Teaching a dog to sit, lie down, roll over, stay and heel is the extent of many dog owners' training when it comes to their furry friends. But this is a good thing because it teaches basic obedience and keeps both parties content. However, dog agility training involves more than the basic commands. If both you and your dog enjoy a good challenge, then this could be the best way of bonding that you find. You may want to find out a little about how to teach your dog agility training first, though.
First of all, when teaching your dog about the dog agility training and equipment, you need to understand that there are two elements that you are striving to achieve - accuracy and speed. Although you may start off by getting your dog familiar with obstacles and courses, these two things are your ultimate aims because they are the values that are used to determine the best dogs at competition.
Here are just a few tips to use when teaching your dog agility training:
1. Don't get angry at your dog.
2. Get your dog's attention when you are training him by using his name often.
3. As your dog becomes better trained, you can do away with using his name and simply give the command. Use a firm voice and make sure that your dog's attention is focused on you.
4. Use command words that are distinct from each other.
5. Have fun.
To use positive training when teaching your dog agility training, simply do the following:
Always carry food with you and give your dog a treat when he performs an obstacle right.
You might also carry toys with you and reward your dog with playtime rather than food.
Reward him with the sound of your voice.
When your dog does something wrong, don't verbally berate him or tell him he did it wrong. Instead, have him do the obstacle (or whatever it is) over and over again until he gets it right. Then you can reward him.
No matter which dog agility training and equipment you use when teaching your dog, you have to be aware that he or she will be unfamiliar with it. As a result, you have to have patience and use positive training techniques to put your dog at ease. Your dog may not like moving obstacles or those that he has never seen before so it does take time and a lot of treats to settle most dogs. The secret is to find a method that works best for you and then stick to it.
