How You Can Make Agility Training Fun for Your Dog

When people try to train their pets, they often run into one pesky problem. They can't find a way to make training techniques like agility training anything but boring. Their pet loses interest, which makes the process of training them all the harder.

One of the things you should keep in mind is that training is often more effective when it's done in small doses. While it's true that you need to repeat things a lot for your dog to learn something, you can repeat things over a long period of time; you don't have to do it all at once.

Your goal should be to try to stop your training session before your dog ever has a chance to get bored. Keep them engaged from start to finish. Even though you'll spend less time training, you'll be able to make more progress overall.

You should also make sure that your dog is always being rewarded at the end of the training session. It shouldn't feel like work to your pet; they should feel as though they're getting something out of the process. If they are, they'll enjoy it much more.

Try not to make things confusing for your dog. Let them master one task before you move onto the next one. You want to make sure that your dog feels like they're doing a good job. If they can't understand what you want out of them, they won't enjoy their training session at all.

Make sure that your dog is rewarded at the end of the session even if they struggle with your commands. You don't want your dog to feel like a failure. You should always reward progress. Little by little, you'll see your dog start to get better at whatever it is that you're trying to get them to do.

If you see that your dog seems distressed or upset, it's okay to stop the training session to figure out what's wrong. You shouldn't feel like you have to push your dog no matter what. Sometimes simply relocating is enough to address the problem.

As you can see, there are all kinds of things you can do to make agility training more fun for your dog. Training isn't always easy, but that doesn't mean it can't be entertaining and rewarding. You just have to make sure you do things right.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-You-Can-Make-Agility-Training-Fun-for-Your-Dog&id=9098935

Get Healthy With Your Dogs Help

You're probably asking how can my dog help make me healthy. Simply put he can get you off the couch and outside for a long walk or an afternoon of throwing a ball or a toy for retrieval games.

I think that everybody knows that it is a proven well documented fact that people who own dogs live longer. That isn't just because you own a dog it is because it gives you something to care for and be active with.

In fact another well documented fact is that people with dogs have better mental health as well. Of course I think we have all known at least 1 wacko in our lives that had a dog so there are exceptions to that rule.

So let's talk about some things you can do to get healthier with your dog.

1. Go for a daily walk. Walking 10,000 steps a day will go a long way to keeping you healthy. A one hour walk will give me 5500 to 6000 steps so I am well on the way to the 10,000 steps that I have for a daily goal.

2. Get involved in some type of dog sport. If losing weight is a goal of yours then you may want to consider agility training. Agility training involves all types of jumps and obstacles for your dog. You are running along with your dog and getting some great exercise.

3. If you feel that your dog may have what it takes to be a search and rescue dog you may want to consider joining a local SAR group. Your dog may be used for detection work as a cadaver dog or possibly for tracking a lost child. Getting involved with an SAR group will get you up and moving for the training as well as any real emergency situation.

4. Get involved with A.K.C. obedience trials with your dog if you both enjoy doing obedience. There are literally dog shows all over the country each and every week-end.

5. A.K.C. also now offers tracking competition. So if obedience is not your dog's thing but it has a good nose then tracking just may be what you both need.

As you can see there are a bunch of different things you can do with your dog to get you healthier and to keep you that way. A dog can make you happier and one thing to remember is that a nice dog can be a great way to meet the opposite sex. That's right your next partner may just be that person that approaches and asks about your dog. 

Good luck!

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-Healthy-With-Your-Dogs-Help&id=8479813

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. 

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Boosting-Your-Canine-Companions-Confidence-Through-Agility&id=9455883