If you are new to the world of dog agility, it will be helpful to learn about all of the different pieces of agility equipment that are used for competitions. While every dog agility group, from UKC to USDAA, has different rules and different course designs, there are a few pieces of agility equipment that you almost always find on the course. These include items such as the pause table, plenty of dog agility jumps, weave poles, a see-saw or teeter totter, a dog tunnel, a collapsible chute and an agility dog walk or A-frame or perhaps both.
Jumps are always going to have a big presence on the agility course, so for those in the market for agility equipment, jumps are a safe bet. In general, dogs love agility jumps and they learn these jumping skills quickly. Generally, there will be several pole jumps, including double or triple jumps that dogs must leap across as well as panel jumps, which range from just one panel to higher, multi-panel agility jumps. It's good to just start out with single jumps and gradually increase height and then continue to increase the difficulty.
A few organizations, most notably the UKC, have a couple of extra jumps and agility equipment that aren't used by most other organizations. The window jump is something you might see on a UKC course. They also have some fun pieces of agility equipment such as a sway bridge or the swing plank. These types of obstacles are a lot of fun to watch dogs zip across while still maintaining speed and balance.
The pause table is generally an easy obstacle to teach. It is here where your furry friend must sit and stay and "pause" during their time on the course. Each organization will have different height requirements for this obstacle as well as rules about how long the dog must stay. It might not seem like the most exciting obstacle, but the pause table is a fantastic training tool and a great way to combine your obedience training with your agility training.
After jumps and pause table skills are learned, you could add in a contact obstacle. These include A-frames, dog walks, teeter-totters, collapsible chutes and dog tunnels. The chutes and tunnels can be easier to teach than the A-frame, teeter or dog walk. The dog walk and A-frame can be intimidating at first because of the height, so just allow your dog to slowly acclimate to the change in altitude. The teeter, of course, can be tricky because some dogs will not enjoy the movement of the teeter at first. Eventually, though, your dog will enjoy dash up the A-frame and across the teeter.
You can purchase just about every piece of agility equipment that you might need from an online source. Carlson Agility, for instance, sells everything you could need for agility training. You can find contact equipment, all types of jumps, weaves, chutes, tunnels, teeters, K9 training equipment, specialty UKC equipment and much more. If you are training with a smaller breed of dog or perhaps a puppy, Carlson Agility also offers most agility equipment in miniature sizes.
Jumps are always going to have a big presence on the agility course, so for those in the market for agility equipment, jumps are a safe bet. In general, dogs love agility jumps and they learn these jumping skills quickly. Generally, there will be several pole jumps, including double or triple jumps that dogs must leap across as well as panel jumps, which range from just one panel to higher, multi-panel agility jumps. It's good to just start out with single jumps and gradually increase height and then continue to increase the difficulty.
A few organizations, most notably the UKC, have a couple of extra jumps and agility equipment that aren't used by most other organizations. The window jump is something you might see on a UKC course. They also have some fun pieces of agility equipment such as a sway bridge or the swing plank. These types of obstacles are a lot of fun to watch dogs zip across while still maintaining speed and balance.
The pause table is generally an easy obstacle to teach. It is here where your furry friend must sit and stay and "pause" during their time on the course. Each organization will have different height requirements for this obstacle as well as rules about how long the dog must stay. It might not seem like the most exciting obstacle, but the pause table is a fantastic training tool and a great way to combine your obedience training with your agility training.
After jumps and pause table skills are learned, you could add in a contact obstacle. These include A-frames, dog walks, teeter-totters, collapsible chutes and dog tunnels. The chutes and tunnels can be easier to teach than the A-frame, teeter or dog walk. The dog walk and A-frame can be intimidating at first because of the height, so just allow your dog to slowly acclimate to the change in altitude. The teeter, of course, can be tricky because some dogs will not enjoy the movement of the teeter at first. Eventually, though, your dog will enjoy dash up the A-frame and across the teeter.
You can purchase just about every piece of agility equipment that you might need from an online source. Carlson Agility, for instance, sells everything you could need for agility training. You can find contact equipment, all types of jumps, weaves, chutes, tunnels, teeters, K9 training equipment, specialty UKC equipment and much more. If you are training with a smaller breed of dog or perhaps a puppy, Carlson Agility also offers most agility equipment in miniature sizes.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt loves dog agility training. To find an agility equipment, or to find additional agility dog training equipment like agility jumps, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com site today.
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