If you have ever watched dogs zipping around a dog agility course, you can tell that not only are these animals highly trained, but they are enjoying themselves. Dogs love all the jumps and weaves and tunnels that are part of these competitions because they mimic their natural instinctive behavior. However, you might think that dog agility training is something limited to only certain types and personalities of dogs, but you might be surprised to note that most dogs can learn these skills.
For someone who owns a particularly shy dog, who dislikes being around other dogs or even other people, you might never have given dog agility training a second thought. But this type of training truly can provide a huge boost in confidence for your shy dog. While they might be terrified of training at a local dog agility club or in the local park, they might love training in the privacy of their own yard with you as their trainer.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to introduce your shy dog to the pause table. Be sure to opt for an adjustable table and begin at the lowest height. If your dog is always suspicious or nervous around anything new in the yard or in your home, give them time to check out the equipment before you try to get them to jump onto the table. Let them sniff and inspect it and then after a few days have passed, try to encourage them to get on the table. You can carefully place them on the table while holding them and gently petting or you can lure them up with a special treat or a favored toy. This can take some time, but eventually your dog will have the confidence to climb up on the pause table all by themselves.
After your dog is comfortable jumping on the table and has learned how to sit down and stay on the pause table for many seconds with you standing away from the table, you should consider adding some more equipment. A contact trainer, such as those sold by Carlson Agility, can be a great addition. This has a pause table in the middle and is flanked on one side by a mini A-frame and on the other by a mini dog walk. In general, miniature-sized agility equipment is an excellent training tool for shy dogs as well as for puppies and smaller breeds of dogs. In addition to the contact training, you can find agility dog jumps, dog tunnels, tire jumps, weaves and much more at Carlson Agility. So once your dog has mastered a new obstacle, simply add something new.
Just by mastering the pause table and contact trainer, you should notice an improvement in your dog's level of confidence. As you add obstacles, their level of confidence will continue to gain momentum. Mini versions of just about all of the equipment are available, so you can continue with the smaller sizes, which can be less scary and also have the added advantage of fitting into your yard more easily. You can even take them into your house on a rainy day or at night for some fun extra training. Once the mini obstacles seem pretty well mastered, you could try introducing your dog to other dogs at a local agility group or club. However, some dogs will always be more comfortable enjoying agility training only at home.
Agility training is also great exercise for your dog and helps the two of you create a stronger bond. While this bond is important to build with any dog, a shy or timid dog really needs this extra encouragement, and dog agility can be a fantastic way to boost confidence.
For someone who owns a particularly shy dog, who dislikes being around other dogs or even other people, you might never have given dog agility training a second thought. But this type of training truly can provide a huge boost in confidence for your shy dog. While they might be terrified of training at a local dog agility club or in the local park, they might love training in the privacy of their own yard with you as their trainer.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to introduce your shy dog to the pause table. Be sure to opt for an adjustable table and begin at the lowest height. If your dog is always suspicious or nervous around anything new in the yard or in your home, give them time to check out the equipment before you try to get them to jump onto the table. Let them sniff and inspect it and then after a few days have passed, try to encourage them to get on the table. You can carefully place them on the table while holding them and gently petting or you can lure them up with a special treat or a favored toy. This can take some time, but eventually your dog will have the confidence to climb up on the pause table all by themselves.
After your dog is comfortable jumping on the table and has learned how to sit down and stay on the pause table for many seconds with you standing away from the table, you should consider adding some more equipment. A contact trainer, such as those sold by Carlson Agility, can be a great addition. This has a pause table in the middle and is flanked on one side by a mini A-frame and on the other by a mini dog walk. In general, miniature-sized agility equipment is an excellent training tool for shy dogs as well as for puppies and smaller breeds of dogs. In addition to the contact training, you can find agility dog jumps, dog tunnels, tire jumps, weaves and much more at Carlson Agility. So once your dog has mastered a new obstacle, simply add something new.
Just by mastering the pause table and contact trainer, you should notice an improvement in your dog's level of confidence. As you add obstacles, their level of confidence will continue to gain momentum. Mini versions of just about all of the equipment are available, so you can continue with the smaller sizes, which can be less scary and also have the added advantage of fitting into your yard more easily. You can even take them into your house on a rainy day or at night for some fun extra training. Once the mini obstacles seem pretty well mastered, you could try introducing your dog to other dogs at a local agility group or club. However, some dogs will always be more comfortable enjoying agility training only at home.
Agility training is also great exercise for your dog and helps the two of you create a stronger bond. While this bond is important to build with any dog, a shy or timid dog really needs this extra encouragement, and dog agility can be a fantastic way to boost confidence.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys blogging about dog agility training. To discover a dog agility course, or to find more about training equipment for agility for dogs, please visit the Carlson-Agility.com website now.
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