How to Start an Agility Puppy

How To Start A Puppy In Agility

• 1

  Teaching your puppy basic obedience skills is essential to a successful Agility career. Agility dogs rely on a foundation of good manners and commands which must be followed to perform courses properly, and you can begin that training as young as 10 to 12 weeks. Your puppy should be potty trained, have good house manners and know how to calmly walk on a lead before you begin any serious training with your pup. A foundation of solid sit, stay, down and come will allow you and your dog the most success while competing in agility, as a good deal of your courses will require you to work at a distance from your dog. Begin teaching the basic commands by putting your pup on lead and giving the command, such as “sit.” Encourage your puppy to sit with a favorite treat or toy, and praise and reward the puppy as soon as it properly completes the command. Continue this pattern until your puppy consistently performs the command each and every time, eventually weaning the puppy off the treats and onto just verbal praise and petting.

• 2

  Tunnel training is a skill that your puppy can master early, as it requires little strain on your pup’s growing body. Training for both types of tunnels is very similar and fairly simple to teach. For the regular tunnel, begin by collapsing the tunnel to it’s shortest length, and securing it. Sit your puppy in front of the opening, and encourage the pup to go through, rewarding when the pup does so. You can gradually extend the length of the tunnel and work your puppy up to running through the tunnel at full length. The same idea can be used for the chute tunnel. Roll the fabric back and get the puppy to run through the body of the tunnel first, and gradually roll the chute fabric out until the puppy is running well through the chute.

• 3

  Weave poles are an obstacle that can cause even the most seasoned dog and handler trouble. Puppies can be taught the weave poles early on, and they can build speed as they get older. Begin by placing the weave poles approximately 18 inches apart and sitting your pup on the correct entry side to the poles. Take a treat or your pup’s favorite toy and encourage the pup to correctly weave in and out of the poles and exit on the correct side, giving the “weave” command. Continue this careful walk through and encouragement until your puppy leans to weave the poles without being hand walked through the poles. Gradually you can build speed as the puppy gains confidence and control.

• 4

  Contact obstacles, such as the dog walk, teeter-totter, and A-frame are vital parts of an agility course that your puppy can master while still young. While performing contact obstacles, your dog must place at least one foot in the colored end area of the obstacle before exiting it or else suffer a penalty. Begin training your puppy on contact obstacles by simply getting your puppy to walk over a narrow plank on the ground. Give your puppy the command such as “walk it”, and guide the puppy onto the plank. Have the puppy slowly walk the entire length of the board, and pause at the end. This pause will help your puppy understand in the future that it must place a foot inside that vital end area before running off an obstacle. As your puppy gets good at the plank, you can gradually raise it and begin working your dog on the various contact obstacles themselves following the same walk and pause idea, always being sure to reward your pup for a job well done.

• 5

  Jumping your dog is an important part of any agility course, and your puppy can begin the basic idea of jumping while young. Set up your hurdle, and place the bar on the ground. Give your puppy the “jump” command and encourage it to walk over the bar. Once your puppy gets older, you can gradually raise the hurdle up a little bit at a time, making sure your puppy clears the hurdle and does not knock it over. However, be careful not to overjump your puppy, as too much stress on the joints can cause permanent deformities and lameness in young dogs.