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| Dog Agility Training: Bring Out the Athlete in Your Dog Posted: 01 Mar 2014 01:00 AM PST Agility training for dogs is a sport that is quickly growing in popularity, and is a terrific outlet for your dog's abundant energies. The agility training gets him into the best shape of his life, and also increases his mental sharpness through problem solving. A dog that is well exercised and happy is much more likely to refrain from bad behaviors. Following so much activity, he will be more in a mood to kick back than to cause any problems. Agility training isn't for all breed. For instance, dogs descended from the working breeds such as Retrievers, Shepherds, Herding Breeds (collies, cattle dogs) Spaniels and Terriers are physically more suited for the agility training than very large breeds such as Great Danes, St. Bernards or a Mastiff. It's all I can do to get a Bullmastiff I dog sit to even go for a brisk walk. The very large breeds tend to tire out too quickly and aren't gifted by nature for this type of activity. If a breed of dogs is too small, it is also unable to meet the physical demands of agility training-for instance, they can't make it over the jumps. If your dog is very athletic and energetic and of the right size he may make a good candidate for agility training. Make sure you have already obedience trained your dog before trying to teach him the agility exercises. Be sure that you include dog training hand signals [http://www.behavedoggy.com/dog-training-hand-signals/] during your dog's obedience training. That is because your dog will really need to listen and pay attention to your directions and hand signals to do the agility tricks required. Besides knowing the basic sit, down, stay and heel commands, your dog will need to know when to turn right or left, go fast or slow by watching your hand signals. Therefore, pay attention to getting a good foundation with general obedience training first, before trying the agility training. Wait until your dog has grown to full size prior to starting the agility training. A puppy won't be ready for the obstacle courses until he has become full grown. Most dogs are ready at about 1 year of age, although some larger breeds are still growing a bit. Agility training exercises for older dogs, after about age 8, are not recommended-it is just too rigorous for them anymore. Check out a Dog Agility Club in your area if you are interested in watching these dogs perform. It is really fun to see these dogs performing the obstacle course exercises. You have probably already seen an agility competition on TV, and have an idea of just how well trained these agility dogs are. The tricks these dogs learn through their agility training is really something to see. There are a variety of obstacles that the dogs must either go over, go through (tunnels) or go under, that require not only a physically gifted dog, but some terrific attention to training too. If you watch an agility competition, it is clear that the dogs and their handlers are having a great time. Any dog enthusiast will really enjoy seeing the kinds of results that agility training for dogs produces. It is no wonder so many people are becoming interested in dog agility clubs. Through the agility training exercises, your dog will learn how to do things like crawl through a tunnel, walk over a teeter-tooter, jump over hurdles, climb up and down a tall A-frame structure, and weave his way through a series of "weave poles". All these obstacles together serve to test your dog's conditioning and agility. Another good side benefit of the training will also be exercising you right along with your dog. If the idea of agility training for your dog seems to fit his size and personality, you can check out an agility club and get started. Don't be intimidated by how difficult the exercises look. You can progressively teach your dog his agility training step by step so the training is doable. |
| Posted: 01 Mar 2014 12:37 AM PST A lot of dog owners really love feeding time. Dogs know when feeding time is, and they are very demonstrative about how happy they are when feeding time comes around. While all dogs are happy about the prospect of being fed though, some dogs tend to behave quite aggressively once their food has been served. Some dogs growl if someone is too near them while they eat, worse still, some dogs go to the extent of snapping at anyone they perceive as "too close" while they are feeding. This type of aggression in dogs is quite common, but it should not go uncurbed, as it could deteriorate into other forms of aggression if simply left unchecked. The key to checking such aggression early is in showing your dog who the boss is. You don't need to actually punish your dog to get that message across. The best way to demonstrate you are the boss is by establishing a consistent feeding schedule. Feed your dog only at certain preset times, don't deviate from your routine. Don't feed your dog anything in between meals, and get the cooperation of other household members who interact with your dog. In the event that your dog is too full to eat during mealtime, don't leave the food out, feed your pet again only at the next scheduled mealtime. Establishing a rigid schedule will give your dog a clear picture of who dictates when and how much he or she eats. This is essential if you want to curb your dog's aggression while eating. A second important thing to establish is the order of importance; always feed your dog after your family and not before. If your dog begs at the table, don't allow him or her to be fed. Feed your dog after your family is finished eating. That way, the dog will understand his or her rank in terms of superiority in the house. This again will go a long way towards toning down your dog's aggression. Giving table scraps is never a good practice for many reasons: First of all, it's unsanitary, your dog will probably end up taking the food away and trying to eat it somewhere else and wherever he or she does eat, it will be a mess after. Secondly, dog food is nutritionally balanced to be ideal for dogs, and scraps from the table will upset that balance. Third, it is disastrous from a behavioral standpoint, your dog will feel that you can be manipulated and this will upset your established schedule and undermine your credibility as the master. When feeding time does come around though, make sure that while training your dog, someone is there to watch him or her eat, this will also help drive home the point that people will not try to take away their food. With young dogs the tips we've given should be enough to eventually eliminate this sort of aggression early. If however, you are trying to train an older dog, you may need to use and additional method: that of not giving the food all at once. Let your dog have a small amount, and when he or she finishes, give more, repeat until your dog has eaten the correct amount as prescribed by your vet, or the packaging of your dog food; that way your dog is more likely to deduce that you are a giver of food, not somebody who takes it away. Aggression at feeding time is a primal instinct, after all, in the wild, dogs are largely predators, and their instinct is to defend their food against other predators. With patience and consistency though, your dog can be taught that he or she shouldn't misbehave at feeding time. |
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