Agility is really the pinnacle of dog sports. The most talented dogs prevail. There are no two ways about it. But there is a lot that goes into a winner’s (and even a loser’s) performance behind the scenes and before the competition oven takes place. This will be the focus of this article: agility training. It is not an easy thing. Do you think dogs will naturally jump pall around and weave through poles? No, they won’t. You have to train them.
The sport of agility for dogs was started in the UK in 1978. It was at the Crufts Fair and it was a legendary day. Since then everyone the whole world over has become familiar with this great sport whether they know it or not. It is the sport where the owners have their dogs jump all over beams and run up steps and follow commands. It takes a whole lot of dog agility training in order to achieve this. You basically have to devote all your spare time to it if you want your pup to be a success. By the way, some people think it should be limited to medium and large size dogs but this belief is a little outdated. Chihuahuas are great at this sport. Believe me. There’s no reason to be biased against any sort of a dog competing in this majestic and great sport. None at all!
The hardest thing to do as regards agility training for dogs is to get them to understand the Pole Weave. This is where they have to weave in and out of stakes in the ground. They pass the first on their left, then the second on their right, the third on their left, etc. This is so hard to get them to do. There is no precedent for this sort of activity in nature. It is totally unnatural. I don’t know who thought it up but they were a genius. The dogs who can master this one skill will probably go on to be top dogs in every competition in which they compete. This is agility’s toughest obstacle and the one that creates the real winners.
Now that you have a better idea of agility training, do you think it is too much? Do you think your dog has it in him? You’ll never know until you try. It’s really all about meeting the dog “where he is” and training him from that point.
