to the top of the jungle gym and the slide was the way down. One jungle gym had a rope bridge. This was actually a really challenging obstacle for Buster. The bridge had little metal connectors in the cross sections of the ropes, this is what Buster placed his paws on to cross the bridge. Sometimes he would slip and lose his footing, but he learned that he could recollect his paws under him and continue.

The more I did, the more I challenged, the more Buster achieved and the more confidence he gained. As time went on and training continued, my relationship with Buster grew stronger. The more Buster trusted in me, the more I could challenge him and the more he looked to me for direction.

Agility training like any training takes time. By incorporating the training in my everyday routine, it became my routine and not another responsibility to fit into my busy schedule. In the end the outcome is well worth all the time and effort.

So whether it is for fun, for confidence or for competition, agility is a fun way to spend quality training time with your companion. It will build confidence, enhance your relationship with your canine companion and strengthen the bond between the two of you. 

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