Agility, or manoeuvrability for short, is a quality that every dog possesses. It is a quality that can be trained by doing different exercises. These exercises are a fun activity that you can do together with your dog. Some dogs master these exercises quickly, while others need a bit more time. In the end, your dog’s agility will always be improved by performing these exercises. Are you interested in what these exercises are? Then read on below.
The Sport
The aim of agility is for your dog to complete a course of obstacles with as few mistakes as possible. You do this together with your dog and during the course you can guide your dog with your voice and gestures. What you are not allowed to do is touch the obstacles.
The great thing about this sport is that it stimulates your dog both physically and mentally and the combination is recommended for every owner. The sport has its origins in horse jumping and, some time ago, a new model was designed especially for dogs.
Why should you teach a dog this?
Learning agility, unlike other skills such as releasing a ball, listening or house-training, is not something that needs to be done in a hurry. However, it is a skill that can be improved through practice and is also something your dog will enjoy. There are advantages to teaching this to a dog as it is good for;
- The coordination and self-confidence of a dog;
- Building a better bond with its owner;
- The interaction of his master
- The flexibility of the dog.
When can you start learning this?
Every dog already has the ability to do agility, so you can start improving this skill right away. It is important, however, to pay attention to the type of exercises you want to teach your dog, as there are different types of exercises for puppies than for adult dogs. You can train a puppy in different exercises, but it is important that the exercises are easy and provide a good basis for more difficult exercises that can be taught when the dog is an adult.
It is also important that the safety of your pup is always paramount, pups can learn very quickly but it is important that you know what is good for your dog. Do you want to know exactly what your dog can handle? Talk to your vet or someone who knows a lot about this dog sport.
Can you teach every dog?
Every dog can improve his agility by doing exercises. It should be noted that some breeds have a better natural aptitude for certain exercises than others, so don’t worry if your dog has a little more difficulty learning them. It can help to start early with learning the basic exercises, this will ensure that your dog will learn them well.
When a dog is an adult, the more difficult exercises are easier to master because he already recognises many things. Please note that with an older dog that has not done such exercises before, it is useful to start with the basic exercises just like with a puppy. This is how you prevent possible injuries.