Most of us watch agility on dog shows or see viral clips online, and we are immediately certain that our dog would never do that. Over many years of teaching, we can say that there are very few dogs that couldn’t or wouldn’t do agility! They may not be fast as the competitive border collies you see on tv, but they are still having so much fun!
There are so many benefits to teaching your dog agility!
Enrichment: All training is enriching for dogs, and agility is no different. Agility is all about focus and communication, so there is a big mental component for dogs.
Exercise: Dogs also get a nice dose of physical activity with their mental enrichment. This combination can be more fulfilling than just physical exercise on it’s own.
Communication: Agility is all about quick responses to information, which prompts your dog to pay more attention to physical and verbal cues.
Confidence: One of our favorite things to see is a low confidence dog realize that an obstacle is really fun, and then gleefully try it again. Agility is a wonderful ego boost and even though we may have to take things at a slower pace at first, the payoff is huge.
Impulse Control: Your dog will absolutely have a favorite obstacle, it takes so much willpower to make that good decision and listen to your cues instead!
Obedience: Really? Yes! Most of your basic manners cues are reinforced in agility. Stays, recalls, sits, and downs are all cues used in agility. But, because the are part of a fun activity the practice doesn’t feel so tedious!
We’ve invested in special equipment that gives us lots of adjustment options for different ability levels. We can make the obstacles flat and low for puppies, senior dogs, shy dogs and dogs that need to take it easy. And if your dog doesn’t do well in a group class, we offer private training options and gym rental options so you can work solo.
We’d love to show you what it’s all about! Try one of our Intro to Agility classes, or request a private training today!