mardi 28 octobre 2014

Conditioning Exercises For The Agility Dog

By Cheng Bernhardt


Running around an agility course is great fun, but it's hard work and your furry friend definitely needs to be in top shape in order to compete in dog agility. Here are a few tips that will help you keep Fido in great condition and ready to hit the agility obstacles at a moment's notice.

While you can't use treats as a reward on the course and probably should never use them during training, we humans often have a hard time not giving treats to our dogs at other times. While the occasional tidbit is fine, too much of any type of food can cause your dog to gain too much weight and this definitely can affect their performance and stamina. Talk to a trainer and your vet about the proper amount of food and the type of food you should be feeding your dog to ensure optimum health.

Every dog is different individually as well as different by breed and size. All of this must be taken into consideration when choosing activities. For instance, while all dogs love a good walk, some also will enjoy a long run with their person. For instance, a Boxer or an English setter or Huskie might excel at running. On the other end of the spectrum, a small dog such as Shih Tzu or a Yorkshire terrier might wear out quickly from this type of vigorous exercise. For those who are just walkers, stick to local parks, flat beach trails and easy hikes for exercise.

Other fun exercises include tugging on toys, chasing after a ball and playing fetch. Dogs love these activities and they actually can be quite helpful for teaching your dog how to behave and follow commands. For instance you can throw a toy and signal your pet to bring it back to you. You can play tug, but also teach a command where your pet must release the tug toy immediately.

Of course, working on agility skills is also a great form of exercise and you'll need some agility equipment for these activities. Carlson Agility is one online store that sells every piece of agility equipment imaginable. You can purchase a starter kit and then add pieces or just order equipment piece by piece. The selection includes agility jumps, tire jumps, weaves, agility a-frames, dog walks, pause tables, K-9 equipment and anything else you might need.

If you have a small dog or are training a puppy, consider taking a look at Carlson Agility's full line of mini agility equipment. They offer items such as dog agility walks, agility a-frames, jumps, agility teeter totters, agility pause tables and other obstacles in smaller sizes. These also are great for indoor training or for setting up a full course in a smaller yard.




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